A memorial is to be erected honouring American troops based in Leicestershire before they left to fight in the campaign to free Europe from Nazi tyranny.
Elderly veterans of the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division will fly from the United States for the unveiling of the monument on June 1.
Two regiments of the division lived in camps just outside the city in early 1944 as they prepared for operations in mainland Europe.
The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) was based at Scraptoft, while the men of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment – nicknamed the Devils in Baggy Pants –were stationed in Evington.
Battlefield historian Adam Berry, 26, from Ashby, who has been fascinated by the 82nd Airborne since his teens, launched a project last year to get memorials built to the troops.
Adam said he felt very proud that his labour of love was close to becoming a reality.
He said: "For many of these young men who did not survive the war – and some were as young as 17 – Leicester was the last place where they tasted the comforts of home and the free world they were fighting for."
Adam said the lack of a memorial to the Leicester-based regiments of the 82nd Airborne spurred him to act.
There are already monuments to their counterparts, the 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, in Quorn and at Wollaton Hall, near Nottingham, respectively.
Adam said: "Now there will be memorials to all of the American regiments based in the area.
"For me, this is also about raising awareness of the bravery of these men and the sacrifices they made." There is a memorial in Victoria Park to the 82nd Airborne, whose divisional headquarters were at Braunstone Hall, but no memorial specifically for the men of the 325th GIR and 504th Parachute regiments until now.
The 325th GIR were based at Camp March Hare – a former German prisoner of war site off Beeby Lane, Scraptoft – from early 1944 until June 7, when they flew to Normandy to support the D-Day landings.
The 504th's Camp Stoughton is now the site of Evington Arboretum, in Shady Lane. They were based there from April 1944 to September 7.
Their memorial will be located in Edith Cole Memorial Park, opposite All Saints Church, in Scraptoft, half a mile from the site of Camp March Hare.
The 1.8m plinth will have a carved stone embedded into the brick featuring the 82nd's insignia.
A plaque of North Wales slate will be engraved with: "Their devotion to duty and selfless sacrifices in helping to end tyranny in Europe will never be forgotten. Through the passage of time their memory is still cherished."
Veteran Herb Huebschen, of the 325th GIR, will be joined at the unveiling by George Shenkel and Roland Daniel, veterans of the 508th and 507th Parachute Infantry Regiments respectively.
Herb, now 93 and living in Beloit, Wisconsin, said: "Without the help of the citizens of Scraptoft and the efforts of Adam Berry, none of this would have been possible."
Adam raised £1,200 with the help of veterans, their families and donations to pay for the memorial.
Peter Elliott, 63, chairman of Scraptoft Parish Council, said: "This memorial is long overdue. The people of Scraptoft are proud to have welcomed these brave young American troops to their village.
"My late father used to tell me tales of how the men used to hand out chocolate to the children and spare their rations for local people at a time of much austerity.
"But all of a sudden, one morning, they were gone. It was eerie, knowing that a lot of the men would not survive the conflict. This memorial will be long-cherished by villagers and future generations."
