First Blood
Circumstances of landing at night in enemy held territory sometimes forced paratroopers to kill or be killed upon landing. Those who were not prepared did not survive. The late Pvt Doug Garrett of B/502, wrote about his first combat in Normandy: "Finding out in jig time that war was kill or be killed, it took me less than five minutes to find that out. A bullet had hit my reserve chute and felt like being hit in the stomach with a sledge hammer. I then hit the ground and pulled a .45 cal. pistol given to me by my supply sgt cousin in the Air Corps.
While I lay there, gasping, a German came out of the bushes in a dive for my throat with a razor sharp knife. It was his last dive at anybody. That .45 roared like a cannon and he was dead when he landed on top of me. I cussed him out for getting his blood on me, but then thought 'better his than mine'. I then waded into a flooded area and washed his blood off.
Then I saw 3 gliders come in, with machineguns and artillery following them to the ground. Then mortars took over. Then, I started up a road and a machinegun opened fire at me and I learned how to do the jitterbug faster than any man had ever learned it before or since. How it missed me, I'll never know. I'm just glad it did.
I only spent five days in Normandy before being seriously wounded, but it was five days of my life that I can never forget."
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
"What was the size and organization of a rifle company in a WW2 Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR)?"
A typical PIR rifle company at the time of Normandy, had 130 EM and 8 Officers. The Company HQ group was not a platoon, not even a squad. It consisted of ten men and was more of a Co. HQ 'Section'. Each rifle platoon had 40 men. Three rifle squads of 12 men each and a 4 man mortar squad (60mm mortar).
"Who carried which weapons and why didn't all paratroopers carry the folding stock carbines, which were especially designed for them?"
Most members of a rifle squad were armed with 30-06 caliber M-1 Garand rifles, which were a much more potent weapon than the carbine, which lacked range and knockdown power. The M1-A1 carbine with a folding stock, was issued to officers, also to some members of crew-served weapons (i.e. 60mm mortar squad), while non coms(sergeants) carried the M1-A1 or M1928A1 Thompson submachine-gun. This included Staff Sgts (platoon Sgts) and 3 stripe Buck Sgts (squad leaders). These weapons were prescribed by the TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment), but individuals frequently opted for-and usually got, whatever they wanted. This switching was done on the battlefield, if not accomplished prior to a mission. Since the M-1 Garand was the best all-around weapon, many officers also used it, instead of the carbine, and some noncoms swapped their TSMG for an M-1. Some members of crew-served weapons also preferred the M-1 over the carbine, despite it's extra weight, when they were also carrying such items as MG ammo, tripods, baseplates, mortar tubes, 40lb A-4 machineguns, etc. If all the paratroopers had been equipped with carbines instead of M-1 rifles, it would have been a lot more difficult for the 101st Airborne to win any battles.


Landings of the 506th PIR in Normandy

The map depicted above is part of the U.S. Government series published in the history "Utah Beach to Cherbourg". Although the stick distributions are subject to debate and usually are debated, especially by the Air Corps, these "actual" landing locations were determined by having survivors place a pin on the map, closest to where they thought they landed. It is interesting to see that 12 or 13 planeloads of Strayer's 2nd Bn landed in the vicinity of St Mere Eglise. This was a significant percentage of his battalion, and this resulted from pilots turning on the green light too early. LTC Strayer and his command group landed in the area between Ravenoville and St Germain de Varreville with approximately half his battalion personnel.
Although Captain Shettle, who assumed command of 3rd battalion, always believed that he landed below Angoville au Plein, testimony from 501 Pathfinder Bob Sechrist suggests that Shettle actually landed just below St Come du Mont. Perhaps this will never be proven, but Sechrist joined Shettle's growing group barely south of that town, soon after the 3/506th serial landed, and followed him to the strongpoint across from Brevands. In the fighting near there, Sechrist was taken prisoner 2 days later.
Sgt Ed Shames, who jumped with a HQ/3 506th stick, says he landed in a condensed milk factory at the edge of Carentan. There is a green dot at the north edge of that city but that is believed to have been the H/506th stick of 1st Sgt Gordon Bolles, which also contained my friends Fred Bahlau and the late Gordon Yates. One member of that stick landed very close to the church in Carentan. So it is in some cases difficult to reconcile the dots with testimony from individuals as to what they saw when they landed. Rather than being resolved, additonal testimony just seems to make these issues MORE confusing...and so it goes.
F/506th in the D-day battle at Brecourt
Len Hicks was one of the older members of F/506th and he wrote his war memoirs before he died. Thanks to Bill True, also of F Co., we have excerpts of what Len had to say about the famous fight at the 105mm gun battery. This reminds us that elements of other 2d Bn companies were also involved in the fight to take out those guns. Len wrote:
"We passed through the edge of one or maybe two small towns. Very little fire until we had passed the 2d or 3rd, right beside some barn-like buildings and a high hedge. The krauts really showed what an '88' could do. Some of the (2nd) Bn officers did some scouting of this situation, because this emplacement was not on aerial photos and neither was it on the sand table.
Capt. Winters told me to take a detail down and clear it out, so we could go on to our objective. There were more E Co. troopers in this group, about 12 to 14. They were right by me when Capt. Winters was briefing them.-I told Capt. Winters I would like to have some of that action. His reply "Would anyone else like to go?"


