In the Footsteps of Easy Company
a historical event
by Rick
Share- Wednesday, July 1, 1942
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The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was constituted 1 July, 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 506th Parachute Infantry, activated 20 July, 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, attached to the 101st Airborne Division 1 June, 1943 and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division 1 -
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E506th PIR, 101st AB Div was stationed in Aldbourne, England, from Sept. 17,1943 to May 31, 1944 -
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On May 31 E Co. was moved to Upottery, and was there until June 5, 1944, when they boarded their C 47's for D Day. -
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Drop Zone C The second wave, assigned to drop the 506th PIR on Drop Zone C 1 mile west of Sainte Marie du Mont was badly dispersed by the clouds then subjected to intense antiaircraft fire for 10 miles. Although Sainte Mere Eglise was the area where the 82nd Airborne was schedule to jump and land, the first paratroopers who landed here were instead, members of the 101st Airborne Division. Several groups of the 101st Division landed here, miles away from their Drop Zone, and instead, mistakenly landed on top of this village. Easy Company 201D, for the most part was also misdropped southeast of the town. -
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Two other noteworthy actions took place near Sainte Marie-du-Mont by units of the 506th PIR, both of which involved the seizure and destruction of batteries of 88mm guns of the German III Battalion-191st Artillery Regiment. During the morning, a small patrol of troopers from Company E 506th PIR under 1st Lt. Richard D. Winters overwhelmed a force 3-4 times its size and destroyed four guns at a farm called Br -
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Colonel Sink, Commander of the 506th PIR established his first command post at the site of this farm. Lt. Winters and other members of his mixed unit, who took out the German batteries at Brecourt Manor, rested in this farm for one night. -
At 4:30 am, Colonel Sink assembled 600 men and pushed onto Vierville, before setting up his second command post at a farmhouse at Angoville au Plain. -
The third wave also encountered severe flak, losing 6 aircraft. The troop carriers still made an accurate drop, placing 94 of 132 sticks on or close to the drop zone, but part of the DZ was covered by pre-registered German machine gun and mortar fire that inflicted heavy casualties before many troops could get out of their chutes. Among the killed were two of the three battalion commanders and the executive officer of the 3 506th. The surviving battalion commander, Lt. Col. Robert A. Ballard, gathered 250 troopers and advanced toward Saint C -
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Although promised they would be in battle for just 3 days, the 506th did not return to England for 33 days, participating in the battle for Carentan. Of about 2000 men who jumped into France, 231 were killed in action, 183 were missing or POWs, and 569 were wounded about 50 percent casualties for the Normandy campaign. -
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After the battle of Carentan the 506th regrouped at Utah beach and was sent back to England in preparation for the next air drop into Belgium. -
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The 101st Airborne was assigned five bridges just north of the German defensive lines northwest of Eindhoven. The parachute drop was in daylight resulting in well targeted and controlled drops into the designated drop zones. The 101st captured all but one bridge, the one at Son which was destroyed with explosives by the German defenders as the airborne units approached the bridge. The ground forces of XXX Corps linked up with elements of the 101st Airborne on the second day of operations but the advance of the ground forces was further delayed while engineers erected a Bailey Bridge at Son replacing the destroyed bridge. XXX Corps then continued its advance into the 82nd Airborne area of operations where it was halted just shy of Arnhem due to German counter attacks along the length of the deep penetration. The 101st Airborne continued to support XXX Corps advance during the remainder of Operation Market Garden with several running battles over the next several days. -
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While resting and refitting in France after Operation Market Garden, General Eisenhower called upon the 101st Airborne on December 16 to be moved into the Belgian town of Bastogne by December 18, so that the Germans would not gain access to its important crossroads. The short notice of a move left the unit short of food, ammunition, arms, men, and winter clothing. The unit, along with the rest of the 101st Airborne, was encircled immediately. -
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After the Third Army broke the encirclement, the 506th stayed on the line and spearheaded the entire offensive by liberating Foy and Noville in January, until being transferred to Haguenau. They were pulled off the line in late February 1945. -
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After Bastogne the 101st including Easy Company was commended by the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Marking the first time an entire U.S. Army division was given a commendation and setting a precedent for future wars. -
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- total distance: 5,349 miles (8.608 km)
Followers
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GCAbu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) - E 11 - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates -
David HeathMurfreesboro, TN, USA
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