Tribute to an 82nd Airborne Veteran

504th PIR Friendly Fire Tragedy in Sicily

2011-12-07T12:36:00.001-08:00

On the night of July 11 after the Battle of Biazza Ridge, many men of the 505 bore witness to a horrifying incident involving the 504th PIR. Bill recorded what he saw in a letter to his sister:

“[On July 11 at night]…our own navy… shot down 27 transport planes killing 410 paratroopers, who were coming in to reinforce us.” Source: William Clark, letter dated June 13, 1945

Years later, in an interview after the War Bill told his friend, Herd Bennett about the incident:

“He was lying in a fox hole watching the 504^th make the jump. He states that he laid on the ground and saw many of the C-47 transport planes (they were bringing the paratroops in) blasted out of the air by American artillery that thought they were German airplanes.” Source: Herd L. Bennett as told to him by William Clark, August 19, 1999.

For Bill, the worst thing next to witnessing his friend’s death, was the shooting down of planes from 504 by the US navy. Bill had seen a lot of good men and close friends die that day, but the SNAFU by his own forces was overwhelming. It could have been avoided in his opinion, and now Bill was to watch as they needlessly died.

These were sentiments shared by other troopers who occupied his position on the ridge that night:

“Sergeant Raymond Hart, with Company H, and his men watching from Biazzo Ridge could see ‘troopers jumping out of burning planes. Needless to say, we felt like we had lost the war. More than one man cried that night.’” Source: “Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II”, Nordyke, P., 2006 p. 91

General Gavin was also on Biazza Ridge and remembered what he saw:

“It must have been ten o’clock at night when all hell broke loose in the direction of the beaches. Antiaircraft fire was exploding like fireworks on the Forth of July, tracers were whipping through the sky, and as we were observing the phenomena, the low, steady drone of airplanes could be heard. They seemed to be flying through the flak and coming in our direction. Everyone began to grasp their weapons to be ready to shoot at them. A few of us cautioned the troopers to take it easy until we understood what was going on. Suddenly at about 600 feet the silhouettes of American C-47s appeared against the sky – our own parachute troops! Some seemed to be burning, and they continued directly overhead in the direction of Gela. From the damaged planes some troopers jumped or fell, and at daylight we found some of them dead in front of our positions.” Source: “On to Berlin”, Gavin, J., 1978, p. 42

“Later we learned that it was the 504^th Parachute Infantry that was being flown to a drop zone near Gela to reinforce the 1^st Infantry Division. General Ridgway had been there to meet them. Unfortunately, the Germans had sent in parachute reinforcements on the British front to the east the same night. In addition, there had been German air attacks on our Navy, so when the parachute transports showed up, our ships fired at them, and twenty-three were shot down and many damaged.” Source: Ibid.

Major Mark Alexander commander of 505th PIR 2nd Battalion had been misdropped along with his troops far too the southeast of Gela. On the night of July 11 was perfectly placed to see the shooting:

“After dark when we hit the coast road again, we could see the invasion armada in the water off Gela. From our strung-out position along the coast road, we saw two German bombers fly in, bomb the fleet and fly off. I’d say about two minutes behind them came 48 C-47s carrying the rest of the 504th paratroopers. They came in at roughly the same altitude and from the same direction as the German bombers.

“The navy opened fire. From where I was, I could see the planes were our own, but the navy got excited and just kept shooting. Finally they stopped, but they had knocked down 23 planes. Some of them were able to make a hard landing on Sicily, but a whole bunch of men were killed. Even the 45th Division got in on the shooting. They thought the Germans were attacking.” Source: “Jump Commander” Alexander, M. and Sparry J, 2010 pp. 86-87

504^th PIR Paratroopers aboard their C-47 Sent to Reinforce the 505^th PIR, July 11, 1943

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 137 retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

The cost of the friendly fire incident to the 504thwas 81 killed, 16 missing, and 132 wounded. Source: “Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II”, Nordyke, P., 2006 p. 91

The 52^nd Wing of the Army Air force was flying the 504^th troopers. They suffered 7 men killed, 53 missing, 30 wounded and 23 C-47s lost. Source: “Valor Without Arms: A History of the 316th Troop Carrier Group, 1942 – 1945”. Ingrisano, M. 1991 p. 23

In Bill’s 1945 letter he states that 27 planes were shot down and 410 paratroopers. He wasn’t far off on his estimation of the number of planes lost. Given the date of his letter and his ability to get accurate information, his estimate of the number of men killed wasn’t too bad either.

As Major Alexander noted, minutes before the C-47s appeared, the Navy’s ships were attacked by Luftwaffe bombers. Furthermore, the Navy had been under attack all day. Messerschmitt ME 109 fighters had strafed some ships, while others had been bombed by Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers and Heinkel He 111 heavy bombers. The navy fired on the C-47s because they thought they were under another attack.

“The persistent enemy air attacks had one unintended result, namely the predisposition of Navy gunners to fire at any aircraft, frequently before identifying them.” Source: “Operation Husky: The Allied Invasion of Sicily, 1943” Nutter, T. 2003 http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/husky/naval1.aspx?p=7

American Ships Under Air Attack off Gela During the Day of July 11

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland A., etal., 1993, page 167 retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-8.html

C-47 Crew Perspective

The paratrooper perspective on the ground was of harrowing disbelief. But what was experienced by the men in the C-47 aircraft was far worse. Michael Ingrisano, a C-47 pilot quotes the 316th Troop Carrier Consolidated Mission Report of Husky 2 about their experience:

“All went well until the airplanes began to enter the designated corridor. There shore batteries opened fire on the airplanes and the entire corridor became alive with deadly machine gun fire and heavy flak. The fire became so intense that the formations broke up, each airplane seeking openings through the heavy curtain of fire. The situation became more acute as the planes approached the area of the DZ. By that time there was sufficient dispersion among the aircraft that some airplanes were able to drop their troops in comparatively calm territory, one airplane dropping 3 miles from the DZ; another 7 miles; another 10 miles from the DZ; others dropped the paratroopers as close to the DZ as possible despite the intense fire, some of them making two passes, others 3 passes over the field before being able to identify the drop points through the heavy bursts of fire.

Six of the planes failed to drop their paratroopers. They felt it suicide to drop them through such concentrated fire. One ship made 3 attempts to approach the drop zone but could not because of the impenetrability of the anti-aircraft fire. Another plane, trying to escape hostile fire, was going at such an excessive speed that it could not jump its troops.

All the airplanes that were able to survive the intense accurate fire dived through the barrage and headed out to sea, over the coast in the
vicinity of Gela and Licata. There another tragedy confronted them: Our own Navy.

As rapidly as they passed over one vessel, the next one took up the fire, and so it continued some 20 miles out to sea. In desperation, the pilots expended their pyrotechnics signals, but it only aided the massacre. For some it outlined the silhouette of the airplanes in the air; to others, the flare looked like another burst of flame hitting the target. Several of the C-47s were shot down in the sea. The survivors, in most instances, were saved and taken aboard naval vessels.

There they learned to some satisfaction that there were explanations for the tragedies seemingly unnecessarily committed. Just 10 minutes before the C-47s arrived at the DZ the Germans had been dropping bombs, the 14th raid of the day. The captain of one vessel told them that inter-boat communications system had just announced ‘All planes in the immediate vicinity are friendly,’ when suddenly a 500 pound bomb
burst within 200 yards of the destroyer. The reaction was in the form of active retaliation. Into this the C-47s flew. One pilot, 1st Lt. Ray E. Everhart, further reports ‘The crew on the destroyer seemed to know about as little about aircraft identification as I did about battleship identification.’ A very good example of this: The skipper called back at one time, ‘Gentlemen, you see a beautiful formation of B-17s going to
Sicily to bomb Italians.’ Actually they were British Halifaxes.

Survivors who crash landed in Sicily were told that one officer was going to be relieved because he had announced over the radio and in the clear the fact that American paratroopers were expected in the vicinity between 2200 and 2400. Yet, 2nd Lt. George S.[John J.] Hoye [44th], one of the survivors states: ‘Ground troops reported that they had not been warned that friendly airplanes would be over our area and had assumed planes were hostile.’

The mission was costly to the 316th Group: F/O Anderson and co-pilot Lt. Harpster [45th] concluded: ‘Something should be done about
friendly naval craft firing on us. Also something should be done about flights constantly losing formations. On the whole the mission was extremely dangerous and costly whereas it had [no] reason to be. Evidently the safest place for us tonight while over Sicily would have been over enemy territory.” Source: “Consolidated Mission Report, 316th Troop Carrier Group, A-2 Section, Husky No. 2”, Aug. 5, 1943. As quoted in: “Valor Without Arms: A History of the 316th Troop Carrier Group, 1942 – 1945”. Ingrisano, M. 1991 p. 21

Wreckage of a Douglas C-47 which crashed about 4 miles north of Palermo airfield, Sicily on October 24, 1943

(Gives an idea of what a C-47 crash looks like)
Source: fold3.com

504th PIR Perspective

The paratroopers of the 504 had their own horrendous stories to tell about the disaster. Here’s one from Lt. A. C. Drew of Company F, 504:

“The pilot of my plane gave me the warning twenty minutes out from the DZ. After the red light came on, he had to give me the green light in about one minute, due to the plane being on fire.

“We jumped into a steady stream of antiaircraft fire, and not knowing that they were friendly troops. About seventy-five yards from where I landed , plane No. 915 was hit and burned. To my knowledge only the pilot and three men got out. The pilot was thrown through the window. Another plane was shot down on the beach and another plane was burning about one thousand yards to my front.

There were four men killed and four wounded from my platoon.Three of these men were hit coming down and one was killed on the ground because he had the wrong password. After landing, we found out this had been changed to ‘Think’ – ‘Quickly’. The antiaircraft fire we jumped into was the 180th Infantry of the 45th Division. They were not told we were coming.

“We tried to reorganize, but found we didn’t have but forty–four men, including three officers. We searched all night for the rest of the men. After accounting for them we took care of the dead and wounded and started toward our objective. We arrived at the 504th CP at 2:00, July 12, 1943.” Source: “All American All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II” Nordyke, P., 2005 pp. 84 – 85.

Post War Conspiracy Theory of Friendly Fire Cover-up

This newspaper clipping is from Bill’s sister’s scrapbook of the Sicilian invasion.

The article praises the ability of the Army, Navy, and Army Air force to work well together as an effective team. It’s an analysis of the post invasion success, and was published on July 12 or 13 1943.

To quote the article:

“Co-ordination of the three arms in the invasion appears to have been masterfully planned and executed” .

Interestingly none of the newspaper articles in her collection say anything about the friendly fire attack. Even if the press did know about it, it’s logical that they wouldn't report it.

For obvious reasons, the enemy didn’t need to know about a disaster of this magnitude. Not to mention the demoralizing effect it would have had on morale for the Allied forces fighting around the world, and the populations on the home fronts. This is especially true given that Operation HUSKY was at the time the largest sea and airborne invasion ever attempted and the first successful major joint US-British attack on Hitler’s “Fortress Europe”.

Articles like these one would be tantalizing fuel for proponents of the alleged cover up of the friendly fire disaster. Allegations of a cover up sprang up once the American public became aware of the incident, which wasn’t until sometime after the war was over.

Newspaper Article Analyzing the Successful Coordination Between the Army, Army Air force, and Navy .

Source: Dayton Herald, circa July 12-13, 1943

Bill’s Friend Who Died at Biazza Ridge

2011-11-11T13:21:00.001-08:00

Today is Veteran’s Day in America, 11/11/2011. The 11th of November is also Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Many other countries also observe this day as a special day of war remembrance.

For this Veteran’s Day I would like to focus on Bill’s friend who perished in the Battle of Biazza Ridge, Sicily 1943 and all of those men who died in that horrible battle.

Below is a picture of Bill with his best friend before the 82nd Airborne left America for Casablanca. I have not been able to discover his name, but I believe that he is the same friend who died at Biazza Ridge.

Figure 1: Bill with his Buddy

Source: Author’s Collection

Figure 2: Ponte Dirillo Memorial to the men who fought and died in the area around Ponte Dirillo, the bridge over the Acate River, including Biazza Ridge, Sicily July 9- 11

Click on this link to download a readable list of the honor roll.

Source: Image courtesy of the United States Navy, Credits U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Stephen P. Weaver, US Naval Air Station at Sigonella, Sicily during a remembrance ceremony in 2003 Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=16204
Bill’s friend is most likely among those named on this memorial. Unfortunately, I have been unable to conclusively tell which name it is.

The Search for Bill’s Friend

The last time I interviewed Bill was on March 22 2006, between 2:00pm – 4:00pm at his Miamisburg rest home in Ohio. Six weeks prior to this I had finished writing the chapter in the book dealing with Sicily. My intention was to take this opportunity to read to him what I had written, get his reaction and perhaps evoke from him some buried memories. It was a long shot and my expectations upon seeing him were low. Some months earlier Bill suffered a stroke which left his speech and motor functions severely impaired. When I entered the room he was lying in bed seemingly immobile staring blankly into nothingness. I had my doubts as to whether he could be reached because he didn’t respond to anything I said by way of greeting or description of my purpose for visiting him.

Getting nowhere with small talk, I decided to begin reading the chapter. After page nine Bill’s eyes began to focus and he turned his head toward the manuscript and looked at it. The more I read the more alert he became. An hour later I finished reading the chapter.

Bill now appeared to be compos mentis. His eyes were clear and expressed interest. I asked him if he wanted me to read it to him again. This time he responded with an affirmative nod. As I read he listened intently with his unique focused expression. It’s a look he got when he was particularly interested in something. Anyone who knew him would have instantly recognized it. With that look on his face I knew he was with me. I permitted myself the luxury of a small measure of hope.

When I reached the section on my account of his participation in the battle of Biazza Ridge he lifted his head off his pillow and I saw his eyes moving from left to right across the page. He was actually reading the material for himself! I held the book up for him to read more, which he did for a time before losing strength. I asked him if he wanted me to read the section on Biazza Ridge again. He nodded, yes. As I read he became more animated, time and again looking lucidly at me then back at the manuscript.

Once I finished that portion I asked him “Were you at Biazza Ridge?” To my surprise he spoke clearly responding with “Yes.” I could hardly believe my ears as he had been unable to speak for months. I looked up from the book at him and he was staring back at me with a dark, frightened expression on his face. The unexpected stark look shocked me.

Gathering myself I ignored the stare and pressed my advantage asking him “Did you have a good friend who died in the War?” Again he responded “Yes.” I asked “Did he die at Biazza Ridge?” Bill nodded affirmative. “Did he die in a Tiger tank attack?” Again he nodded affirmative. “Or did he die in another campaign?” He shook his head – no.

I showed him the list of names of the men who died on the Ponte Dirillo memorial in Figure 2 above. I asked him “If I read out the names of the men who died at Biazza Ridge could you tell me the name of your friend?” There was no response, so I continued by holding up Figure 2 closer to his face. I repeated “This is a picture of the memorial to those who died at Biazza Ridge.” I took his hand in mine and told him again “I am going to read you the names on this list. If I say the name of your friend, you squeeze my hand”. He returned his gaze to look at the list.

I took this as a sign that he understood, so I proceeded to read the names to him. He seemed to react when I reached the positions in the list around the names of “Aloysius Boncyk”, “Stephen Vidumsky”, and “Alfred Glascock”. To my dismay he did not squeeze my hand, but became very excited and began trying to form words. I read the list again and got the same reaction at about the same places in the list. Bill was trying with all his might to tell me the name. Given the timing of his reaction, I couldn’t tell for certain which name in the list he was reacting to. I tried a third time, focusing on the following names one at a time: “Aloysius Boncyk”, “Stephen Vidumsky”, and “Alfred Glascock”. Whenever I mentioned any of these names he reacted strongly by trying to form words.

He looked up at me, frustrated before turning his gaze back to Figure 2. His eyes were moving from left to right across the page. He was reading the names. As he read his face became very sad and a tear formed in the corner of his right eye. By the time he was part way through the list more tears were forming. He continued reading until he finished. Then he turned his head away and gazed out his window.