I walked over and asked for volunteers. Sgt Julian Houck was the only one interested.
(During the battle) We were laying very near each other, when he suggested he would throw a grenade over to #4 emplacement. I told him to be very careful-we did not have much cover, in case they wanted to throw some back.
I'm sorry to say that "Rusty" was killed instantly by a burst of burp gun fire. He was hit across the top part of the shoulders, all internal bleeding-the little amount of external blood could have been wiped-off with a cigarette paper. He did not suffer. I can say Thank God, for "Rusty" was one of the good ones. I do not know if it was Rusty's grenade or my shot that got that guy. About 2-3 minutes later, Lt. Compton crawled up to check on us. After a few minutes, he suggested that I try to work my way over toward this 4th gun. The only way I could see was the trench between the two guns. For the first few feet, I could walk bent-over then the trench became too shallow. I had just started to get down, when I was hit in the right shin bone. I stopped. Lt. Compton asked "What's wrong?" "I think I slowed one down a little" was my reply. Luckily, I could walk back to a spot near him.
He brought out his jump knife (very sharp)-ripped my pants leg up to near the crotch, and proceeded to be the best aid man who ever worked on me-later I did have others. He used all my bandages and some of his-most of my calf muscles were blown away and I had started to bleed. He wanted me to lay down there, but I told him I only had two rounds left and would not be much help.
When I crawled past Capt. Winters he asked about how serious it was, and could I get out, because we were all out of ammo. By the time I crawled to the end of this trench, everyone had passed me. The trench here was about 4' deep, and no matter how I tried, I just could not make it. I sat back against the wall and waited for whatever came around the corner. It would be rough. I was damn good snap shooting with a rifle. I heard someone running and figured this it it. I have thanked God many times, because I am not an excited person. It was "Red" Kimberling from HQ Co.2nd Bn. He had been up in front of me. No one knew this and had not notified him to pull back. He had run out of ammo. He helped me out of the trench and then carried me back to a fence and rolled me under. Here was another trooper giving us some cover fire. There was an open field to cross-they figured to use my arms to tow me and let my butt absorb the shock. These guys may never have won any medals for running, but they were going so fast that my butt never touched the ground until we stopped. They were not even winded!
I think the final count on the number of krauts that made up the crews for these guns was 52-53. I think there were 15 of us. When the tanks came, they went down to these emplacements for a check up. We had done a pretty good job.
MACHINEGUN POINTERS FOR COMBAT-by Melton"Tex"McMorries, G/501 PIR
To be an expert machinegunner, as any combat gunner will tell you, requires far more than being able to align the sights, traverse, elevate and the many more basic principles taught in the training schools and on machinegun ranges. (However) All this training is essential and should be carried out every time the situation could possibly demand.


There is one thing a machinegunner cannot do and (still)use the full efficiency of his firepower in a large scale attack: that is protect himself. The closer the attacking force gets to the defense line, the more efficient the firepower of the machinegun becomes, and the less he is protecting himself. (This is) because the angle of fire is more parallel, more enfilade, and the gun is moving toward the final protective position. If all the defensive machineguns have followed the attack in, that other few inches that you have to push the traversing mechanism over to lock on the final protective line will never be used. But the enemy will be pouring into foxholes around the machinegunner's area that kept firing straight ahead.
Why was it, that identically trained units, units containing the same T.O.'s, varied so much in combat effectiveness? Morale? Training? Bravery? Perhaps all of these, to a small degree, but when it comes to the showdown, it is the unit that combines all this and gets the maximum, efficient use of its firepower. A unit can have many anti tank weapons figured into its overall strength, but these weapons are of little use, if they are not in the proper place, at the proper time.
The same is true of all weapons. Therefore, a machinegunner that has arranged to place his gun in the correct position...
that has figured-out the proper angle of fire to obtain the most targets that a given type of action permits...
a machinegunner that has estimated the range...
that can slap his gun in a second, to fire on the enemy's new phase line...these things and many more, are the final key.
To estimate, to anticipate, and to be prepared.
Machineguners, if you want to give your unit the maximum benefit of your gun, use what time you have between attacks, pauses in actions, to figure ahead. Remember, the machinegunner's life, as well as his unit's, can't wait to learn the little things the hard way.
The subject of combat machinegunning is so lengthy, that only a few points have been discussed. In many cases, offense and defense are similar, with small variations.
Melton McMorries ex-501st Parachute Infantry
101st Airborne Division


Confusion Over Actions at Dead Man's Corner

The sharply angled V intersection of the D-913 with the old N-13 highway, several Km north of Carentan has long been a significant historical landmark in the battle of Normandy. The large house that stands in the point of the V, is now a museum, housing artifacts owned by Belgian historian Michel Detrez. The intersection originally got it's name from the fact that on 7 June, 1944, a American light tank (M-5) of Company 'D', 70th Tank Battalion, was knocked-out nearly in front of the large house and sat there for days afterward. The burned body of the tank commander could still be seen in the turret, and soldiers started to use it as a reference point, saying, "go to the corner where the dead man is in the tank".
This was soon shortened to 'Dead Man's Corner'.
Lt. John Reeder of RHQ/506th took the photo above, looking northeast up the D-913 road, which runs to St Marie du Mont; this road has since been widened and paved. You can see a small hole in the left side of the tank, resulting from the German round that knocked it out.
Some confusion has arisen over exactly how that tank ended-up there, mainly due to the writing of A/506th trooper Donald R. Burgett in his first book, 'Currahee'. Visitors to the area, who have attempted to reconstruct the action, have found difficulties in reconciling Don's account to the physical evidence. I'll attempt to explain why:
I can tell you that I've visited the spot twice with Don, in 1998 and in May, 2005. The hedgerow below DMC, from which Don and other Able Co. men engaged hundreds of retreating Germans, was situated near the east shoulder of the old N-13 road, several hundred yards south of Dead Man's Corner. The hedgerow has been REMOVED-it simply isn't there any more. This WAS the hedge that Don B. slid down with Hagenbuch, to fire the LMG at Germans running west across the road to the right (n) of them, then later engaging Germans who circled around to a point directly across the road from them. As you know, Don left that position after the LMG was damaged by bullets and Hagenbuch was KIA.
Trotter was running up and down the same hedgerow chucking hand grenades clear across the road, to the west side of the N-13. As to the tank, a couple of details in physical evidence have since caused Don to re-think his perception of what happened. First, Don thought the tank was hit by an AT gun, like an 88mm or 75mm when it reached the corner. Since the tank Don was talking to, was headed in the opposite direction of the final rest position of the tank we see in photos, that would've required Don's tank to make a half-circle in direction, after being hit (not impossible but unlikely). It also would've required the AT round to be fired from the north or northwest.
After seeing Lt. John Reeder's excellent photo of the KO'd tank, we have no doubt that a Panzerfaust, not an 88mm, made the small hole in it's side. We have evolved a new theory that the tank Don talked-to, continued northeast up the D-913 and escaped to get more ammo. At almost the same time, the tank which was later knocked out, passed it going south, then was KO'd by a panzerfaust round, fired from the south edge of the small road that runs toward le Bel Enault and Bse Addeville. If you've conducted an on site investigation of that area, you know there is a steep gully there, with bushes around it, and a Panzerfaust gunner could've worked his way into that position while Don and friends were fighting to the south of him, or he even could have been in position there, all along, as Don's group circled around him earlier. It was a likely and ideal spot to bushwhack a tank and his job in being there was to wait for an opportunity to do just that.