In his condition my bringing up the past was obviously hard on him. I tried to console him. I told him what he did in the War was a tremendous cost for any one man to bear. I said we are grateful that he fought in Sicily and the rest of Europe so that we could be free today. I said that his sacrifice was a debt we as his family could not repay. I told him that he had made all the difference in our lives, opening for us opportunities for achievement that would never have otherwise been obtainable. I said without his sacrifice his brother James Clark would not have been able to become the success he was. The mention of his brother lifted Bill’s mood. He had once told me that that James Clark was the best that Preble County High had ever produced. Although he would never admit it, in some way he must have known that he was in at least a small part responsible for James’ success in academe and business.

Bill’s attention went back to the manuscript again, so I asked him if he wanted me to continue reading to him. He nodded his head, yes, so I read it to him one more time. At the end I asked him “So what do you think? Do you like it?” He responded “Yes” and nodded his head. I told him how I was going to write the rest of the book starting with Salerno and going through the battles and the good times he had in England, Ireland and continental Europe, ending with the occupation of Berlin. I asked “How do you like the plan?” A smile came across his face as he responded “It’s good.”

I am presently researching how Aloysius Boncyk, Stephen Vidumsky, and Alfred Glascock died. These names and the other names listed in the table below are the most probable. All were members of 3^rd Battalion Headquarters Company, Company G or Regimental Headquarters Company. To the best of my knowledge all of the men in the table fought and died at Biazza Ridge.

There is another reason some of these names are strong possibilities. During my interview with Bill’s brother Henry Clark Jr. he was fairly sure that the man’s name had the letter G in it, or was somehow associated with that letter. He also thought that the man might have come from Ohio and that was one reason for their friendship.

The one name on the list which satisfies all of these criteria is Aloysius Boncyk. Aloysius was from Mahoning county, Ohio.

Other strong possibilities are John McGuigan of RHQ and therefore flew in Bill’s serial, and Alfred Glascock as well as the other men from G Company named below. Note that some names listed on the monument in Figure 2 are not listed below since they did not fit Bill’s story for valid reasons. Either they later died of wounds, or were from 1st battalion and died in the battles around Ponte Dirillo (not at Biazza Ridge), or their deaths were already explicitly explained in existing histories by eye witnesses and they did not die in the manner explained by Bill.

Table 1: Possible Names of Bill’s Friend Who Died in the Battle of Biazza Ridge

Name	Rank	Company	Status	Place	Date	County, State	Serial #
Boncyk Aloysius	PFC	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Mahoning, OH	15072250
McGuigan John, J	PVT	Reg HQ	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Queens, NY	32012829
Glascock Alfred	PVT	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Loudoun, VA	33183948
Myrhow Harold, L	PFC	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Spokane, WA	19096523
Angelo Dominic, T	PVT	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Philadelphia, PA	33314899
Meile Carroll , W	PVT	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Baltimore, MD	20343348
Barnett Walter, M	PVT	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Pottawattamie, Iowa	20743494
Moynihan Cornelius, J Jr	CPL	G	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Kings County, NY	12063157
Knight Vernon, F	PVT	HQ/3 Bat	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Multnomah, OR	39317596
Vidumsky Stephen, W	PVT	HQ/3 Bat	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Northampton, PA	33183338
* Fiske Raymond, E	PVT	HQ/3 Bat	KIA	Biazza Ridge	7/11/1943	Hampden, MA	11061719

Sources:
Special Forces Roll of Honor, US Paratroopers of World War Two http://www.specialforcesroh.com/rolllist-68.html

Phil Nordyke’s 82nd Airborne in World War II website “All American All the Way” http://allamerican82nd.com (which has been down since March 2011), but almost all of the 82nd Airborne rosters from the site are available through Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s “Wayback Machine” Internet Archive at http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/*/http://allamerican82nd.com.

I also have private copies of all of the 82nd Airborne rosters from World War II.

* Note:- Raymond Fiske’s photograph (located at http://www.specialforcesroh.com/gallery.php?action=view_image&id=8698) does not match the photo of Bill’s friend in Figure 1 above and so may not be the person in question.

If anyone has more information or photographs of any of these men, please contact me.

Please take a moment to honor all of our veterans this Veteran’s Day, 2011.

Into Hell & History

2011-08-19T15:18:00.001-07:00

Source: “Saga of the All American: History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II”, Dawson, F., 1946 p. 197

With what is known about the battle and all of the discoveries made from interviews with Bill’s siblings as well as letters he and his brother Henry wrote home during the war, it is possible to reconstruct his personal battle with the Hermann Goring Panzer Division at Biazza Ridge. What follows is my attempt to do just that. Hopefully, this fact based reconstruction will serve to honor the unbelievably horrendous sacrifices made by the 505 veterans of that bloody battle .

Bill probably arrived at Biazza Ridge in the morning of July 11, and definitely before or during one of the Tiger tank attacks on 3^rd Battalion’s positions on the western slope of the ridge. Perhaps he was there from the beginning and was one of the Regimental Headquarters Company (RHQ) serial troopers who stormed the ridge with Company G routing the Germans from their positions and driving them down the western slope. Maybe he arrived while Company H counter attacked with bayonets and helped drive the Germans from the ridge the second time. He might have come later perhaps in one of the smaller groups that arrived during the day. It’s improbable that he came as one of the 50 troopers that arrived with Lt. Swingler of Service Company, because that isn’t consistent with the story Bill told his brother Henry. In that story Bill was clearly fighting Tiger tanks by firing his weapon at their glass viewfinders. He would have needed enough light to do that. Not only had Lt. Swingler arrived after the tanks had been driven off by the naval bombardment, but the final attack that his men had fought in occurred at sunset which was 8:30pm on July 11, 1943. Moreover, Bill recalled being present to see the howitzers firing almost vertically at the Tigers and that happened before Lt. Swingler arrived.

When he got there he probably met with his close friend – his buddy, who’s a member of G, H, RHQ Company, or Service Company. Bill and this man are very good friends and they’re glad to see one another. They’re both relieved to have made it through the jump and subsequent journey to the ridge, but there’s no time to exchange much of anything else. An officer sends them directly to the front line, telling them to take up a position on a gap in the line. They see that German infantry and tanks are advancing on the 505’s position on the ridge. It’s during one of the German counter attacks. Someone shouts out information about the Tigers, or perhaps they recognize from their training that these tanks are heavy Mark VI Tiger tanks mounted with 88mm cannons. They can shoot the infantry, but there is nothing that their 30 caliber M1 Garand rifles can do against the heavily armored Tiger’s. They run or crawl part way down the western slope of the ridge to their position in the line of advancing tanks and infantry. Bullets zip by and mortar shells explode around them killing other troopers. Like many other men, they may not have slept since the night of July 8. Thankfully, adrenaline begins to course through them reinforcing their skills learned from their intense training as paratroopers.

Laying low in a depression or a slit trench previously dug into the shallow shale of the ridge, they survey their position. They see the Tigers advancing in front of the infantry. They shoot at the enemy soldiers and provide covering fire for the bazooka teams who risk their lives at close range to fire bazookas at the tanks. Part of the developing strategy is to aim their M1 rifles at the view finders on the Tigers in an attempt to hit or at least harass the enemy inside the tanks. Perhaps this will distract the tank crews and buy the bazooka teams time to fire their weapons.

Tiger Mark VI Captured in Tunis 1943.

Source: Wikipedia Commons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TigerITankTunis.jpg

Note the view finding slit on the hull (just right of tanks center front) underneath the 88mm cannon. This is the slit the 505 troopers were firing into with rifles

To their dismay, Bill and his buddy realize that the bazookas cannot penetrate the heavy over 4 inch thick iron steel armor of the Mark VI Tigers. Far worse, to their horror, they see the tanks firing their 88mm cannons at individual troopers. The men are blown into pieces or disappear in the cloud of the exploding 88mm shells. They are now bearing firsthand witness to the Hermann Goring Division’s brutality. They see tanks getting very close to other men who try and disable the Tigers by placing gammon grenades in their tracks. This isn’t successful and more often it ends in the death of yet another trooper. As the morning wears on more troopers arrive taking the place of those who died and to expand the 505’s postion. During the attacks, Tigers repeatedly run low on ammunition and need to pull back and reload. When they do, Bill’s mind feels some respite, but his stomach doesn’t. It ambushes him with a sharp burning sensation, clutching with the realization that the attacks will continue relentlessly, until he and his fellow paratroopers are all destroyed.

It’s during one of these attacks, that personal tragedy strikes. Bill and his friend are in a forward position firing their rifles to shoot into the viewfinder on a Tiger that’s close by. They are supporting a trooper who’s placing a gammon grenade in the tank’s track. Unexpectedly, the tank crew spots them in their slit trench. It swings it huge cannon in their direction. Quickly they decide to split up, diving and running out of the way. Bill is able to run a short distance, and lands into another trench, this one deeper, more protected than the one he previously occupied. Turning over to take stock of his situation, he sees his friend scouring around, desperately trying to find cover. He’s unable to find anything and while he’s looking, the Tiger takes aim. Bill tries to get his attention, waving for him to come his way, but in the roar of the battle, and the confusion of his situation his buddy doesn’t hear. Helpless, in despair, Bill watches as the awful cannon fires. He hopes with all his heart that it will miss. But it doesn’t. The 88mm shell explodes with a direct hit on his friend. He disappears becoming a pink cloud, almost indistinguishable from the huge ball of smoke and pieces of shale thrown up by the explosion. Bill is devastated. His stomach retches dry at the sight. Later, he will have time slip into a long dark depression, but for now all of his senses are keyed on his survival.

Hunched down in is trench, Bill chances a glance at the Tiger and can’t believe what his eyes see. The tank has changed course and is now moving toward him. Its turret has swung around in his direction. He quickly dips his head down desperately hoping he wasn’t spotted. With luck he thinks it will pass him by. But it doesn’t go away. Instead he can hear it moving up and down, scouring the terrain, as if it’s looking for him. A stark realization dawns on Bill. The Tiger is hunting him. As the seconds tick by it is getting closer. Now it is very close. Close enough that he can hear voices of the men inside. Suddenly it stops. Above the grumbling engine a weird electrical motorized whining noise startles him. The sound is emanating from the machine’s turret as it robotically jerks left and right making adjustments in its aim. Bill scurries 20 feet or so down the trench away from the sounds. The trench opens up into a deeper natural ditch, offering better cover. This new position in the ditch affords Bill a safer view of the tank. From here he can see it stopped almost on top of his previous position. He thinks about making a run for it, but decides against it. The terrain is too open for that. He stays put instead.

After a few seconds the lid of the turret clangs open. A German tank crewman’s head and torso pops out. The German combs the area around Bill, looking for him among the terrain, relaying the information through his headset to the others inside. Unexpectedly an odd calm swiftly descends over Bill. With his weapon he takes careful aim at the German’s head and cocks the trigger. Retribution for his friend is now at hand. Should he fire? He hesitates. He’s an exceptional shot. Missing isn’t the issue. He had seen the two MG 34s mounted on the Tiger’s turret and hull make meal out of other men earlier that day. He is too close. To fire now would mean certain death. Reluctantly he quells his fury and lowers the gun. Vengeance will have to wait another day. Abruptly, the German lowers himself back down and the lid slams shut. The tank turns and heads back on its way up the ridge.

Bill watches for a few minutes as the Tiger crawls relentlessly on, blowing away other troopers with its hellish 88mm cannon, grinding them up with its dreadful MG 34 792mm caliber machine guns. Appalled, enraged, he soon turns away. A fresh charge of adrenaline surges through him, shocking his body back into the reality of the battle. He returns to the fight.

Soon after, the putrid Tiger begins to hunger for more fuel and ammunition. It’s a hideous abomination. The brainchild of some engineering genius detached from the sorrow it would pour out onto the world. Cutting a vivid image from some ghastly nightmare, gurgling and growling it lurches back to a German support crew to slurp up a fresh meal of gasoline, bullets, and more of those gruesome 88mm shells. Once sated, it guns its thunderous engine to signal its rage at those brave, stubborn, but stupid little men hopelessly defending the ridge and its delight in anticipation of the carnage it will soon inflict upon them.

Bill somehow finds the strength to fight on, teaming up with other troopers. He fights through the day. Later in the afternoon he hears of Gavin’s command that the 505will stay and fight, that there will be no retreat. If the Tigers overrun their position, they will hold their ground and attack the German infantry. At hearing the order from his beloved colonel, Bill’s resolve is now galvanized. He will stay and fight. He will avenge his friend. If he dies, then so be it.

In the afternoon, while firing at German infantry from his foxhole Bill watches a Tiger that has broken through the 505^ths thin line. He sees troopers die in rapid succession as the immortal tank sprays its bullets at the men with its heavy machine guns. He witnesses the howitzer shoot multiple rounds at the monster and feels retribution as it retreats in the clouds of dust. His voice is among those who cheer at this small victory.

The day is now growing old. Glancing at the sky Bill can see that the scorching Sicilian sun is getting lower, but it won’t set until 8:30pm. Over the past hour the German attacks have become more determined. Like his fellow men, Bill’s ammunition is running low. Now he must make every bullet count. There are holes appearing in the 505^’s defensive line making it easier for the Germans to take more and more ground from the paratroopers. Bill’s been fighting all day. He’s drained. He’s feels spent. He is forced to retreat to a position further up the ridge. The Germans now make a very powerful push and are within 50 yards of Gavin’s command post, only a few yards away from Bill’s new fox hole. Just when he thinks his luck has run out he hears the howl of artillery fire followed by earsplitting explosions. The artillery is gratefully coming down on the German positions. He cheers, but can’t hear the sound of his own voice. The navy’s 155mm artillery shells decimate the Germans and in the face of this justice, the menacing Tigers are at last forced to retreat from the ridge. Bill can see them regrouping about a mile away.

It’s impossible for us to comprehend how Bill has gotten this far, let alone understand where he got his strength to participate in Gavin’s final counter attack at 8:30pm. Gavin rallies every man present for this final charge. They all line up on the ridge awaiting the order. Where Bill’s standing, a thick cloud of dust and smoke from the navy shelling has settled with no wind to blow it away. Bill’s local visibility is at best 30 yards. When the command is given, the paratroopers charge screaming and yelling down the western side of Biazza Ridge. Among them, Bill’s gaunt silhouette can be seen momentarily before it vanishes into the haze. Halfway down the slope he reappears barreling down the hill with the other paratroopers. Running out on to the plain they soon encounter machine gun fire, explosions from mortars, and 88mm shells from the Tigers. Bill sees that some men have been unlucky enough to run into Tigers. Through sheer numbers they overwhelm the tanks setting C-4 explosives in their tracks and turrets, disabling them. He pursues the retreating German infantry, who are now running for their lives just ahead of him. He sees a group of three who appear to want to stay and fight. They fire at him with their bolt action Karak 98b rifles. Fuming with vengeance, Bill dispatches them in fluid motions with his M1 Garand. As the Germans flee into the distance Bill hears the call to cease the assault and regroup at the bottom of the ridge. The Germans for now at least have been driven away. Bill sees them off in the distance milling about in confusion.

Walking back up the ridge Bill and a few other men are ordered to form a team to supervise German POWs as they collect the bodies of fallen paratroopers for temporary burial. It’s thankless grisly work and he’s glad to leave when they’ve finished. As he turns around to go he is surprised to see Col. Gavin nearby, looking at the graves. Bill watches him briefly. Gavin, with tears in his eyes, seems to be looking through rather than at markers. He quietly walks away leaving him to grieve in piece.

Bill virtually collapses upon reaching an empty foxhole. For the first time finally there’s a moment to rest. Nothing occupies his mind except a blank dull sense of loss, the feeling of an empty victory, punctuated by flashes of horror. He tries sleeping, but that proves difficult. No one knows for sure if the Germans would regroup and attack again during the night. When he does drop off, the nightmares are unspeakable.