Holland Situation map, 18 September, 1944

In Deadly Combat Near Best

As IPW officer (prisoner of war interrogator) for the 502 regiment, Captain Joe Pangerl headed the IPW Team #1. The photo above shows Joe eating lunch at Dodewaard, Holland in October of 1944. Sometimes, his job afforded him the luxury of living in a building where he could set-up an office. The first night in Holland, he was taken in by a Dutch family, fed, and slept in a house with electricity and clean sheets. The next day, he encountered his friend Richard Daly, a DEMO lieutenant, who had spent the night in a hole, during intense fighting. Joe wrote: "he was so dirty, I didn't recognize him".
On September 18, 1944, Captain Pangerl left the 502's reserve position near Wolfswinkel and headed into the Zonsche forest at the south edge of DZ 'C, where 3rd Bn of the Deuce was embroiled in heavy fighting, and would soon be assisted by 2d battalion as well. Although not involved in the actual killing, Pangerl had a good overview of the action there, and has written a graphic account of what he witnessed during this, one of the 502's epic engagements in all of WW2. At the end of this engagement, Joe would preside over a bigger group of prisoners than he had ever imagined. The training he had received at Military Intelligence School at Camp Ritchie, MD, would serve Captain Pangerl well in those circumstances.
Joe wrote in his diary:
"In the morning, we woke up to the sounds of heavy fighting. Reports came back that our rear C.P. was overrun. About 1:30 PM went to the S-2 C.P., which was on the west side of the DZ, at the edge of a small pine woods. Went along a sandy road lined with troops walking up in single file. Warm day. Met German PWs in groups of 10-30, being brought back. Soon met wounded being carried by Germans on stretchers or shelter halves.
The Germans looked gray and dirty. All the PWs talked, low morale. The last mile, met rifle and MG fire, coming through the woods, as we came to a small pine forest, and dug-in. Very easy as ground was soft and sandy.
Origin of this was a platoon action to take the RR bridge and highway bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal. (This was) originally scheduled to be taken by the 3rd Battalion, LTC Cole, and reinforced 'H' Company, plus a section of LMGs from 3rd Bn HQ and 3rd platoon of 'C' Company of the 326th AEB, under Lts Moore, Watson, and Laier.
H Company Commander, Captain Robert Jones was supposed to go SW and come out on the Eindhoven/Bokstel road, 1,000 yards SE of Best. Got lost in pine woods and came out about 400 yards from Best crossroads. Came under heavy German fire from Best, so he withdrew back into the woods and then sent the 2nd platoon of H Company under Lt Ed Wierzbowski to take the bridges. However, so many men had been lost or missing, that only a small group was available and it was sundown.


What was learned later from captured PWs, was the British reported that the RR line from the north, which re supplied the Germans, had been cut and was not in service. Actually, the Germans had repaired it and some of the PWs taken later had been in Amsterdam, just the day before, got on a troop train and were unloaded right at Best, to go directly into combat. Some had movie theatre tickets stamped in Amsterdam just the previous day to prove their point. So instead of a small Best garrison, German troops were coming-in by the hundreds.
Colonel John H. Michaelis 502's C.O. didn't know but the 'platoon'mission was later to require a battalion, then two battalions, then half the division, plus a squadron of British tanks."
D plus 1 s/of Best, cont'd: "Was brought a large number of documents, letters and German info. Translated them and gave them to S-2 section, then dug-in and none too soon, as about 1/4 hr later, we came under heavy gunfire from the NW and the S. The pine woods was a perfect location from the standpoint of cover, and very soft ground, so we dug-in even deeper. The troops were told to move up, but soon stopped because of the very heavy resistance. All movement stopped and told to wait. We just lay in our trenches, cooling off. Again came under heavy MG and rifle fire, which when it slowed, we dug for more room for our feet and then I continued reading the German captured material and mail. Again heavy rifle and MG fire and occasional A.T. and mortar fire, from about 1-2PM, as we were stuck because of heavy German troop concentrations.
The S-3, Major Ginder, raced by jeep back to the main highway, where a British squadron of medium and heavy tanks, Cromwell, Churchill, and Sherman tanks, were stopped and making tea, ignoring all the firing going on to their left (the west). Major Ginder asked the British squadron commander to send some tanks with him so that he could rush the Germans and halt the standoff. The British officer said that his orders were to go north up the road and unless he got orders from the British HQ to their rear, he couldn't help us. Major Ginder took out his .45 pistol and told the British officer, "This is your order." The officer took his squadron and followed Ginder back to the Best bridge. About 2:15 in the afternoon, we suddenly heard the rumble of tanks and a few minutes later, we saw some British tanks and troops coming through the pine tree lanes from the west, moving past us into a small clearing, and then turned south toward the German lines. They were mainly Cromwell tanks, and with attached British infantry, disappeared through the trees. Suddenly there was the most terrific rifle and MG fire, interspersed with the dull thuds of the tank guns for what seemed like a long time. It was a good thing that we were well dug-in because it sounded like a heavy rainstorm with the bullets and shells whistling through the trees; leaves and trees fell as if cut by a scythe.
Suddenly, one of the tanks came roaring back with it's gun turret completely shot off. The MG fire was so heavy at times, that it sounded like the rushing of the wind. The Germans were trying to stop the 5 tanks which were roaring down on them through the pine woods. Now the MG fire seemed to be coming from further to the south and west. About this time, C-47's were bringing in more glider resupply, and they were still receiving heavy German 20mm AA and MG fire, and even mortar fire on their LZ. Our troops moved forward to clean out the Germans and noticed that our uniforms (M43) acted well as camouflage.


About 3:45, firing was still going on further away, but we didn't see the British tanks aside from the damaged one, which had come back earlier. Once the firing stopped, the Germans came-in by the hundreds, their hands raised, walking down the sandy road, going east to the DZ. We didn't leave our trenches, so that they wouldn't notice that they outnumbered us by far. Some Military Police came up about this time and the team guided them to an empty corner of the DZ where I remembered some of my earlier teaching at Camp Ritchie. If you capture a large number of PWs, first seperate the officers from the men and put them under special heavy guard, so they can't give orders to their men. Then ask for the "Dienst Alteste Unteroffizier" to come forward. (oldest in rank NCO). An old, grizzled Sgt came forward, jumped to attention and saluted, and reported his name and rank. As previously taught, I ordered him to assemble the men according to unit and rank on the field. He roared out the commands, and suddenly there was silence and quick assembling of the Germans into orderly groups, lined-up by rank and file. Then he told them to have them sound off and report to him, one unit at a time, as to unit, and number of NCOs and EM. I couldn't believe how beautifully it went, and in a matter of minutes, as they reported, I wrote down the whole group. The PWs were then marched back toward Zon; almost 1,500 PWs were taken that afternoon."

Above is a single frame from a 16mm color movie shot by Captain Frank Lillyman on 18 September, 1944, as members of RHQ and Service Companies of the 502 marched an estimated 12-1500 German POWs east toward Zon from the Best battleground. Note that all the visible prisoners are wounded. Len Swartz and Rusty Quirici were among the guards. Len told me that P-47 fighters made a couple of strafing passes at the marching prisoners, causing some deaths and much panic and near catastrophe, as the cooperative and organized group of prisoners threatened to scatter. But order was maintained. Dick Ladd of S-2 recalled in his account of this battle that two of the British tanks which entered the woods earlier, were equipped with flamethrowers.

Above is another view of a small percentage of the prisoners taken on 18 September, 1944 near Best, Holland. Thanks to Joe Pangerl, Len Swartz, Oreste Quirici, and Dick Ladd for contributing to this story.


Cheating Death

This photo was taken in November, 1944, in Nijmegen, Holland. The truck is afire, as a result of taking a direct hit from a German artillery shell.
Captain Joe Pangerl and his driver, Sgt Fred Patheiger, had driven to this building from the Betuwe (island), to take a shower. To avoid having their jeep stolen, it was necesary for one guy to stay with it at all times. So Pangerl showered first, then switched places with Patheiger. As Joe was waiting for Fred to come out, this truck loaded with 16 members of the 506th PIR, pulled-up, driven by a 506th Service Co. driver. The troopers piled out and went-in to take their showers.
Captain Pangerl got out of his jeep and sat in the pasenger seat in the cab of the truck, making conversation with the driver. Soon after, another jeep pulled up and parked next to Pangerl's jeep, a bit farther away from the truck. Joe recognized the officer in that jeep, so he exited the truck and went and sat in the jeep, to talk to the new arrival.
Soon thereafter, a random German shell, fired from miles away, made a direct hit on the cab of the truck which Pangerl had just gotten out of. The shell hit exactly whre he had been sitting and killed the driver. Joe's jeep, which was parked closer to the truck than the one he was sitting-in, also received multiple shell fragments.
It seems that all the 101st paratroopers who survived WW2 combat had similar escapes from death. Another example that happened to Joe Pangerl, can be found on page three of Souvenirs, ('Significant Scrap Metal').
Too Close for Comfort