The day of July 11, 1943 never really ended for those troopers who fought at Biazza Ridge. They were doomed to relive it again and again, every day, for the rest of their lives. They would go through all the usual symptoms of trauma victims after the initial shock wore off. They felt anger at the Germans and this fueled a desire to kill more of them.

For Bill it lead directly to his decision to volunteer for the Salerno jump. He would feel guilt for not doing something to save his friend and suffer remorse for not being the one who died. Later, a profound sadness would pervade his mind and stay with him as a constant companion. As is often reported for people in this situation, Bill never befriended another man while he was in the Army. Bill’s sister, Doris said that he purposely never made a close friend in the service after seeing his friend die. She said her father understood why. He had fought in WWI and he had experienced his own close friends perish in war.

Below is a picture of Bill with his buddy before they left for Casablanca.

Bill with his Buddy

The next post will document the progress in discovering the name of the man in this picture. It’s quite probable that he is the same friend who died at Biazza Ridge.

Memorial Day Remembrance

2011-05-25T11:40:00.001-07:00

As we commemorate those soldiers who died in war since the U.S. Civil War on this upcoming Memorial Day of May 30, 2011, I want to share a poem entitled “Just Folks”, possibly authored by Edgar A. Guest. I found it among some news paper clippings from 1943, kept by Bill’s family when he and his brother Henry went off to fight in World War Two.

It’s a touching poem which to me exquisitely captures the essence of the sacrifices made by those from both sides of war – on the home front and in the multiple theaters of operations around the world.

Although this poem is entitled “Just Folks” the actual poem with that title written by Guest is completely different. There is a public domain book by the same title and author which can be found at Project Gutenberg. “Just Folks” is the first poem in the book, but the words of the above poem cannot be found anywhere in the volume. Furthermore, nowhere can I find a Guest poem by the title “Do This”. It is possible that the news paper erroneously attributed the work. Whether or not this is a Guest poem is a mystery to me.

Here are some links for more about Edgar A. Guest and his wonderful poetry:

Sofine's Edgar Guest Collection http://sofinesjoyfulmoments.com/quotes/edguest.htm

Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/731

Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/g#a182

Establishing Bill’s Presence at Biazza Ridge

2011-05-19T13:04:00.001-07:00

“The ALLIED airborne operation in Sicily was decisive despite widely scattered drops which must be expected in a night landing. It is my opinion that if it had not been for the allied airborne forces (82nd) blocking the Herman Goering Armored Division from reaching the beachhead, that Division would have driven the initial seaborne forces back into the sea. I attribute the entire success of the Allied Sicilian Operation to the delaying of German Reserves (by the 82nd Airborne Division) until sufficient forces had been landed by sea to resist the counterattacks by our defending forces (the strength of which had been held in mobile reserve).”

Kurt Student General der Flieger Troops

“[Foot note:-] The above opinion was rendered at the Nuremburg Trials by General Kurt Student foremost authority in the German army on Airborne Operations. Student commanded the German Airborne Operation on Crete and was Chief of Staff of all German Paratroops from 1943 until his capture by allied forces after the German collapse.” Source: “Saga of the All American: History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II”, Dawson, F., 1946 page 92

General Kurt Student

Source: Wikipedia commons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1979-128-26,_Bernhard-Hermann_Ramcke,_Kurt_Student_crop.jpg

Bill never talked directly about Biazza Ridge after the war to anyone I know of until near the end of his life. At times I tried to ask him about it, but he always shifted the discussion in other directions. There was one conversation we had when I was 11 years old which I later discovered was related to the battle. My family was visiting the Clark farm in Ohio. During a large family gathering at the farm house, Bill studied me from a distance. He noticed I was alone and bored – there were no other kids my age around. He approached me and asked if I wanted to go for a drive to see the covered bridges in Preble County. Feeling left out, I gladly accepted.

Bill drove me around to several bridges, all of which were impressive to say the least. We pulled over inside one of them to get out and take a closer look. He really loved those bridges. Bill explained how they were constructed, their immense age, associated maintenance issues, and what a treasure they were to the local community. He told me that he would often go out to one and just sit there to relax and reflect.

After that he fell silent and his eyes drifted. Out of nowhere he started talking anxiously and quickly as if verbalizing an “always on” continuous stream of conscious thought. He spoke mainly of rifle bullets and explosives. He described what a bullet from a 306 rifle can do to a man even from long distances. He gave graphic, detailed descriptions of what can happen to somebody when hit by a high explosive round from a German 88mm gun at close range. It was all stunning to hear. Seeing the torment on his face, I wanted to say something to help ease his pain. Having no way to relate to him, I just quietly listened. Years later the realization dawned that that was exactly what he wanted. I remember feeling deeply saddened for him. To see a person instantaneously turn into a “pink cloud” as Bill put it, is too great a burden for any man to bear and retain his sanity – which by some miracle he was able to do.

His letter to his sister Doris gives a tantalizing clue that Bill might have fought in the Biazza Ridge battle. From it, we can at least tell that his battalion was in the battle and that therefore, he could have been there. The battalion Bill refers to was sometimes called the 505th Regimental Headquarters Battalion which included the Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Service Company, and the Medical Detachment. Personnel from that unit fought at Biazza Ridge. We already know that his steps can be traced from where he actually landed to the direction of his original drop zone, which cuts through Biazza Ridge. But the question remains: was he there?

On November 4, 2005, I interviewed Bill’s older brother, Henry Clark about Bill’s war time experiences. Henry served with the US army air corps 47^th Liaison Squadron as a mechanic stationed in England, France, and Germany, so he was nearby Bill’s unit in 1944 and 1945. The brothers took advantage of several opportunities to meet one another on recreational leave. During these furloughs, Bill told Henry much of his experiences.

After Bill came back to England from Normandy, Henry wrote a letter home dated 23 July, 1944 concerning Sicily. He wrote from his station at the 47^th Liaison Squadron at Heston Aerodrome outside of London, England. Bill had come over from the 505 base at nearby Quorn to visit Henry on a six day furlough. This letter is the most revealing of all Henry’s letters concerning what Bill went through in Sicily and provides further evidence that Bill was at Biazza Ridge.

In one of the interviews with Henry I focused on a good friend of Bill’s – his best buddy – who died during the war. I asked Henry where Bill’s friend had died. Henry told me that his buddy died in Sicily during a battle with tanks:

“Did I tell you what precipitated the tank attack on those guys? A tank has got a glass thing where you can look through made of pretty heavy stuff. These guys were shooting the glass visors out of those German tanks. They [the Germans] got tired of that. All they had to do was put another one in, but they probably got tired of doing that, so they just took after them guys. Bill said that they used an 88 on his buddy [an .88mm gun mounted on the tank]. They had separated, so the guy [tank driver] has to turn around and hunt him, so Bill had a chance. He had an out there. That’s living on the edge. These were Tiger tanks too. They were heavy duty jobs. You couldn’t just shoot them down with anything. You about needed an armor piercing 88 I guess. I used to know that guy’s name because Bill liked him pretty much. It was a big shock for Bill. Bill told me it a couple times – the guy’s name.” Source: Interview with Henry Clark Jr. November 4, 2005

After the interview I handed Henry a list of names of men who died in Sicily and asked him if the man’s name was on the list. Henry couldn’t remember the friend’s name or even if it might be one of the people on the list.

Captured Mark VI Tiger I Tank in Tunisia, North Africa, 1943

The viewer Henry Clark talked about is a slit located opposite the machine gun and underneath the 88mm gun

Source: Wikipedia Commons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TigerITankTunis.jpg

As Henry talked my understanding of what actually happened to Bill’s friend was startling because it pointed to Bill’s presence at the Battle of Biazza Ridge. Henry’s memories also concur with the letter mentioned above which he wrote home summarizing Bill’s experiences during Operation HUSKY.

Henry Clark Jr. Letter Home Dated 23 July 1944

Transcript of Henry’s Letter

Pvt. Henry Clark Jr. 15195205

47^th Liaison Sqdn APO 6A6

C/O Postmaster New York, New York

Post marked 28 July 1944

Dear folks, [Internal date] July 23^rd 1944

You are probably wondering what has become of me as you haven’t been hearing from me very often lately.

I wont try to make any excuses for not writing.

Bill dropped in to see me since I last wrote. He had a six day furlough so he spent five days down here with me.

We had quite a time an a lot of time to talk. Won’t try to tell you everything as it would take a book for that.

He’s still the same guy. The only difference I could see was a “G.I. Haircut”

He has done a lot of fighting in the “E.T.O.” an has three stars in his ribbon plus the “Purple Heart” which he doesn’t wear.

That magazine clipping I sent home outlines his story very well. He says it was the worst for him in Sicily. He hurt his knee there an also lost his gun on the jump, but according to his story he soon got another gun an had some stiff engagements with some of Jerrys panzers. He really has some stories to tell, some of them are amusing an some are not so amusing.

He is definitely a soldier an a good one with a lot of experience behind him. All of this helps out. He says “The first engagement is the hardest.” Bet Pap can vouch for that. Bill will have plenty of stories to tell when he gets home.” [The letter continues, but talks of activities and events concerning the latter part of the war]

As ever.

Junior

Henry’s 1944 letter and Bill’s own letter written to his sister in 1945 are proof that Bill was at Biazza Ridge. The only other tank battles fought by the 505 in Sicily occurred nearby west of Biazza Ridge where 1^st Battalion 505 was engaging the western kampgruppe of the Hermann Goring Division. Those men fought the smaller, but no less powerful Mark IV Tigers. Bill is clear in his letter to Doris that his battalion fought the larger Mark VI Tigers – the same ones that Col. Gavin’s mixed units (consisting of personnel from Company B of the 307th Combat Engineers, Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Service Company, as well as G and H Companies) fought at Biazza Ridge.

It’s certain that Bill was there and fought in the battle. From what we now know, the battle can be reconstructed from Bill’s perspective – the subject of the next post.

The Battle of Biazza Ridge

2011-05-05T09:33:00.001-07:00

Operation Husky: Axis Forces in Sicily

In July 1943, the defenses of Sicily were as follows: there were between 200,000 and 300,000 Italian troops; and about 30,000 Germans on the island. The Italian forces were comprised of several divisions with troops spread thinly over the island’s coastal defenses, but they were poorly equipped and suffered from low morale. Most would surrender due to their hatred of the War and Mussolini. The supreme Axis commander for Sicily was General Alfredo Guzzoni. The Axis troops made up the Italian VI Army. It is widely recognized that although the German forces were part of the Italian VI Army, they were firmly under the control of Field Marshall Kesselring the top German commander in Sicily who reported directly to the German high command in Berlin.

Italian General Guzzoni

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 77. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-4.html

The German defenses were comprised of the 15^th Panzer Grenadier Division, stationed near Marsala and Trapani in the Western tip of Sicily and the Hermann Goring Panzer Division which was deployed inland behind the Gela beaches around Niscemi in the east and Biscari (now named Acate) in the west. See Map 1 below.

Map 1: Distribution of Axis and Allied Forces July 10, 1943

Source: “Sicily Campaign”, Birtle, Andrew J., 1993 U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/72-16/map1.JPG.

The Axis strategists knew they didn’t have enough armed forces to win against an Allied invasion of Sicily and realized that their only hope was to stop an invasion early by pushing the Allies back into the sea before they could gain any foot hold. There were two perceived landing areas, one on the beaches around Gela and the other in the West, near Marsala and Trapani. Field Marshall Kesselring saw the potential of an Allied landing near Marsala and shortly before the invasion convinced General Guzzoni to transfer the 15^th Panzer Grenadier’s from Gela to that area. Source: “Sicily Campaign”, Birtle, Andrew J., 1993, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.45thdivision.org/CampaignsBattles/sicily.htm.

German Field Marshal Kesselring

Source: “United States Army in World War II European Theater of Operations: The Supreme Command”, Pogue F. 1954, Page 212. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Supreme/USA-E-Supreme-11.html

The 15^th Panzer Division was at full strength, and if they stayed near Gela the outcome could have been very different for the Allies. A “panzer” division is German for an armored division being composed of armored tanks, personnel carriers, infantry, artillery, anti-aircraft units, and signal corps, etc. Designed for Blitzkrieg, (which translates to “lightning war” in English) its units were mobile and mechanized.

The other main German force on Sicily, the Hermann Goring Panzer Division, had its roots as a Nazi police battalion created in 1933 by the then Minister of the Interior, Hermann Goring. It notoriously took part in part in the purge of Hitler’s enemies during the Night of Long Knifes, between June 30 and July 2, 1934. In 1935 it was designated the Regiment General Goring, a component of the Luftwaffe where it trained and served primarily as an anti-aircraft flak unit. In 1942 it was transformed into the Hermann Goring Division, which was composed of 5000 paratroops; the remains of several parachute outfits from campaigns fought on the Eastern Front and Crete. It was sent to Tunisia where after fighting with distinction, it surrendered in May 1943 with scant members escaping to Sicily. At the time of Operation HUSKY, the Hermann Goring Division was re-designated “Panzer-Division Hermann Goring” and was in the process of growing to the size of a true panzer division. Source: “Axis History Facebook”, M. Wendel, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=233

Later during the Italian campaign, the Hermann Goring Division was found to have committed atrocities:

“Evidence has been found to show that a large number of the atrocities in Italy was committed by the Hermann Goering Parachute Panzer Division. Notable offenders also were l Parachute Division, 16 SS Panzer Grenadier Division and 114 Light Division.” Source: “Report of British War Crimes Section of Allied Force Headquarters on German Reprisals for Partisan Activities in Italy” Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression. Volume VIII. USGPO, Washington, 1946/pp.572-582 S. Stein 1999. Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/partisans1.htm.

Later in the War, The Hermann Goring Division was sent to Poland where on August 4, 1944, it fought in Warsaw as one of the units carrying out Hitler's orders to destroy the city:

“The Hermann Goering Armored Division advanced into the center of the city, driving civilians in front of its tanks as a protective shield and for the purpose of disassembling the barricades.” Source: “For over two months...” Gessing, P., 2000, Polish Academic Information Center, University at Buffalo. Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/uprising.html.

Even if it had yet to commit these atrocities, one could reasonably surmise that the Division would be expected to be tough and ruthless with its roots as a Nazi police battalion bearing the name of one of the worst Nazi criminals of the War. After HUSKY, the name “Hermann Goring Division” was tantamount to describing a malevolent brutality that would endlessly sear the hearts and torment the minds of the men in the 505who fought them at Biazza Ridge.

In June of 1943, the Division was being reorganized under the command of General Paul Conrath – the same man who led them in Tunisia. During HUSKY, its reorganization was still in progress so it was under strength and included some unproven personnel. Despite this the division was an inarguably powerful force, being composed approximately of:

Over 100 tanks including a company of 17 Mark VI Tiger I heavy tanks from the 215th Tank Battalion,
Mobile units of anti tank, anti aircraft, and artillery,
Reconnaissance units,
2 infantry battalions, and the
3^rd and 4^th Fallschirmjager regiments from the 1st Parachute Division.

Sources: “On to Berlin” Gavin, J pp 36 – 38, 1978 and “Comando Supremo: Italy at War” (sic), Heddlesten, J. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.comandosupremo.com/Sicily.html

As reported in an earlier blog post, Preparing for Operation HUSKY – Invasion of Sicily the 505leaders, except for General Omar Bradley had no idea that the Hermann Goring Division was in the area.

General Paul Conrath Commander of the Herman Goring Division

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 80. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-4.html

Operation Husky: Allied Forces

An early plan called for the invasion of Sicily at two points simultaneously, one in the northwest corner around Marsala and Trapani and the other in the southeast corner of the island around Gela and Syracuse (see Map 1 above). In these locations there was a natural combination of good landing beaches, ports, and airfields. The Axis opposition to the invasion was expected to be strong because German troops had proved worthy opponents in Tunisia, and this would be the first time the Italians would be defending their own country. This led to General Eisenhower adopting a conservative plan which called for an invasion of Sicily at the Island’s southeastern corner.

The invasion would consist of seaborne landing troops supported by airborne infantry. The British 8^th Army under Montgomery was to land on beaches starting at the Pachino Peninsula and ending to the south near Syracuse. The British objectives included capturing the cities of Augusta, Catania, an airfield at Gerbini, and then Messina.

The US 7^th Army of which the 82^nd Airborne Division was a part was made up of 200,000 men under General Patton. It would land on beaches in the Gulf of Gela. The US 1^st Division would land on the beaches directly around Gela. Its job was to capture the adjacent airfields, then move into Niscemi. The 45^th Infantry Division would land to the right of the 1^st Division on the beaches west of Scoglitti. It was to capture Comiso and Ragusa where it would meet up with the British 8^th Army. The 82^nd Airborne Division's 505^th PIR and 504^th PIR 3^rd battalion objective was to take and hold the high ground north of the beaches in front of the 1^st Division. They were also to take and block the road leading south from Niscemi and the intersection at Piano Lupo called the “Y”. The 3^rd Division would land on the beaches around Licata. It was charged with the security of the left flank of the 1^st Division. The seaborne Allied invasion forces were to land simultaneously at 02:45am, July 10^th 1943. Source: “Sicily 1943”, Birtle A. J. U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/72-16/72-16.htm

Gela Beach Looking East toward Scoglitti

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 90. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-4.html

The Sicilian Coastline looking West from Scoglitti

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 140. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

Upon reaching the early objectives of the invasion, the US forces were given somewhat ambiguous orders to support the British push toward Messina. The British general Alexander was the chief planner for the invasion, and he had chosen to leave the details of how to take the rest of the island until after early invasion objectives were reached. When it came time to make these decisions, the US forces were ordered to halt at Highway 124. It was deemed that this road was needed so that the British 8^th Army could drive up through the middle of the island. This would make the US 7^th Army defunct, a fact that upset the US brass, and in particular General Patton, who had assumed that once successful the US forces would continue to advance along side the British all the way to Messina. Unfortunately for Montgomery, Patton decided to take advantage of the situation by using some of his forces to attack the Germans in the north and west of the British, taking Trapani, Palermo and pushing on to liberate Messina, ultimately reaching the city before Montgomery.

The Axis Response

General Paul Conrath, with his Hermann Goring Panzer Division was in the best possible position to push Patton’s 7^th Army invasion force back into the sea on the night of July 9^th – 10^th. Recognizing the importance of the beaches around Gela and Scoglitti to an Allied invasion he had already deployed his division about 25 miles inland from the invasion beaches (See Map 1 above and Map 2 below). His forces were far enough back to be out of reach from naval guns, but close enough to strike quickly in the event of an amphibious invasion. There was also a road network which gave him two separate approaches to the invasion beaches. One was to the west leading from Niscemi to the beaches where the 1^st division was to land. The other was in the east and led from Biscari (Now named Acate) to the beaches where the 45^th division would land. Source: “Onto Berlin” Gavin, J., 1978, pp. 35-36

Conrath took advantage of the road network and its close proximity to the beaches by dividing his forces into two battle groups, each one was called a “Kampfgruppe”. In the event of an Allied amphibious invasion, the Western Kampfgruppe would attack the beaches around Gela via the Niscemi road, while the Eastern Kampfgruppe would attack the beaches around Scoglitti via Biscari (now named Acate). On its way down to the beaches, the eastern group would pass through Biazza Ridge. Source: Ibid, page 35-36

Map 2:View The German Counter Offensive July 10 - 11th in a larger map

(Click on the lines and other icons for information about troop concentrations, positions, and movements.)

News of the imminent invasion had already reached General Guzzoni in his Axis 6^th Army Headquarters before any Allied troops landed. As soon as word reached General Conrath he wasted no time and at 10:00pm on July 9while Bill’s C-47 was still over the Mediterranean, he alerted his command of the possible Allied invasion around Gela and Scoglitti. However, he quickly ran into problems. By the time subsequent communications were made, Bill had jumped and his fellow paratroopers from the 505 and 3^rd battalion of the 504^th PIR had cut the communication lines during the night of July 9 and early morning of the 10. Conrath was unable to communicate with any Axis forces including his own, resulting in failure of his units to receive orders. In addition, the 3^rd battalion of 504 had landed near its assigned DZ and was attacking columns of Conrath’s Western Kampfgruppe causing confusion and panic. Source: “Onto Berlin” Gavin, J., 1978, pp. 35-36

The Axis counter offensive had suffered badly. In part because of the communications failure they missed their opportunity to reach the beaches and stop the landings at Gela. By 2:45am on July 10the landings by the 1^st Infantry Division around Gela and those of the 45^th Division were well underway. The landings were a success due in large part to the heroic efforts of the troopers from 1st Battalion, 505. They were able to stop the advance of the counter attacks of the Western Kampfgruppe consisting of Mark IV Tiger tanks and other armor moving along the road from Niscemi towards the beaches around Gela. They also captured the “Y” - a vital road intersection allowing access to the beaches between Niscemi and Gela. Source: Ibid, page 38-41

The “Y” Road Junction Leading to the Invasion Beaches from Niscemi and Vittoria

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 137. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

Ponto Drillo, the Causeway over the Acate River – 5 miles from the “Y”. Seized by the 505 on July 10

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 118. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

Finally, Field Marshall Kesselring was able to get through to the 6^th Army, who relayed the orders for the Hermann Goring Division to continue their attack early on the morning of July 11. As a result the final attack from the Western Kampfgruppe consisting of German tanks and armor was launched that morning from the Ponte Olivo airfield - west and out of range of the formidable paratrooper positions - across open flat country toward the invasion beaches. It was stopped on the outskirts of Gela by the veteran 1st Infantry Division. Source: Ibid, page 38-41

Wrecked German Tanks on the Gela Plain after Their Defeat by the 1st Infantry Division

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 171. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

Typical Axis Defensive Positions on the Coast Road East of Licata

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 134. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

By the afternoon of July 10, the Eastern Kampfgruppe of the Herman Goring Division moved south toward the left and right flanks of the US 45^th division beachhead. The force consisted of the 1^st panzer Grenadier Regiment (consisting of 2 battalions), one armored artillery battalion, and one heavy panzer company, consisting of 17 Mark VI Tiger I heavy tanks each weighing sixty tons and mounting an 88mm main gun. Source: Ibid, page 35-36

This force amounted to 700 infantry, a battalion of self-propelled artillery, and a company of Tiger tanks. Source: “Sicily 1943”, Birtle A. J., U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/72-16/72-16.htm

By the early morning of July 11, the eastern Kampfgruppe was at Biazza Ridge as can be seen in Map 2 above. This is the force that Gavin was going to attack.

The Battle of Biazza Ridge

Biazza Ridge is a place of honor, a place of respect. In Fort Bragg, there’s a housing development that bears it’s name. This is the place where the famous battle between the Hermann Goring Panzer Division and elements of the 505 took place.

After making a long trek from his actual drop zone, Col. Gavin arrived in Vittoria early on the morning of July 11, where he heard reports that there were paratroopers a few miles to the west. He headed in that direction to find the 3^rd Battalion getting organized. Col. Krause, the 3^rd Battalion commander, told Gavin that there were Germans between their position and Gela, where the 45^th Division was engaging them. Gavin took a platoon of 307^th combat engineers and headed west on the highway leading from Vittoria to Gela. Soon he heard gun fire and continued down the road. At this time it was about 8:30am. He reached a point where a railway crossed the road and saw Biazza Ridge in front of him about half a mile away and 100 feet high with a gradual slope to the east. The firing he had heard earlier was coming from the ridge and its intensity was increasing. The firing was from Germans of the Hermann Goring Division and the 180^th US Infantry. They had engaged each other on the west side of the ridge south of the highway. The Germans were occupying the ridge. Gavin deployed his platoon of engineers ordering them to take the ridge. He then sent for 3^rd battalion and they came. Source: “Onto Berlin” Gavin, J., 1978 page 28

505 Troopers Advancing on Biazza Ridge, Morning July 11

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 166. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

“As Company G, 505^th, leading the 3^rd Battalion, swept across the ground in front of the ridge, pinned down engineers and headquarters troopers jumped to their feet and joined in the assault up the Eastern slope.” Source: “All American All the Way” Nordyke, P., 2005, page 74

The ridge was soon captured because the German’s pulled back in front of the Company G attack that contained troopers from Regimental Headquarters Company. Source: Ibid page 74. Several riggers were also present in the initial attack and Bill could well have been one of them:

“The American Parachutists, a hodgepodge collection of engineers, cooks, orderlies, riggers, clerks, and riflemen, had no field guns, antitank guns or tanks and would be vastly outnumbered in the looming confrontation.” Source: Breurer, W., “Drop Zone Sicily: Allied Airborne Strike, July 1943”, 1983, page 138

505 Troopers on top of Biazza Ridge, July 11

Image Source: The U.S. Army Military History Institute. Retrieved May 2, 2011 from http://www.carlisle.army.mil/AHEC/mediagallery/photoGallery.cfm?id=50

Credit: WWII Army Signal Corps

The troopers pushed the Germans over the top and down the western slope of the ridge. Fire intensified with mortars, artillery and machine guns. The Germans swiftly counterattacked, and the troopers were forced back over the ridge’s crest. At that point Company H took over the attack from Company G. They were ordered to fix bayonets and then charged over the ridge engaging the Germans in bloody hand to hand combat, killing many of them and forcing a German retreat. Sometime at this point the men on the ridge first heard the German tanks. The troopers on the ridge chased the Germans down the western side. The Germans counterattacked again, using tanks in addition to the infantry. The tanks were Mark VI Tiger tanks each equipped with an 88mm cannon. There were 17 of them. The tanks began firing at individual troopers with their 88mm cannons. Source: “All American All the Way” Nordyke, P., 2005, page 74 - 75

“Sergeant Bill Bishop, with Company G, hadn’t had enough time to dig a slit trench, when one of the Mark VI tanks came up the gentle slope toward him, suddenly stopping close by. ‘Me and a fellow named Duke Boswell were laying within two or three feet from the tank treads in a small ditch. They would shoot at a single man with the 88’s they had on those tanks. They killed a bunch of people with that 88. They ran over one man’s legs. Of course he died from shock. His name was [Sergeant] Gerald Ludlam.’” Source: Ibid Page 76

Col. Gavin later commented on the power of a Tiger tank:

“A Tiger tank is an awesome thing to encounter in combat. Weighing more than 60 tons, armed with an 88 mm. gun and machine guns, it was far more formidable than anything we had ever seen, and we had nothing in our own armored forces to compare with it.” Source: “Onto Berlin” Gavin, J., 1978 page 31

Mark VI “Tiger I” Heavy Battle Tank in Sicily, 1943

Source: Wikipedia Commons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14953,_Sizilien,_Panzer_VI_%28Tiger_I%29.jpg

A review of the Tiger VI technical specifications reveals its terrible power. The PzKpfw, Mark VI Tiger I Heavy Battle Tank, coded by the German Army as the “SdKfz 181”, commonly known as a “Tiger I” had a crew of 5 and was in service from 1942 - 1945. Boasting a 88mm gun mounted on its swiveling turret, the Tigers must have seemed like mobile artillery to the men of the Allied units who encountered them. They had two MG 34 792mm machine guns, one in the turret and the other on the front of the hull. The tank’s defensive armor was 1.02” thick (26mm) at its minimum and 4.33” (100mm) at its maximum. At 27 feet long (8.25m), 12’3” (3.73 m) wide, and 9’4” (2.85m) tall, the Tiger Mark VI was one of the most massive tanks of the entire war.

It weighed an enormous 121,253 lb (55,000 Kg) yielding a ground pressure of 14.8 lb/in² (1.04 Kg/cm²). But for all of its weight, the Tiger I was fast enough and had a long range. It boasted road speeds of 24 MPH (38 KM/h), cross country speeds of 12 MPH (20KM/h) and a maximum range of 62 miles (100 KM). The tank’s field agility was equally impressive, as it was able to drive over any reinforced vertical obstacle standing 2’7” (80cm high) and move through trenches as deep as 5’11” (1.8m). Its fording depth was 4’ (1.2m). Rounding out its agility, the weapon could tackle gradients as steep as 35 degrees. All these reasons made the Tiger I one of the most fearsome Blitzkrieg weapons in the German arsenal. After the “King Tiger” manufactured in 1944 for the Russian Front it was the most powerful tank of WWII. It’s easy to see why the German tank crews driving them felt invincible. Source: “Tanks of the World”, Miller D., 2000, pp. 121-122

The 505troopers were using bazooka teams to try and take out the tanks. A bazooka team consisted of two men. One loaded the shell into the bazooka and the other man took aim and fired. The operation took time to perform. From the time a bazooka team got into their position, loaded, aimed, and fired, they were exposed and vulnerable. The tanks took advantage of this by turning their 88mm cannons on the bazooka teams and blowing them away. The Tigers also had machine guns mounted and would use these with devastating effect on the pinned down troopers. Source: “All American All the Way” Nordyke, P., 2005, pp. 76-77

At this point the German tanks and infantry couldn’t break through the 505line. The tanks would run low of ammunition and needed to periodically fall back to supply teams to replenish. Moreover, the 505held the high ground on the ridge making it difficult for the German infantry to take the hill even with the tank support.

As the battle progressed, wounded troopers were arriving in increasing numbers all telling of how the Tigers were firing at individuals with their 88s. German prisoners were coming back too:

“They said they were from the Hermann Goring Parachute Panzer Division. I remember one of them asking if we had fought with the Japanese in the Pacific; he said he asked because the paratroopers had fought so hard.” Source: “Onto Berlin” Gavin, J., 1978, page 30

The Tiger supported infantry attacks continued until the afternoon of July 11. During the day small groups of troopers were arriving and as they came in they were sent to the front line to reinforce the men on the ridge. Even with all the new arrivals, it wasn’t going to be enough because the 505didn’t have any heavy weapons to deal with the Tigers and infantry alone couldn’t destroy them. Gavin was determined to hold the ridge. He resolved that if the tanks overran their position, they would remain on the ridge and engage the German infantry. The tanks would have continued on to the beach in an attempt to push the 45^th Division back into the sea. Source: Ibid page 77-78

In the letter to his sister, Bill writes:

“This all took place on one of those dark days that my battalion was fighting 13 “Mark 6” or “tiger tanks” with 30 caliber rifles an two 75 m.m Howitzers.” Source: William Clark, Letter to his Sister, Doris Clark, June 13^th 1945, page 2-3

Gavin had insisted on parachuting with two pack 75mm howitzers. These were the same weapons that Bill mentioned in his letter. At this point, Col. Gavin got the howitzers and placed them in camouflaged positions just underneath the eastern side of the ridge. When the tanks got to the top of the ridge they would have their softer undersides exposed. This is when the howitzers would open fire aiming at their underside, hopefully taking them out.

By the time the howitzers were in place, one tank had broken through the lines and was chewing up the troopers. One of the howitzer teams took shots at it, and it retreated. Due to the smoke and dust from the howitzer attack, it was unclear what, if any damage was sustained by the retreating Tiger.

A little later at about 4:00pm, the Tigers were advancing and had come to within 50 yards of Gavin’s command post. It looked like they were going to crest the ridge and overrun the 505 entirely. At that moment, Gavin’s men were able communicate with the Navy and they called in an artillery barrage from the 155 mm Naval guns. Following the intense bombardment, the Germans withdrew and regrouped about a mile away. By about 6:00pm word came that reinforcements were coming. They arrived around 7:00pm consisting of Sherman tanks from the 45^th Infantry Division and about 50 more paratroopers from Regimental Headquarters Company led by Lt. Swingler of the Service Company.