While fighting north of Bastogne, Belgium in January, 1945, a German bullet dinged the steel pot of Captain Wallace Swanson, Commnding Officer of Company 'A', 502 PIR. He escaped with nothing more serious than a headache. The photo above was taken in the spring of 1945, as Swanie posed with his helmet while wearing a Class 'A' uniform and holding his M1-A1 carbine. photo courtesy Wally Swanson
Misadventures of a Dogtag

Pvt Henry Schwabe was a paratrooper in HQ/2 501 PIR. Henry's parents were from Germany, but Henry had been raised in Pottstown, PA. He joined the LMG platoon shortly before the D-Day invasion, but according to his pal, Charlie Eckman, Schwabe was considered a security risk because of his ancestry and not allowed to jump into Normandy.
Schwabe did jump into Holland and participated in the defense of Bastogne. On 3 January, 1945, Schwabe and Eckman ran across hundreds of yards of snow-covered open ground, to search for survivors in a gravel pit below the Bois Jacques Woods. Searching through a pile of about 14 dead American bodies with glazed eyes, the duo located a buddy, Harry Coffey, who was unwounded but mentally delerious, as he had been shell shocked and buried under the bodies for several hours. While dragging Coffey back to the woods, Schwabe's dogtags evidently dangled below him, snagged on something and the lower tag tore off, unnoticed as it dropped into the snow.


Night Practice Jump, Thursday, 11 May, 1944, 2230 hrs in England. This stick is from Third Bn. Headquarters Co. of the Deuce. Captain Edward 'Poop' Barrett is seated at left, while Lt. Corey Shepard is seated in the right foreground. Willis 'Bill' Cady is 7th man at the end of the left row (see Bad Bastards page for stories about Bill Cady). Joe Lofthouse a 3rd Bn HQ Co. radio operator has also been spotted in the photo. SC photo c/o Joe Pangerl IPW Team #1, 502 PIR

11 May 1944 again, the same stick of 3/502, standing in the door. Note the regular infantry uniforms instead of jumpsuits. T-5 Del Winslow the central figure in this photo is also visible in the previous photo, seated 2nd from left, next to Poop Barrett.SC photo c/o JP
Normandy in Color

This is one of the amazing color Kodachrome slides taken by Captain (doctor) George Lage in Normandy. Lage was 2nd battalion surgeon of the 502 PIR, and he posed here with some of his medics. Thanks to Ernie Labadie, we have names for all the faces, but the location has not been determined. I thought it was taken in St Come du Mont, but Ian Gardner, with help from long-time residents in St Come, have ruled that town out.
Pictured standing, from l. to r.:Captain George Lage, S/Sgt John Durka (KIA soon after the photo was made), Leroy Reitz, James Milne, and unk. GRS man. below: Fred 'Oakie' O'Connell, James Learnard and another unk. GRS (Graves Registration Service) trooper. The GRS men were probably members of Service Co. 502. At the time this was taken, another 2/502 medic, Robert Haseltine, had already been killed in action.
The remarkable detail in this photo allows us to see the camo green chute canopy scarves, rigger-modified clothing, various applications of helmet scrim etc. Also note the German belt and buckle and Mauser rifle acquired by Sgt Durka.
More of Doc Lage's wonderful photos can be found in my 4th book, '101st Airborne-The Screaming Eagles at Normandy'. All Doc Lage photos appear courtesy of Allan and Brenda Mitchell, the late doctor's daughter and son-in-law.

Cpl George Spear was photographed during a rest break in Normandy by buddy Eddie Sapinski. Spear was killed in action early in the Holland campaign near Best. photo c/o Sapinski
Preparing for Market Garden

Joe Pangerl's camera recorded this group at Chilton Foliat, England, shortly before the Holland Invasion in September, 1944.
Standing l. to r.: Lt. Richard J. Daly (KIA), Lt. Larry Hughes, Lt. Ed Cowen, Lt. Bernard Usry, below: Captain Ike Phillips, Lt. Joe Pangerl. c/o Joe Pangerl
D-day in Holland

Al Krochka, assigned as one of the divisional photographers for Market Garden, took this amazing photo on 17 September, 1944. The bazookaman at left wears a 2/501st helmet stencil, and presumably, the serial floating to earth in the distance is 3/501 arriving.
This is presumably DZ 'A', near Eerde, Holland. Another Krochka photo, taken from the same place a minute earlier, appears in Karel Margry's excellent 1st volume on Market Garden Then & Now (see Books pages). For whatever reason, the photo above was not included. You will find Margry's information to be very authoritative and his books tell you where the serials departed from, which TCGs carried which PIRs to which DZ's, and also the sequence in which they landed.

This one is at the Son DZ on 17 September, 1944. Joe Crawford of RHQ/506th is in left foreground-this one has been published before. SC photo c/o JP

On 18 September, 1944, some German prisoners were taken on the edge of LZ 'W' near Son, Holland. In this photo, some HQ/502 personnel are writing down names of the prisoners and a couple of recently-landed CG-4A gliders are visible in the background. Trooper in the foreground is S-2 man August 'Gus' Mangoni, who had jumped as a Pathfinder in Normandy. Lt.Joe Pangerl snapped this dramatic photo while on the move and very busy. Charles Day did some work on this pic in late 2003, to clean up the imperfections and enhance it.

A scene along Hell's Highway in September, 1944. The occupants of the jeep are members of 101st Divarty. photo courtesy of Nadine W.


This pic shows Lt.Delmar Denson Idol of A/502 on a combat patrol near Dodewaard, Holland on the Island in October, 1944. Capt. Joe Pangerl photographed Idol as he scanned no man's land for signs of dug-in German positions. photo c/o J.P.

Epifanio Morici(rt.)and a Hispanic trooper identified only as 'Mex from Tex' in a late 1944 studio portrait somewhere in the ETO. Morici was in Service Co. Parachute Maintenance Section, 501 PIR.
MARK BANDO'S WEBSITE

Arctic battleground -several troopers from Sv Co. 506th PIR existing in the snow near Savy, Belgium, December, 1944. c/o Dean Baxter

A slightly different version of this photo appears in my 'Vanguard' book. Members of RHQ/501 PIR posed with the bulletholed town sign for photographer Joe 'Gopher'Sloan. This classic sign was taken to Brussels after the war, where M/Sgt Peter Frank left it with his family. Recently, Peter Frank passed away in Austria. Sadly, the sign was presumably thrown in the trash some time after WW2. photo c/o Rollie Wilbur

A member of 101st Division Signal Company in a foxhole with his trusty M-1 at Bastogne. photo c/o F. Sheehan.

December, 1944, three members of Division Signal Company, 101st Airborne Division pose with another of the town signs, on the road coming-in from the northwest perimeter. This was taken right across the street from the Belgian Army barracks', where General McAuliffe established his divisional C.P. and where he made the classic 'Nuts' reply to the German demand for surrender. The stone wall at right is the edge of the town cemetery, and a comparison of this shot can still be made in the new milennium. The new sign is situated about 100 yards north of the position shown in this photo.
photo courtesy of F. Sheehan.

Feb., 1945 at Eckendorf, in Alsace-Lorraine, France, Captains Joe Pangerl and Fred Hancock of the 502 PIR, preparing to indulge in evening chow. c/o Pangerl
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Epifanio Morici(rt) and an unknown companion from Service Co. Riggers Section (Parachute Maintenance) 501 PIR in 1945. M/Sgt Harvey might be the unidentified trooper.

Ralph Smeal and Larry Loyen of B/506th having a ball in Paris after Alsace in spring, 1945. You'll note that although Larry wears the ribbon for a Purple Heart, he doesn't bother to wear his Combat Infantryman's Badge. photo courtesy Herb Clark.

At Mourmelon in spring, 1944,a member of HQ Co. 1st Bn, 501 PIR gives his impression of Der Fuhrer. c/o Paul Bebout


Below the Adlerhorst

The infamous Eagle's Nest on Kehlstein mountain, overlooking Berchtesgaden, Germany was a special conference center built in 1938, as a birthday present for Hitler. In this fabulous 1945 photo by Captain Joe Pangerl of the 502 PIR, you can see the building in the upper distance, at the very summit of the mountain. This building is now a popular tourist attraction, known as the Kehlstein Tea House. In a verbal swipe at Hitler, many 101st troopers referred to this place as 'The Crow's Nest'.