With the additional troopers and heavy artillery, Gavin decided to counterattack in order to strengthen their position in the event that the Germans decided to attack again. At around 8:30pm the 505 attacked with everyone that was present including:

“….regimental clerks, cooks, truck drivers, everyone who could carry a rifle or carbine was in the attack.” Source: “All American All the Way” Nordyke, P., 2005 page 81

Although the troopers were under fierce fire from the Tigers, machine guns, mortars and small arms the attack was successful, and the Germans retreated thus ending the battle of Biazza Ridge. During the fight, Lt. Swingler came upon a Tiger sitting in the road with its crew outside. He dropped a grenade among them and the explosion killed all of them. It was the first Tiger captured during the battle.

In the aftermath, men were picked to dig graves and the fallen paratroopers were temporarily buried.

“Head bowed in prayer, Capt. Al Ireland peeked at the resolute regimental commander who stood looking down at the graves. There were tears in Colonel Gavin’s eyes.” Source: Breurer, W., “Drop Zone Sicily: Allied Airborne Strike, July 1943”, 1983, page 139

Col. Gavin (Right) at Biazza Ridge Morning of July 11

Source: “United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations: Sicily and the Surrender of Italy” Garland
A., etal., 1993, page 169. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-Sicily/USA-MTO-Sicily-6.html

Below is a newspaper article from my collection that gives a good summary of the participation of paratroopers in the Sicily invasion. The way it reads, it’s certainly recounting the actions of the 505. The team commander referred to is Col. Gavin.

Newspaper Article summarizing the paratroopers’ participation in the invasion.

Source: Dayton Herald, circa July 12 1943

The next post will focus on establishing Bill’s presence and reconstructing his participation in the battle of Biazza Ridge.

Journey to the Collection Point

2011-04-22T12:08:00.001-07:00

Bill’s firefight at the pill box on the night of July 9 through the morning of July 10 in my last blog post is a typical account of the type of engagements reported in a document entitled “82^nd Airborne Division in Sicily and Italy” which contains a section entitled “505^th Parachute Infantry Reports”, dated August 14, 1943. Anyone researching the 505’s movements during the Sicilian and Italian campaigns will find this source very useful.

Source: 82^nd Airborne Division in Sicily and Italy

It can be downloaded for free from the Combined Arms Research Library (http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/contentdm/home.htm) of the Command and General Staff College (http://carl.army.mil/)

After the mis-drop and as they made their way to their collection point, the report states on page 22, that small groups of Headquarters serial troopers attacked pill-boxes and enemy strong points throughout the night and morning on July 10. They were true to Colonel Gavin’s order regarding the enemy to “attack him wherever found”. One of these groups was led by Gavin himself, and it moved south in the direction of the beach to provide support to the 45^th Infantry Division which had made its landing during the night. Gavin’s group joined with units of the 45^th at 2:40am on July 10.

Another Headquarters serial group commanded by Lt. Swingler of Service Company held the high ground on the main road leading in from the beach that was to be used by the 45^th Division coming in to relieve the paratroopers after establishing a beachhead. Swingler’s group destroyed an armored vehicle attempting to move to the beach. They also prevented the movement of enemy from the beach to the interior once the 45^th Division had made their landing. They captured five officers and 96 men in this operation and large caches of material including enemy machine guns as well as taking out several pill boxes.

It is noted that after sunrise on July 10, Lt. Swingler’s group was located:

…..“at a crossroads pillbox, (by then abandoned) where Swingler conducted a brief service while we buried (temporarily) three Regimental Headquarters Company men KIA, probably during the night in front of that pillbox. Those three were [Private David J. Jr.] McKeown, [Private First Class Thomas D.] Adams, and [Private William J.] Kerrigan. This was south of Vittoria, probably in the vicinity of Santa Croce Camerina”. (Nordyke, “All American All the Way” 2005 p. 58)

On page 30 of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Report, it states that:

“The Headquarters serial …. was dropped between St. Croce Camerina and Vittoria”

The position of this part of the Headquarters serial after jumping, their movements and objectives is consistent with a letter Bill wrote to his sister dated June 13, 1945 recollecting the events of July 9 – 12, 1943:

“We were about 4 miles inland, near the village of “Santa Crousa” [sic] a few miles from Gela our job was to attack the Italian and German coastal defenses from the rear which was far from a picnic” (William Clark, Letter to Doris Clark June 13, 1945 p. 3)

From these sources, it’s clear that Bill was among the men from the Headquarters serial attacking pill boxes in area of Vittoria and St. Croce Camerina during the night and morning of July 10. (See Map 1, repeated below from my last blog post). The map shows Bill’s actual Drop Zone (shaded area in bottom right), the planned Drop Zone and collection point for his company (shaded area in the top left corner), and the direction of his trek to the collection point (line connecting shaded areas).

Map 1: View Bill's Actual and Planned Drop Zones in a larger map

As noted above, Pvt. David J. McKeown was one of the soldiers found dead by Lt. Swingler’s group in front of the cross roads pill box on the morning of July 10. Early in my research, I ran across an article containing interviews of some paratroopers before takeoff for the invasion. David McKeown of the 505 Regimental Headquarters Company was among those interviewed. Read the article below for what he had to say before the jump:

Source: Dayton Herald, July 12, 1943

“I’m rarin’ to go – I’m all on edge and my nickname is Dandy Dan.”

– David McKeown July 9, 1943.

A few hours later, David was to die in the pill box battle. His death was tragic given the almost playful exuberance he expressed on boarding his C-47. An exuberance which takes on a distinct grotesque quality when you realize that he had to will himself to think unimaginable and unmentionable thoughts in order to feel prepared, even eager, to plunge into a battle where the only outcome was one of either his life or his death. All the paratroopers who jumped that night would have to make similar mental gyrations to get right with what they were about to do and what might happen to them.

Friendly Fire from the Navy

After his own pill box battle, Bill eventually joined up with some fellow troopers headed toward the collection point in the top left of Map 1 above. By the evening of July 10, the group stopped to dig fox holes and rest before moving further. They had a frightening experience that night during an Allied naval bombardment of the Sicilian coast line. In 1999, Bill related the incident in an interview with his friend Herd Bennett:

“Bill states that the U.S. navy had shelled the island on his first night after the jump [night of July 10] and that the navy was shelling him and his fellow members of the 505^th by mistake. The reason for this was that ‘The German Air Force went in just ahead of us and the Navy was trying to take out those planes and was, in the process, hitting us’. He indicates that a large U.S. naval shell hit the rocks 10 feet from where he was lying, but failed to explode. He states that if it had exploded, he would have never known what hit him. The next day, he found the shell lying several feet away from where it had initially hit. Bill states that he was in the process of trying to dig a fox hole when this shell landed. Bill also stated that after he found the shell, ‘The clowns who were with me began picking at it with sticks and I had to tell them that they were crazy and to just leave it where it was.’” Herd L. Bennett as told to him by William Clark, August 19, 1999.

He also made mention of the shelling in a letter to his sister:

“To make things worse the night before [ night of July 10] our own navy shelled us for a few hours…” (William Clark, Letter to Doris Clark June 13, 1945 p. 3)

Other accounts indicate that another reason for this was Allied ships were bombing pre-designated targets on the Island. The 505were in the same areas where the shelling took place. It was unknown to the Navy that the paratroopershad been mis-dropped and were in fact in the zones assigned for bombardment.

The next morning, on July 11, Bill’s group set out again toward their destination, but they would never make it. As shown in map 2 below, while moving to the collection point they would have to pass through a region that would become infamously known as “Biazza Ridge” (indicated by the line intersecting the original route).

Map 2: View Regimental Serial Movements in a larger map

Neither Bill or his compatriots had any clue they were headed straight into hell and history.

Bill’s First Combat Jump

2010-11-11T12:20:00.001-08:00

The date of today’s post is Veteran’s Day here in the United States – November 11, 2010 . I want to take this opportunity and thank all of our veterans, past and present for their sacrifices made for our freedom and to keep our country safe from harm.

The Jump

The 40 mile an hour winds recorded by the C-47 crews over the Mediterranean Sea persisted over the Sicilian coastline and the Drop Zone (DZ) at the jump altitude of 400 feet. During training, the jumps were canceled if the wind exceeded 15 miles an hour because of a much higher likelihood of injury in stronger winds.

Only a few of the seasoned paratroopers had ever jumped in winds above 25 miles an hour. Despite these impossible conditions, when the jump light indicator changed from RED to GREEN, the order to stand up and hook up was given. Bill shuffled toward the rear of the aircraft burdened by his heavy load. His feet followed the heals of the man in front until no more floor was left. The howling dark wind was punctuated by beautiful terrifying flashes of light from thundering munitions. Whipping ropes of anti-aircraft tracers streamed up from the ground, occasionally exploding nearby and rocking the aircraft. Taking a deep breath of the suicidal gale, and with a hefty measure of faith, Bill hurled himself out of the door.

Bill had a terrifying experience on this, his first combat jump. From the reports of C-47 pilots and his own recollections, we gain an insight into the conditions facing the men in the Headquarters Company serial. At 400 feet when Bill left the relative safety of his aircraft, he could hear the explosions, the ack-ack of anti-aircraft fire, the sirens wailing, the burps of German MG 42 machine guns, and the pops and cracks from small arms fire. Perhaps, he heard the wind blown voices of the enemy below.

He had almost certainly never jumped in such high winds before, and due to the wind, he couldn’t have been sure from which direction the sounds emanated. Were they directly below him? Or were they off to the left? Maybe the right? Perhaps they were behind him? He probably could see the flames of Gela burning to the north west, circled by the tracer fire from the anti-aircraft batteries that surrounded the city. Other fires could likely be seen burning far off and much closer to him. His long distance vision would have been obscured by the haze from the pre-invasion Allied air attack. He probably smelled the cordite from explosions, and the wood and oil smoke from the fires. In the poorly lit conditions, he was unsure of the terrain. His eyes strained while his hands vainly pulled on his risers hopefully heading for a favorable patch of dirt.

The ground was especially rocky on Sicily and jumping at a low altitude of 400 feet many troopers were injured with broken legs, ankles, bad sprains, and so on. Bill was among these men. He landed hard, badly jarring his knees. Full of adrenalin he said he didn’t even notice the pain in his knees until later. Bill would suffer the pain until he had a chance to visit an aid station later in the invasion possibly in the early morning of July 10^th.

The Post Jump Firefight

During a visit with Bill in 1996, he told me about his jump into Sicily. He said that after he jumped he hit the ground landing roughly on solid bedrock. Bill felt for his Tommy gun, but it wasn’t there. The jump winds were so strong that they snapped the cord which connected his primary weapon to his jumpsuit and had sent it hurtling away from him. Now his only weapon was the combat bayonet sheathed in his boot. Using his switchblade jump knife, he hurriedly cut though his jump gear and took off his parachute harness. Looking around he found that he was alone.

He did his best to hide his chute in the sparse countryside and took out his compass and silk invasion map. He knew he landed short of the drop zone. From his vantage point of about 200 meters, he could see the glow of Gela burning far away to the north west. He decided to cut across country towards the Headquarters Company planned collection point.

The Headquarters serial actual DZ is shown in the bottom right hand corner of the map below. It’s in an area about 30 miles from the planned DZ and collection point which is located in the top left hand corner of the map. The north west direction Bill set out in is also shown on the map as a blue line.

View Bill's Actual and Planned Drop Zones in a larger map

Not far into his trek, Bill came across a pill box complex like the one pictured below.

A German Pill Box in the area around Vittoria

Source: Author’s Collection

Same Pill Box Obscured by Grass

Source: Author’s Collection

He heard the voices of maybe two or three enemy soldiers outside the pill box. They were moving around in the dark apparently on a perimeter patrol looking for paratroopers. They were unaware of his presence. He quietly lay motionless in some grass as one moved toward his position. He waited for him to pass, then rose, grabbed him from behind and using his bayonet blade, stabbed him to death. The man was a German soldier armed with an MP-40 submachine gun. Bill took the MP-40, rolled away several feet and then lay low on the ground.

The other enemy soldiers heard the attack and ran back into the pill box complex shouting. Very soon after, enemy troops began pouring out of the entrance. They too were Germans. He said that they were coming out of the pill box like a bunch of angry bees out of a hive. He said he shot them as they ran out and kept firing until no more came out. He didn’t say if there were other troopers with him. There must have been others because he said the pill box was taken during the fight.

After it was over he picked up a Lugar pistol from a dead German officer and kept it as a souvenir. He sat down briefly to take stock when an unexpected wave of self disgust surged through him at the realization of how many men had died at his hands.

When he recovered he continued the trek to the Headquarters collection point, in the vicinity of the planned DZ in the map above.

Flight to the Sicily Drop Zone

2010-11-01T15:35:00.001-07:00

For Operation HUSKY everyone in the 505^th PIR jumped because the gliders which usually brought in Service Company personnel (besides the jumping riggers and other personnel) couldn’t land on the Island’s rocky volcanic terrain in the Drop Zone (DZ) around the Gela area. The Service Company was under the command of Regimental Headquarters commander Col. William Ekman, so they flew in the Regimental Headquarters Serial during combat jumps. This is significant, because it allows Bill’s movements before, during and after a combat jump to be traced.

In total, the 82^nd Airborne Division’s portion of the Allied airborne invasion included 226 C-47’s separated into 5 serials flown by the troop carrier groups assigned to the 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing (TCW) of the US Army Air Corps. From the 505^thPIR, the Headquarters battalion serial was flown by the 316^th Group, 1^st battalion by the 313^th Group, 2^nd battalion by the 61^st Group, and 3^rd battalion by the 314^th Group.

Planes started to leave the aerodromes nearby the Kairouan base at 8:10pm on July 9^th and continued until 9:16pm. For the 505^th PIR, the first serial included 3^rd Battalion while 1^st battalion was carried in the second serial . The third serial carried Regimental Headquarters, with 2^nd battalion in the forth. (After Action Report: Operation HUSKY)

Bill’s Headquarters serial was comprised of 33 planes and contained Headquarters Personnel, the Headquarters Service and Demolition Squad, the 307^th Engineers, the 456^th Artillery, and the 307^th Medical Corps. The first plane from this serial took off at 8:35pm on July 9^th from the Enfidaville aerodrome. It was the lead plane carrying Col. Gavin. Planes took off in groups of three at 30 second intervals. After take off each group of three planes formed a V shape and then joined to form a larger group, ideally consisting of nine planes in a series of Vs as depicted in Figure 1. Each nine plane group was separated by a flying time of six to 10 minutes. Source: Ingrisano, M., 1991, “Valor Without Arms: A History of the 316^th Troop Carrier Group 1942 – 1945”, Merriam Press: Vermont, Page 18.

Figure 1: Nine C-47 aircraft formation comprising a part of a serial

The planned flight path for Operation HUSKY is shown in Figure 2. Bill was to fly over the Mediterranean for 40 miles to a point (due west from Cape Bon)east of Sousse, Tunisia, then to turn and head east for 202 miles toward Malta, on the way passing south of the island of Linosa. At Malta, he was to fly for 62 miles in a northeast direction. South of Cape Passero, Sicily he was to turn in a westerly direction for 35 miles, then take a jog to the northwest for 14 miles until his plane crossed the Sicilian coast near Gela and arrived over his drop zone at 11:30pm about 3 hours after take off.

Figure 2: HUSKY Flight Plan

Source: North Africa Air Force: Report of Operations

Figure 3 shows the same (approximate planned flight path) on a Google map:

Figure 3: View HUSKY Planned Flight path in a larger map

The actual course of Bill’s serial and that of the entire aerial armada deviated from the plan by flying south and east crossing of the island of Linosa in Figure 4 below. It then disastrously missed the turning point at Malta and instead flew east much farther than planned. It overcompensated for the error by flying too far north west, arriving at a point east of the planned Cape Passero and thereby crossing the Sicilian coast at a point far to the east south east of the planned DZ. A portion of the invasion force splintered and faired even worse by flying all the way to Syracuse (Siracusa).