Taken July, 1945 at the Red Cross center in Zell am Zee, Austria, this is one of my single favorite 101st photos from WW2. It has paratroopers from all 3 PIRs of the division in a single shot.
Standing l. to r.: Harold Curry, Eddie Schultz and Ted Goldman (all A/502),Sprogue(?) (first name unk), H/506th, Bill Canfield and Joe 'Gopher' Sloan, H&H S-2, 501 PIR.

Mountain Climbers-G/506th troopers, in the Austrian alps, summer 1945. Jim Pee Wee Martin is standing in the center. c/o J. Martin

A group of officers and NCOs of the 907th GFAB, photographed at Bad Reichenhall, Germany in mid 1945. from Kodachrome slide c/o D.J. Hettrick

Jack Ott jumped as an S-2 liason to the 502 Pathfinders, in Captain Lillyman's stick on D-day. He served throughout WW2 in the S-2 section of RHQ/502 PIR. This studio portrait was made in Paris in 1945, and shows Jack wearing an Air Corps jacket with the 502 regimental pocket patch in place. courtesy Dick Ladd.

In "Rendezvous With Destiny", Leonard Rapport writes: "It was a day productive of fear, frustration, and bravery. Pfc Bruno J. Mecca, of Company D, whose hole on the outpost line was early overrun, came back to the C.P. that night with tears in his eyes: "I'll fight any son of a bitch, but I can't fight those goddam tanks with a carbine."
Although the White Fang account does not mention it, many members of F 502, including Lt Earl Hendricks, the company commander, were captured right on the MLR that day. Some F company men were killed or wounded by American artillery fire soon after surrendering. Garson "Bull" Durham was among those killed. All the Americans who were taken prisoner were already wounded when captured. The PWs were marched most of the way to Gerolstein, Germany in the snow. The Germans had more Panzer troops than they had vehicles for them to man, so some attacked with the infantry. Their stark black uniforms made excellent targets against the white snow, and after the battle, their bodies dotted the large valley north of the American foxhole line. A significant number of the 6,700 Germans buried in the Recogne, Belgium military cemetery were killed above Longchamps. This was the 'Alamo' of the Battle of Bastogne.
More Tales From Longchamps
T/4 John Seney was selected to act as bodyguard for LTC Thomas Sutliffe, 2/502 commander, as he 'trooped the line', inspecting frontline positions near Longchamps during a 'quiet' period. Seney later wrote: "While at Bastogne for the 'winter sports', the food situation was poor. Hunger gnawed my insides, the cold got my outsides, and fear had me by the ass." At one point, a sniper's bullet glanced off Sutliffe's map board. Seney began walking with knees bent, and hunched forward like Groucho Marx. Sutliffe said "Walk straight Seney, you're embarassing me."
Seney also wrote: "As we approached a bombed-out house, the almost forgotten odor of hamburgers assaulted my proboscus. While the Brass were conferring, I went into the house and found Joe Pistone of F company cooking five Honest to God hamburgers. Outside of cannibalism, there had been no meat around for a week. I asked, then begged for a hamburg. Joe's reply was "Sorry-they're all spoken for." I suggested he break a little piece off the edge of each of them, saying-'they'll never know the difference.' After approximately an hour, I gave up."
19 years later, Joe brought 5 pounds of hamburger over to his neighbor John's house-his conscience wouldn't let him rest. John's reaction: "Too little, too late."
John concluded: "I want to warn you not ever to go on a picnic with anyone from F company. Remember the old cry 'F company did it!'(they probably did). I know any former lieutenants reading this will blanche and shake at the mere mention of the name. If you ever get into trouble, get a few F company guys together. If it can be moved or stolen, they will get it for you."


In the Perimeter of BASTOGNE

The WW2 vintage map illustrated above is from the 1:100,000 scale map of Marche, Belgium, and it shows most of the important places in the U.S. perimeter encircling besieged Bastogne, Belgium, in December, 1944. Map courtesy of Captain Joe Pangerl, 502 IPW team #1.

The village names are clearer in this modern map, provided for comparison purposes courtesy Johann Willaert.