Figure 4: View Husky Actual Flight path in a larger map

It was strong winds and bad visibility which together conspired to send the invasion force off course and over time. Ultimately the planned DZ’s were severely missed. The wind speed for the drop was predicted to be 10 to 15 miles per hour. As the serial crossed the Mediterranean, the air crews became aware that the actual wind speed was between 35 and 40 miles per hour at an altitude of 400 feet. The leading aircraft did not see the guide beacon at the Malta turning point, which led to the serial being 30 minutes late over what they thought was the DZ. The haze from Allied bombing reduced visibility. To make things worse the light of the moon was gone having set earlier than forecast. In truth the air crews had at best only a general idea of their location.

The serial was hit by flak prior to flying over the DZ. C-47 crews reported that anti-aircraft fire was seen at Licata, Gela, and over Ponte Olivo. Gela was reported to be on fire and was encircled by light anti-aircraft fire. Ground fire was reported as light and erratic.

The scheduled jump time in Figure 2 is shown as 23:30 hours (11:30pm) on July 9^th. Due to the problems encountered, the 316^th was 36 minutes late in dropping troopers from the Headquarters serial. This means that Bill probably jumped into the sky above Sicily at about six minutes after midnight on July 10^th. He had been in his plane for three and a half hours.

After the jump, the planes of the 316^th headed back to their base near Kairouan without incident.

Quoting Michael Ingrisano, a pilot in Bill’s serial, on the success of the mission reveals just how badly they were mis-dropped:

“The 316^th fared worst of all. Deflected by the wind, it missed Linosa; it missed Malta; and it missed the south coast of Sicily.” Three planes, carrying a demolition section dropped their troops south of Syracruse, 65 miles from their objective. “Over Sicily the rest of the 316^th promptly lost their way again, dispersed, dropped their passengers, including task force commander [Gavin], all over southeastern Sicily.” Overall the results were disappointing in that less than a sixth of the paratroopers were delivered on or near the DZ………” (Ingrisano 1991, pg. 18 - 19).

According to the 505^th PIR After Action Report, the Headquarters serial was dropped about 10 miles south of Vittoria and 30 miles from its designated drop zone.

The mis-drop was a critical error and one which would nearly doom the whole invasion. When Bill saw the green jump light turn on in his C-47 he had no idea of the extent of the trouble about to engulf him.

Preparing for Operation HUSKY – Invasion of Sicily

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Preparing for the Jump

For the 505, final preparations for Operation HUSKY, the invasion of Sicily, took place on July 9^th at the 82^nd Airborne’s base near Kairouan, Tunisia. The day began early for the men with a breakfast before dawn followed by the issue of ammunition, weapons, rations, survival gear and other items including:

Main parachute and reserve chute.
Weapons – Thompson “Tommy” submachine Gun or an M1 rifle depending on each man’s preference, four fragmentation grenades, one smoke grenade, bayonet, trench knife, and switchblade jump knife.
Clothing comprising a jumpsuit, jump harness, helmet, gloves, silk map with escape routes, compass, wristwatch, two extra pairs of socks, a spare pair of underwear, and a handkerchief.
A mussette bag containing a mess kit, one K and one D ration, toothbrush, “tooth powder”, razor, bar of soap, pencil, paper, 10 packs of Camel cigarettes, matches, cigarette lighter, and water purification tablets.
Invasion arm bands with an American flag were handed out to be worn on one sleeve, while on the other they were to wear a white band for easier identification at night.
In addition each man carried 30 feet of rope, blanket, shelter half, gas mask, entrenching tool, two first aid kits, a Mae West life preserver, and a canteen of water.

All of this weighed between 80 – 90 pounds.

Over July 7 and 8, briefings had been held to go over each unit’s mission during the coming invasion. Today, units were briefed again to reassure the men. They were told that enemy opposition consisted of the Italian Army with some specialist German technical personnel. Since the British Army had easily beaten the Italians during the North African campaign most paratroopers thought they would be easily defeated wherever it was they were to invade. At this time they still didn’t know their target of invasion.

The 505leaders of course knew the destination was Sicily, but they had no idea that instead of Italians, the tough and thoroughly Nazi Hermann Goring Division occupied the invasion zone. They were cruel and easily one of the most brutal German units of the war. General Omar Bradley, a member of the Allied intelligence group known as “ULTRA” knew of their presence, but to tell anyone outside of the group would risk jeopardizing Allied intelligence. Bradley kept silent, much to his personal moral chagrin.

The risk was great because as early as 1938, Polish mathematicians Jerzy Rozycki, Henryk Zygalski and Marian Rejewski secretly had been able to crack 75% of Enigma messages. Long before the war, in the 1920’s Poland had been concerned about German intentions. In 1931 and 1932, the French obtained information from a spy, Hans-Thilo Schmidt, about how the Enigma machine worked. The French and English were given this information, but were unable to crack the secrets of the German Enigma Machine. Subsequently, the information was passed onto the Polish. Studying this material, the Polish mathematicians were able to develop the code breaking techniques which revealed the secrets of the Enigma Machine. Marian Rejewski even designed the first mechanical device to beak the codes and dubbed it a “Bomba”.

The advances made by the Poles were cut short in 1939 due to the impending German invasion of Poland. In July 1939, the Polish mathematicians met secretly with the British and French outside of Warsaw and handed over the secrets of how they were able to break the German codes. Using the techniques developed by the Poles, in 1940 the British, through the efforts of Alan Turing and his group at Bletchley Park was the first British team successful in breaking the encoded German radio communications. Alan Turing would develop and implement a mechanical deciphering machine that he called the “Bombe”. Turing wouldn’t be able to crack the Enigma cipher permanently until June 4^th, 1944, with the seizure of the Enigma code books from U-505 by the USS Pittsburg.

In 1943, the Allied knowledge of the Enigma machine was of paramount importance and obviously needed to be held secret for the remainder of the war. Even to the point of denying vital information on troop concentrations to front line leaders including General Patton himself.

Days before the invasion, in his role as a rigger, Bill had packed and checked some of the chutes used for the invasion. He had volunteered for the Sicily jump. Riggers were regularly asked to volunteer to make combat jumps to instill confidence that the parachutes were correctly packed. The days leading up to HUSKY were hectic and stressful for Bill as he moved from one task to another, inspecting parachutes and jump kits, undoubtedly finding errors – some life threatening.

On this day of the invasion, he had to control his thoughts and emotions trying not to think about the mistakes he may have missed during inspecting and packing, leading to visions of troopers plunging to their deaths because the parachutes he packed didn’t open or the stitching holding customized equipment packs failed.

On top of this Bill was a trained combat paratrooper. Once a rigger landed, his roll was identical to that of any other combat company trooper, so when Bill hit the ground in Sicily, he would have to perform in combat. Ironically, like early paratroopers who had to pack their own chutes, he was responsible for parachute quality control and was expected to perform his duty as a combat infantryman on the ground. The pressure on Bill must have been immense, but he did have one distinctive advantage. He was a paratrooper of the elite 505^th PIR. He was trained to control fear and to channel it and other emotions into effective weapons that would increase his chances of survival. To use the motto of the 505^th, Bill was “READY”.

In the afternoon of D-Day the men dressed for combat. Once final preparations were completed they sat down to dinner at 4:00pm. After that they were loaded onto trucks and taken to one of 10 aerodromes surrounding the Kairouan base which were operated by the 52nd Troop Carrier Wing. Being part of the Regimental Headquarters serial, Bill went to Field G, “Enfidaville” where equipment was loaded onto the planes and checked. They rested for a few hours in the shade underneath the C-47 transports awaiting the order to board. During this time some men chatted amongst themselves while others read.

Bill’s Bible

Many paratroopers carried a Bible into combat. Bill had one which is dated March 17, 1943. It’s pages are worn and the cover is battered from being kept on his person throughout the entire war.

Bill’s Bible, with his name, serial number, unit assignment (505th PIR), parents address and date.

Back Pages indicating he received it while training at Fort Benning

The bible has several verses that are underlined or highlighted in blue or black ink. These passages provide us with a rare insight into his mind and likely highlight some of the reasons for his desire to become a paratrooper. Perhaps while resting before the Sicily jump, Bill took out his bible and read from the passages he had underlined, gaining strength from their words and reaffirmation that he made the right choice in joining the 82^nd Airborne.

One notable highlighted verse is:

“Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12: 24

As a paratrooper, Bill probably felt like he was falling into the ground. If he died the fruit of his death would be freedom from Nazi oppression for the people his was liberating.

Prior to that, the following words are underlined:

“……One soweth and another reapeth” John 4:37

The Nazi’s had sown their seeds of oppression. Maybe Bill felt that his mission at this time in his life was to help them reap what they had sowed.

He must have been buoyed by verses like this one below relating to his involvement in this righteous cause:

“For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city”. Acts 18:10

There are other highlighted verses relating significantly to self sacrifice. For instance,

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.” John 10: 17

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received of my Father.” John 10: 18

By his own volition, Bill was putting his life on the line. He had the power to do that. He alone was making this choice. If he died it was because he made the decision to fight for freedom, not because the tyranny of Nazi oppression had willed that he die.

One might reasonably assume that he did it for the prestige, adventure, glory, and the extra pay paratroops received as danger money. To take this position is at clear odds with the verses Bill had underlined as well as with Bill’s behavior before and after the war. He didn’t have to become a paratrooper. As we know, his father discouraged it, saying that the paratroopers were a suicide outfit. He wasn’t drafted either. He freely enlisted in a different outfit so that he could be transferred over to the paratroopers at a later date.

He never wanted to be glorified; never asked for any recognition for what he did. In fact, he tried not to talk about it. After the war was over he went back to his job at the paper mill. Bill received the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) which was awarded for valor under fire for his action in Sicily. Having a CIB meant that he was retroactively eligible to claim the Bronze Star medal, one of America’s highest awards for valor in battle, but he never applied to receive the Bronze Star.

The verses and his behavior give some insight about Bill. They indicate that his character was one of self sacrifice, without asking for anything in return and reveal a uniquely spiritual and distinguished mind, especially for a man as young as he was then.

Scanning the underlined Bible verses gives the reader the impression that Bill knew what he was doing and why he was doing it. That Bill possess these qualities; to understand life, and to freely decide on his mission as a paratrooper at such an early age is really quite extraordinary. During the time that Bill received his Bible and made the Sicily jump he was only 20 years old!

The Eyes of the World are Upon You

While Bill tried to relax underneath his C-47 someone came around with the countersign (password combination) they were to use to identify one another in darkness after the jump. It was “George-Marshall”.

Paratroopers making ready to board for Sicily

Photo Source: HyperWar: A Hypertext History of the Second World War http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/index.html#usa

Just before boarding their planes, the troopers finally learned of their destination when each was handed a copy of a message which Colonel James Gavin had written. It read:

“Soldiers of the 505^th Regimental Combat Team

Tonight you embark upon a combat mission for which our people and the free people of the world have been waiting for two years.

You will spearhead the landing of an American Force upon the island of SICILY. Every preparation has been made to eliminate the element of chance. You have been given the means to do your job and you are backed by the largest assemblage of air power in the world’s history.

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of every American go with you.

Since it is our first fight at night you must use the countersign and avoid firing on each other. The bayonet is the night fighter’s best weapon. Conserve your water and ammunition.

The term American Parachutist has become synonymous with courage of a high order. Let us carry the fight to the enemy and make the American Parachutist feared and respected through all his ranks. Attack violently. Destroy him wherever found.

Good landing, good fight, and good luck.

Colonel Gavin

Commanding”

Every time I read these words from Gavin I can’t help but feel that they must have evoked in the men a strong surge of empowerment, self-confidence and a willingness to do whatever it took to succeed. Boarding his C-47, these emotions must of welled up in Bill as Gavin’s message echoed in his young mind, boosting his resolve. According to personal accounts, a lot of the men read and re-read these words from their beloved Colonel, before stashing them away inside their jump suits.

Minutes later Bill’s C-47 roared down the runway taking off at around 8:30pm. The largest seaborne and airborne invasion in the history of the world (at that time) had just begun.

Gavin’s Boys

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General James M. Gavin

Image Source: National Archives, Washington

Gavin treated each man under his command with the same love a father has for his own son. The men adored him for it. He believed strongly in leading by example in every situation. In battle he could always be found at the very front, sharing fox holes and taking fire just like any other enlisted 82^nd Airborne soldier.

The literature is replete with examples of General Gavin’s unique and effective style of leadership. There are two stories that have always stuck in my mind and give meaningful context to Bill’s jeep encounter with Gavin.

This one took place in Normandy the day after the 82nd Airborne jumped:

“One of the parachute officers who accompanied Jim Gavin was Thomas Graham, who recalled an incident that typified the young general’s style of command:

A paratrooper came stumbling and running toward us, shouting, ‘They’re coming! They’re coming!’ He was nearly hysterical. As he approached, we could see that he was one of our younger troopers, probably only 18 years old.

Suddenly the boy halted – I’m sure he recognized General Gavin. In a soft voice Slim Jim asked, ‘What is the matter, son?’

The trooper burst into tears and answered: ‘I thought they were coming!’

Despite his countless burdens, Slim Jim spent a few minutes talking to the boy and assured him he would get some rest. Then the general told his orderly, Cpl. Walker Wood, to accompany the distraught boy back to his unit and relay his rest orders to the trooper’s company commander.” Source: William B. Breuer “Geronimo! American Paratroopers in World War II” 1992 p. 249

This next story took place in Sicily, during the pivotal and desperate battle of Biazza Ridge.

“[Harold] Eatman spotted the head and shoulders of a man in a shallow hole scraped into the stubborn shale. He shouted his unit, hoping that the GIs on the line hadn’t been so spooked that they’d just open up on him. He ran to the man and was surprised to find it was Jim Gavin, out in front. Eatman slid to the ground next to him. He was drenched in sweat, and his canteen was empty.

‘Is there any water here?” Eatman gasped.

Gavin reached around for his own canteen.

‘Here, son, take some of mine.’

Eatman, tired and hot and dusty as he was, thought that he shouldn’t be drinking the colonel’s water. He was a paratrooper and he was supposed to practice water discipline. He put the canteen to his lips but did not drink. He handed it back and thanked Gavin, then took his place on the line.” Source: Ed Ruggero “Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe, July 1943” 2003 p. 294

Encounters like these and Bill’s hitch hiking story spread like wild fire through the ranks of Gavin’s commands. With each one Gavin gained increasing and lasting adoration from all of his men.

This quote from a trooper before the upcoming Sicily invasion sums up well how the men felt about their beloved leader:

“We’d follow him straight to Hell, if he asked us, and plant our color over Satan’s C. P. ahead of schedule.” Source: H. L. Covington “A Fighting Heart: An Unofficial Story of the 82^nd Airborne Division” 1949 p. 31

Gavin equally reciprocated the respect and loyalty the men had for him. In his 1978 book, “On to Berlin”, Gavin writes:

“…Not long after this I received a complaint from the Office of the Post Commander. The Regimental Adjutant of the 505^th came into my office and told me that one of our troopers had been arrested for having sexual intercourse with a young lady on the lawn of the courthouse in Phenix City. The Regimental Adjutant was asked by Post Headquarters, ‘What is he going to do about it?’ – meaning me. ‘Well,’ I replied, ‘in view of the fact that that young man will be asked to give his life for his country in the next few months, I suggest we give him a medal.’ I heard nothing further of it.” Source: James M. Gavin “On to Berlin: Battles of an Airborne Commander 1943 - 1946” 1978 p. 8

Gavin expected the highest sacrifices from his “boys” as he fondly referred to them. His daughter in quoting Gavin’s personal diary before the invasion of Sicily, writes:

“Gavin expected every paratrooper to jump and ‘fight to the last man and last round of ammunition’ to achieve victory” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter” 2007, p. 33

In Normandy Gavin had this to say:

“About Noon on D-Day plus 1, I met with Matt Ridgeway at the point where the Sainte Mere Eglise road crosses the railroad just east of the Merderet [river]. As far as we knew we were on our own. Matt and I decided right then that if the seaborne assault had been called off or beaten back, then we would continue to fight to the end.” William B. Breuer “Geronimo!” 1992, p. 249.

The Fighting 505

Bill used to tell another story about Gavin that I cannot find in the history books.

Gavin often used to speak of how paratroopers loved to fight. Indeed Bill often told stories of the fights he had during the War. In one case he picked a fight at a London pub with a burly British paratrooper, who Bill said “beat the absolute tar out of me.” When Bill returned from WWII while readjusting to civilian life he used to pick fights in bars just for the hell of it.

Gavin often commented on his boys’ apparent obsession with fighting. This quote from a letter Gavin wrote home while at Oujda is particularly illuminating:

“The troops are getting along fine. Of course they have the usual parachutist difficulties with drinking and fighting. The wine occasionally leaves them mesmerized. I think that is the word, it sounds good anyway. If it isn’t that, it raises them in their own esteem to stratospheric heights of self-appreciation. Any sign on the part of anyone encountered during this inflation that may be considered derogatory is the sign to fight and they are off. MPs also have the same effect on them. I hope they fight as well in combat as they fight around the barrios. I believe they will.”

Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter” 2007, p. 34

The story Bill used to tell was about a fight incident that happened while the 505 was based in North Africa. He didn’t mention if it happened in Oujda or in Kairouan. I have scanned the history books exhaustively, but have not found a single mention of it. It will be shocking and unbelievable to some, but Bill was adamant that it happened. It’s shocking, because it’s a story about a fight involving an enlisted 505 paratrooper and Colonel Gavin himself.

Bill said the incident happened like this. An enlisted paratrooper walked up to Gavin and challenged him to a fight saying something like he could beat Gavin up. He didn’t say how the situation escalated, but it got to the point where Gavin said “Okay, we’re going outside of the camp to settle this.” Bill said he took off his rank insignia and some of the guys including Bill went out to watch the fight. The two fought each other using a combination of Judo and boxing. According to Bill, the trooper gave a good account of himself, but Gavin was clearly the superior man in unarmed hand-to-hand combat and ultimately won the fight.

Bill said there were only a few troopers present, so the story suggests that Bill was in close proximity to Gavin at the time. The identity of the trooper who picked the fight is unknown and Bill would never divulge his name. Bill’s silence is understandable and admirable. If the story was leaked, the ramifications on Gavin could have been serious especially in light of what was to later happen to General Patton for slapping the soldier in Sicily. Both Gavin and the trooper could have been severely disciplined.

Aggression isn’t something typically associated with General Gavin especially in light of the stories recorded in relation to the way he treated his men.

In writing Ridgeway’s Paratroopers, author Clay Blair incorporated part of an interview he had with Ralph (“Doc”) Eaton. As the 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters Chief of Staff from December 12, 1942 until August 15, 1944, Doc Eaton knew the 505 and Gavin very well.

“The 505 may well have been one of the best trained and highly motivated regiments the Army ever fielded. ‘They were awesome,’ an 82^nd Airborne Division staffer [Doc Eaton] recalled: ‘Every man a clone of the CO, Gavin. Tough? God they were tough! Not just in the field, but twenty-four hours a day. Off-duty they’d move into a bar in little groups and if everyone there didn’t get down on their knees in adoration, they’d simply tear the place up. Destroy it. And God help the straight legs they came across.” Doc Eaton thought he had never seen such killers. They reminded him ‘of a pack of jackals’.” Source: Clay Blair “Ridgeway’s Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II” 1985 p. 51.

‘Straight legs’ was the Airborne term for the regular GIs. It’s a reference to the fact that they wore straight leg trousers. In contrast, the paratroopers were permitted to tuck pant legs into their jump boots giving them a distinguished and instantly recognizable non-regulation ‘baggy pants’ look.

What is interesting about Doc Eaton’s quote is his observation that every man was a clone of Gavin. Does this extend to the 505ers love of fighting? One cannot tell for sure. Even Gavin seemed a little surprised by the men’s apparent proclivity for their aggressive past time:

“Early in July 1942 the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated at Fort Benning Georgia. I was assigned as its first commanding officer. Its training program was just about as tough and demanding as we could make it. The troopers responded well. However, despite the rigors of training, they always seemed to have enough energy left to get into fights in Phenix City, Alabama and its environs during time off.” Source: James M. Gavin, “On to Berlin”, 1978, p. 4.

None of this analysis is meant to prove anything. I leave it up to the reader to reach his or her own conclusions on Bill’s Gavin fight story. For me at least, I believe it happened. Everything else Bill told of the war has been revealed by the test of time to be truthful, unvarnished and without regard for his or anyone else’s ego.

Rest and Recreation in Oujda

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“About the only respite from the grinding training schedule were the occasional passes that were given out so that eventually everyone was able to take in the sights of nearby Oujda. Usually one such trip was enough. The few bars that were there featured ‘wine coolers’ as the best they could offer, and a single look at the one ‘maison de tolerance’ was enough to discourage even the most hardy. Other women were just non-existent. Perhaps the one thing that was of interest was the chance to see and talk to members of the famous French Foreign Legion which had a unit stationed nearby.” Source: Allen Langdon Ready 1986 p. 14

A Chance at Playing Casey Jones

Bill used to tell a story about these French Legionnaires. On R&R trips into Oujda he used to stop by the French Foreign Legion’s base where they maintained a nearby railway station. The station was a real draw for many troopers. It was a chance to fulfill a cherished boyhood dream to play at being the great railway engineer and American folk hero, John Luther ("Casey") Jones. Before cars and airplanes, in the age of railroads, Jones’ passenger train the Cannonball Express slammed into a stationary freight train on a wet night with low visibility in April 1900. Miraculously, Jones was the only fatality. His actions in attempting to avoid the accident won him fame across America and indeed the world. He was assured immortality in a popular ballad written in his honor as well as many subsequent works by musicians and poets to the present day.

Like most young men his age, Bill had grown up with the legend of Casey Jones. To every boy of the era he was the greatest railroad engineer of all time. During summers Bill played with his brothers taking turns imagining they were the hero Casey Jones in the dangerous job of railway engineer at the controls of the Cannonball Express.

With this background, the Oujda train engines became a natural target for the little leisure time the 505ers were allotted. During encounters with the French, the currency of most value in North Africa was the American cigarette. Bill said the quality of the French cigarettes was poor and the Frenchmen didn’t have many of them. The engineers at the railway station would readily exchange a pack of American smokes for turn at the controls of their locomotives. He said the engineers would let the troopers drive the trains at a thrilling full speed up and down the tracks around Oujda. Bill thought it was a steal since he didn’t smoke.

American Railway Engineer Casey Jones (1863–1900) depicted on a 3-cent US postage stamp

(Image Source Wikipedia)

Home Cooked Chicken Dinner

Despite the tensions reported in the last post “We Trained in a Fiery Furnace” not all encounters with the Moroccan locals were negative – at least not in the beginning. Many were initiated by locals with the best of intentions. Often paratroopers on R&R would find themselves invited to home cooked dinner by local men grateful to the Americans for their part in the liberation of Morocco from Axis enslavement.

One of these lucky troopers was Pvt. Howard Tiedemann who served with Bill in Service Company. While in Casablanca Howard and one of his buddies were approached by a well to do (by Casablanca standards) local businessman. The man, implored the two troopers to come to his house for a dinner of succulent roast chicken with all the trimmings. Believing a home cooked meal would be far superior than the standard Army fare served by the 505 cooks, the troopers readily accepted the man’s kind offer. Howard envisaged a delicious chicken roasted to perfection, surrounded by tender vegetables infused with the bird’s natural juices and a side of rich gravy – a meal just like his mother made back in the States. Indeed, that’s all he could think about for the entire day leading up to the event. Back at base he told anyone would care to listen (and there were plenty of men who did care) all about their upcoming feast. Jealously hanging on Howard’s every word, each trooper schemed on how he could land a similar invite.

Howard and his buddy arrived right on time at their host’s residence with excited anticipation. They were treated like kings by the man’s wife and children who met them at the door and eagerly ushered the men through a humble well kempt dwelling to the kitchen table. Waiting for them in the kitchen doorway stood the man offering a warm appreciative welcome. After exchanging pleasantries, he turned the guest’s attention to the table where their eyes were accosted by a most unsightly, yet well presented meal. Dead center of the table surrounded by the expected tableware was a skinny bloated chicken, overly blackened by the hot flames which had roasted it. Howard’s lungs involuntarily pushed air out as his nose revolted against a putrid and unaccustomed stench. The odor was so bad he had to cover his mouth and nose with his sleeve to keep from vomiting. Before their hosts could begin to register something was amiss Howard saw the cause of the smell. “Holy Moses!”, he exclaimed. “The bird’s been cooked with its guts intact!”

Howard fought a natural urge to turn around and leave. Quickly conversing, he and his buddy decided to stay and avoid insulting their appreciative host who obviously had gone out of his way to treat them. During the meal, they avoided all offers to partake of the chicken; eating instead a few of the vegetables. Puzzled as to why they didn’t want the chicken, Howard told the man that the children needed it more than they did – which was true given their scrawny undernourished bodies. They left a couple of hours later with bellies hungrily looking forward to the usual tiresome breakfast of powdered eggs and Spam awaiting them at reveille. Story courtesy of Mrs. Howard Tiedemann.

Hitching a Ride to Base (with Colonel James M. Gavin)

On the way back to base from one of his R&R trips to Oujda, Bill and his best friend saw a jeep coming along the road. It was a typical Moroccan day with the temperature soaring. In a half hearted effort, not expecting the vehicle to stop, they tried flagging it down. To their surprise and relief the jeep did stop. Sliding the gears into neutral the driver looked over to them and facetiously asked “How would you boys like a ride?”

“Hell, yes. I mean YES SIR!” Bill replied noticing the driver’s superior badge of rank and AA insignia of the 82^nd Airborne on his left shoulder.

In the passenger’s seat on the other side of the driver another man sat quietly. Bill and his friend climbed into the back of the jeep and the passenger turned around and welcomed them aboard.

They both did double takes as their minds boggled in registration the passenger’s identity. It was none other than Colonel James Gavin himself. Bill and his friend were stunned into silence. Noticing their trepidation at riding with their commanding officer, the future General of the 82^nd Airborne (in typical Gavin style) made the men feel at ease asking them where they were from and how they were finding the North African conditions and the training schedule.

Bill was most impressed with his encounter with Gavin and afterwards he always held him in very high regard. Bill was impressed because he never expected any commanding officer to stop and give an enlisted man like himself a ride. But this type of thing was typical of Gavin and his men loved him for it.

General James M. Gavin

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Next post I’ll talk more about General Gavin and tell another story Bill told about his favorite leader.

“We Trained in a Fiery Furnace”

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82nd Airborne Training Base Near Oujda, French Morocco, North Africa May – July 1943

Bill often made comment that the time at Oujda was the worst he experienced during the entire war. Matthew Ridgway, Commanding General of the 82^nd Airborne handpicked the area near Oujda in French Morocco as the Division’s training base. He believed the conditions there would harden the troopers for the extreme trials of combat they would soon face.

“We had picked, on purpose, land that was not in use for grazing or agricultural purposes. We trained in a fiery furnace, where the hot wind carried a fine dust that clogged the nostrils, burned the eyes, and cut into the throat like an abrasive. We trained at first by day, until the men became lean and gaunt from their hard work in the sun. Then we trained at night, when it was cooler, but the troopers found it impossible to sleep in the savage heat of the African day. The wind and the terrain were our worst enemies. Even on the rare calm days, jumping was a hazard, for the ground was hard, and covered with loose boulders, from the size of a man’s fist to the size of his head.”

Source: Matthew Ridgway and Harold Martin, “Soldier: The Memoirs of Mathew B. Ridgway” 1965, p. 65

Oujda was located about 30 miles (~ 48km) from the coast. The 505 set up camp a few miles outside of town on some open ground adjacent to a large French airfield which was to play a central part in their jump training.

“A C-47 with glider in tow training at Oujda, French Morocco, North Africa, on 17 June 1943.”

(Gives an idea of the terrain around the Oujda training base)

Source: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

It was unbearably hot. Temperatures in the shade of 115 - 120 degrees Fahrenheit (~ 46 – 49 degrees Celsius) regularly baked the place. Cases of heat exhaustion quickly mounted, but it wasn’t only the heat that made Oujda the hell it was. It was the flies and the sand and the diseases they carried.

“Making life even more miserable for the men were the African flies that attacked them ‘as one dark and horrible force’ without mercy, determined to destroy them ‘body and soul’.” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter” 2007, p. 15

A prevailing wind brought in the flies and sand contaminated with animal dung. These got into everything. Cases of Typhus and Malaria sprang up and were soon followed by waves of dysentery which quickly spread through the camp, making no distinctions across rank.

“…an entrenching tool became a standard part of everyone’s daily uniform. This malady was so universal and struck so suddenly it became commonplace to see someone break ranks and tear off to some unoccupied part of the desert, with no explanation needed or demanded. Toilet paper became more valuable than French franc notes.” Source: Allen Langdon “Ready: A World War II History of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment” 1986, p. 12

Colonel James M. Gavin commander of the 505th (later General of the 82^nd Airborne) wrote home about the dysentery in a letter to his daughter.

“Soldiers call everything associated with the Army ‘G.I.’ To their delight, the medicos referred to this ailment as the ‘GIs’ meaning gastro-intestinal disorder.” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter”2007, p. 24

The 505 veterans denounced the food at Oujda as terrible, but with everyone suffering from the ‘GIs’ at one time or another, it was perhaps their least concern. Everything they were fed was the same canned or powdered stuff given to just about every World War Two US Army outfit. It was a monotony of things like salmon, eggs, Spam, chipped beef, bread, mashed potatoes, and beans mixed in with disease carrying flies and dung infested sand. They had no access to roughage in the form of vegetables and fruit, so their gums developed painful gingivitis. Water was a huge issue in the heat and its scarcity meant no showers were available. They were each given half a canteen of water a day to wash and shave. The hot, heavily chlorinated drinking water was barely consumable and it burned their throats.

In the midst of all this misery, the men were subjected to an intense training schedule. Due to the heat, Colonel Gavin was forced to change the timing for infantry training exercises. Infantry training began at dusk and finished at dawn. They trained in infantry tactics designed specifically for Airborne troops. Individual training concentrated on refining hand-to-hand combat skills and bayonet fighting.

Initially an extensive program of jump training was scheduled, but it was soon discovered that an unforeseen strong wind blew across the area for days on end presenting a big problem for parachuting. The high winds and the rocky terrain around the drop zone (DZ) led to a large number of injuries. In the end Ridgway and Gavin were forced limit the practice jumps and focus on tactical ground training. Even with the truncated jump training program all troopers got in at least one practice jump in while at Oujda. Gavin and Ridgway worried that it wasn’t enough. Ridgway personally believed the 82^nd was ill prepared and doomed to a disastrous failure in the upcoming Sicily invasion, but outwardly he projected an indomitable optimism and confidence in his men.

“Troops of the 82nd Airborne Division jump en mass, during a demonstration at Oujda, French Morocco, North Africa, on 3 June 1943”

Source: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

For the 505, Gavin made sure that training went on. He knew that in combat they would have to jump behind enemy lines and fight as a lightly armed infantry force for extended periods of time without hope of resupply. When dropped at night they would need to find their way to their respective objectives individually and in small groups. Arriving at the objective they could well be disorganized with combat company troopers mixed in with men from the rear echelons.

Gavin believed that to be effective in these situations every man should be able to fight. His orders were that all 505 personnel would take a battle training program. Rear echelon troopers were taught the same fighting skills as combat troopers. Absolutely no personnel were omitted. Despite the Geneva Convention’s stipulations against medics carrying rifles, Gavin even had medics learn how to shoot M1 Garand rifles in the eventuality that they would need to do so in combat.

Bill talked about his training in Africa prior to the invasion of Sicily. He said it was done using models of buildings constructed to be identical to ones they would need to capture in Sicily. This is something documented in several of the histories of the 505 training in Oujda.

Gavin was told of the date of Operation HUSKY (the code name for the invasion of Sicily) a couple of days after arriving in Oujda. So he studied aerial photographs of the area around their planned jump zones and gave orders for the construction of full scale model pill boxes and other defensive structures such as trenches and barbed wire, for training purposes:

“The units maneuvered against the targets with live ammunition, the men moving forward while their own machine guns fired over their heads at the enemy. They learned that weapons sound one way to the firer, but sound completely different downrange. They learned to distinguish American from enemy weapons. They learned to keep their heads down and hug the earth, and they learned to move forward when told. And since the tendency for green soldiers is to fire all their ammunition rapidly, leaving none for the final assault, the men of the 505^th were taught to use their ammo wisely.” Source: Ed Ruggero “Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe, July 1943” 2003, p. 107

“Members of the 82nd Airborne Division load a 75mm howitzer into a Waco glider during training at Oujda, French Morocco, North Africa, on 11 June 1943”

(Notice the troopers are training in full battle dress in the 120 degree heat!)

Source: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

Off Duty Drama

On top of the grueling training and abysmal living conditions, the 505 was plagued by a local people left desperately poor by the War. This quote by a 504th PIR trooper gives a good idea how the men felt about their Moroccan neighbors:

“The Arabs swarmed all over us like roaches over food. They wanted to trade with us, or preferably, to steal. They were particularly interested in our sheets, mattress covers, cigarettes, and chocolate. For these things they offered trinkets and fresh food – dates, exotic bread, and meats of dubious origin. We were to post guards twenty-four hours a day in order to keep them from stealing everything we had. Theft was so common that we came to regard the Arabs with almost as much ill will as we did the Germans.” Source: Moffatt Burriss “Strike and Hold” 2000, pp. 29-30

The poverty among the local Arabs was so bad it drove them to take extremely brazen risks. Risks which often had lethal consequences. Bill told a story of when he was off duty at the base with a couple of friends on one typically hot day. There wasn’t much shade to be had in Oujda, but on that day a rare opportunity presented itself. A flat top railway car had been temporarily left on a nearby siding. The flat top offered a good vantage point for observing the comings and goings around the base so not surprisingly it was occupied by a 505 paratrooper on guard duty.

Earlier in the day, Bill and his friends had moved over to take some shade in the flat top’s shadow. As they were whiling away the time, Bill said they saw a solitary figure rippling though a mirage a long distance away, but still within rifle shot. The figure had moved into a restricted area occupied by a supply dump. After a short time the figure started to move off in a direction away from base. To the paratrooper on guard it looked like the figure was in the process of stealing supplies. He jumped up on top of the railway car where he could see him better and taking good aim, he shot him dead. Bill said the figure slumped over on the ground. They all went over to investigate and found the body was an Arab boy of about 12 years. His hands were empty. They couldn’t tell if he had tried unsuccessfully to steal supplies, or whether he was reconnoitering the supply dump in order to make a report to others who were perhaps preparing for a raid.

On June 27^th in a letter home Gavin wrote about these incidents:

“This afternoon we are, among other things, having a sniper contest. Fun. These youngsters are getting to be good shots. Regrettably, in the past few days they have practiced on some menacing looking parasitic Arabs. It makes them mad to get shot and we should stop it. It is difficult to sell international goodwill to a private soldier.” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter” 2007, p. 33

Moroccan's and Their Fezzes

Bill used to tell another story of how the men would get back at the Arab’s for stealing their belongings. He said the Moroccan men wore a traditional hat called a Fez . Perhaps it looked something like the one pictured below.

North African Fez

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Their custom was to carry their valuables consisting of French Franc’s, jewels, watches and so on around in these hats. The paratroopers were trucked around from place to place for training exercises and other activities. Often they went through towns and places like railway stations where they encountered crowds of Arab men going about their business. Naturally the trucks had to slow down to negotiate a path through. That’s when the 505ers would get their revenge by reaching down and grabbing the fezzes right off the men’s heads. The 505ers would retrieve the valuables before throwing the empty fezzes to the ground to avoid the lice they carried. The Arab men would naturally go crazy, but there was little they could do against the well trained and armed soldiers. At times Bill said they actually recovered previously stolen watches and other personal items belonging to paratroopers.

Camels and Mortars

Besides these eye-for-an-eye reprisals, Bill said the troopers designed other ways to make the Moroccans atone for the thefts. Apparently during a day time training maneuver a man was inexplicably leading his camel through the area in which Bill’s unit was practicing mortar fire. They tried to scare the man off by firing rifle shots into the air. It worked and the guy began running trying to get out of the way. In his fright he and the camel became separated with the animal running haphazardly across the field of fire. The men kidded with one another that the randomly moving camel would make good target practice. Eventually, one trooper dared another trooper to take a mortar shot at the camel. He accepted the dare and in a testament to how good the training program was, they scored a direct hit on the camel instantly killing the animal. After the “fun” was over the men were reported and fined. They had to pay the man for killing his camel.

Bill didn’t say how much they were fined, but in another case $25.00 was paid to a local whose donkey had been similarly killed. Source: Phil Nordyke “All American All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II” 2005, p. 31.

To be sure, the paratroopers and the Moroccan locals had a difficult relationship to say the least. For all of the pain both groups suffered while living virtually on top of each other there were upsides. Obviously, the Moroccan’s suffered through the process of liberation and foreign Allied occupation. However, it is important to stress with emphasis that they were indeed liberated from the tyranny of the Axis powers.

One of the last letters Colonel Gavin wrote home while stationed in Oujda ended with this positive assessment of the Moroccans:

“I have frequently written to you of the poor quality of the native Arabs. They are certainly that, in addition they are most interesting. As a racial group they are like no other people in the world…The evaluation of a people is made in the last analysis in two ways: by the world at large and by the people themselves. To the world at large, the measure of worth of a racial group is evaluated in terms of their contributions, creative, to the arts, sciences, and welfare of the human race as a whole. To the people, their race is measured by their own happiness and contentment. For this they [the North Africans] do not need material things like cars, movies, etc…..

So despite all that I have said about these people, they are in their own way seeking ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ and not doing a bad job of it at that.” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter” 2007, p. 29

On Bill’s part he later became intrigued by North Africa. In 1961 and 1981 (perhaps surprisingly at first thought) he even returned as a tourist. Both times he visited Libya, Morocco, and Egypt. He must have had enough curiosity about the region to want to return. Perhaps he was drawn back by a combination of factors such as: North Africa’s beautiful mountainous landscape; the complexity of its people; and to witness their own notable contributions to civilization.

General Patton Addresses the 82^nd Airborne in Oujda

While in Oujda the 505 was visited at various times by several dignitaries. One of these was General George Patton, the famous and controversial commander of the US 7^th Army. Bill was present when Patton gave one of his colorful speeches to the troops.

“During the training period, George Patton visited the division at least twice……During these visits, Patton exhorted the paratroopers and gliderists with earthy pep talks. Gavin recalled that Patton began one such talk with an epigram that would become legendary” ‘Now I want you to remember that no sonuva**tch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb sonuva***tch die for his country.’.....

….In a final meeting with all of his top Sicily commanders including Ridgway and Max Taylor, Patton was at his theatrical best. ‘In a grand peroration’ Taylor recalled, he turned on us with a roar and, waving a menacing swagger-stick under our noses, concluded: ‘Now we’ll break up, and I never want to see you bastards again unless it’s at your post on the shores of Sicily.” Source: Clay Blair “Ridgway’s Paratroopers” 1985, p. 80.

General George S. Patton

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

In Bill’s opinion Patton was one of the very few generals the US had that was really good. Like other veterans, Bill made mention that even though his commands sustained high casualty rates, he thought the likelihood of survival under Patton was higher because the General’s philosophy was to always keep advancing and never to give ground.

After a visit by Patton and other dignitaries on June 3^rd Gavin wrote of his troops:

“Everyone was very complementary about the appearance of our troops today. They are looking fine these days. We have been training and working very hard. I have always thought that these parachute soldiers were very good and of a special cut but I am more than ever convinced now as I see them reach their peak in training. During the past few weeks their training has been very realistic and there have been several casualties. Those we have left are the very best…I will always think that the parachute private is an unusual guy. The saying now is that the AA in the division insignia means ‘Awful Anxious’” Source: Barbara Gavin – Fauntleroy “The General & His Daughter”, 2007 p. 20

82^nd Airborne Insignia. Worn as a shoulder patch

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

“Awful Anxious” is a phrase which seems to encapsulate the spirit of the men after their training in Oujda as this quote expresses:

“Finally it all came to an end and probably no regiment, before or since, was in a better frame of mind to go into combat. The men were lean and mean and at that time would have cheerfully jumped on top of Berlin itself if it meant leaving Africa. To a man they were convinced that combat would be a picnic compared to the incessant weeks of training they had undergone, and with an ‘esprit de corps’ second to none, they were more than confident that they could take on the best the Axis had to offer. History proves that their confidence was more than justified.” Source: Allen Langdon “Ready: A World War II History of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment” 1986, p. 14

The disease, jump injuries, intense training in the heat all took their toll on the 505. The men were naturally toughened from harsh childhoods of the Great Depression. They were further toughened from the brutal Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Those who survived the hellish trials of Oujda were molded into fearless hardened fighting men – undoubtedly some of the best the world has ever seen.

C-47 Adventure in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria

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Bill flies by C-47 Transport to the 82nd Airborne’s New Base in Kairouan, Tunisia

After his assignment to Service Company 505 , Bill said he trained for the next month at the 82nd Airborne’s base in Oujda, French Morocco. The conditions there were nearly unbearable with the heat, wind blown sand, bad food, swarms of flies, disease, impossible training schedules, and a thieving Arab population almost destitute from the ravages of war.

I’ll write more about Bill’s time in Oujda in future posts. Right now I’d like to share another story I recently finished researching.

On June 24, 1943 General Ridgeway ordered the Division to move 680 miles (~ 1090 km) east to Kairouan, Tunisia. A top secret base was to be built there for staging operation HUSKY, the invasion of Sicily scheduled for July 9, 1943.

It was more than a relief to Bill when he and 10 other men from Service Company received orders to transport a kitchen by C-47 transport aircraft to the new base in Tunisia. After a month of the searing heat combined with the poor conditions any change was eagerly welcomed. Some men even joked rather seriously that they actually yearned for combat as an escape from the hell of Oujda.

Bill didn’t say if he knew his mission was part of the preparation of the new base for an invasion. He probably could have guessed as much in light of the Division’s current state of readiness and with all the rumors circulating about an imminent invasion of perhaps Greece, Sicily, Sardinia, or even the Italian mainland.

The 505 left for Kairouan over the period of July 1 – 2. A few men flew by C-47, but most travelled by the 40 & 8 trains or by truck. Bill’s C-47 left during this time, along with other air transports carrying the men and materiale needed to construct the basic amenities at the camp ahead of those travelling in the slower trains and trucks.

Since Bill was a Rigger he needed to arrive early to help construct the rigging sheds and prepare them for packing and maintaining parachutes. The other 10 men aboard with Bill were likely a mixed group of Service Company troopers including cooks, riggers, carpenters, medics, and so on.

View Oujda - Kairouan Flight Path in a larger map

MAP 1

C-47 Flight Path from Oudja, Morocco to Kairouan, Tunisia

Map 1 shows the flight path Bill’s plane took. Flying time was only going to be six hours instead of the 72 hour train or truck ride for the rest of the 505. Bill and his comrades couldn’t believe their luck at hitting a jackpot like this. After the unpleasant train journey from Casablanca to Oujda a plane ride to the new base was in high demand and they knew there were other equally skilled men who could have easily filled their privileged seats.

I don’t know how many C-47 aircraft were used in the operation. Bill’s was just one of many planes tasked with transporting a plethora of materiale to Kairouan. However, the real essence of this story is what happened to Bill during the trip.

Emergency in the Altas Mountains

Bill said his plane was loaded with kitchen equipment including stoves and so on. He said that when the plane got to the Atlas Mountains it didn’t have enough power to get over them. Bill didn’t say why the plane was low on power. His description of a lack of power indicates that it probably developed engine trouble and couldn’t gain or maintain its altitude.

There was an officer on board the plane and he ordered the men to jettison the kitchen equipment to lighten the plane. The troopers dutifully followed the orders, but the plane was still unable to gain sufficient altitude to clear the range. The situation was getting dire with the plane in danger of crashing into the mountainside so the officer ordered the men to put on their parachutes and bail out.

Bill didn’t mention what happened to the plane, but he and his party parachuted out and landed safely in the mountains at around 6,000 feet (~1828 m). There was some snow present and he said it was very cold.

He and the other men from the plane climbed down the mountains to a railway. He didn’t say how long the journey lasted, nor whether they flagged down a train or walked to a station and caught one . In either case they later were aboard a French train bound for the port city of Tunis in Tunisia.

Bill said the French “as was their custom” had stocked the train with plenty of wine. Consequently he and his companions had a very happy journey. He recalled that the trip was made difficult by the train’s rudimentary ventilation system. When they passed through tunnels smoke and soot from the engine stack billowed into the railway cars and he frequently had to put a wet handkerchief over his face to get air.

This story leaves us with a mystery as to the location of the emergency bailout and the fate of the C-47 and her crew of two pilots.

A Summary of the Facts

The only indication Bill gave of the location of the bailout was:

The mountain range was between Algiers and Tunisia;
They jumped landing at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (~1828 m) in some snow; and
They managed to climb down the mountains to a railway and caught a train to Tunis.

Location: Tell Atlas Versus Aures Mountains

Looking at the maps of Algeria and Tunisia, there are only two mountain ranges that reach a height of 6,000 feet (~1828 m) or above.

The Djurdjura National Park, Algeria in the Tell Atlas Range fits the height description well with a top range consistently 5905 – 6820 feet (~1800 - 2080 m) and a high point of Mount Djurdjura 7572 feet (2308 m).

The other range is the Aures Mountains of Algeria – the most eastern of the Altas range. Its highest point is Djebel Chelia 7,638 feet (2,328 m). The average of its high plain area is roughly 5,250 – 6560 feet (~1,600 – 2000 m) with higher peaks and plateaus above this.

As is shown in Map 2 below, all of the Tell Atlas Range including the Djurdjura region (the shaded square in the middle of the map) is too far to the north of the Division’s flight plan to be a candidate location of reasonable likelihood. If Bill’s plane had a good reason it might have first flown to say Algiers or another destination on the coast and then onto Kairouan. In this case it could have flown over the Tell Atlas Range. However, transporting a kitchen wouldn’t be reason enough for such a significant deviation from the standard course set for the 82nd Division’s transports.

View Djurdjura National Park - Tell Atlas Range in a larger map

MAP 2

Cities of Algiers and Bejaia appear above the Djurdjura National Park (highlighted square)

Oujda – Kairouan Flightpath (blue line)

One remote possibility is that the plane got into trouble mid way through the flight and had to divert to an airfield on the northern side of the Tell Atlas Mountains – in the vicinity of Algiers or Bejaia (See Map 2 above). When it reached the Tell Atlas in the Djurdjura region (see shaded square in map 2) it would have then encountered the 6,000 foot mountains that Bill described with the possibility of snow even in the Summer. Unable to clear the range, the men would have bailed out on the south side of the mountains. Since there was no railway line to the south, to catch a train in this area they would have had to climb north over the mountains to reach the nearest tracks between Algiers and Bejaia. It would have involved an arduous trek lasting several days if not weeks. With little to no food and water they would have faced the very real possibility of death in the rugged terrain.

Luckily, there is a much stronger candidate location for the incident. If you look at the planned flight path, Bill’s plane flies straight through the Aures Mountain range in eastern Algeria (See Map 3 below and Map 4 for an enlarged view). The height of these mountains fits Bill's description of what happened perfectly.

View Aures Mountains in a larger map

MAP 3

The flight path from Oujda, French Morocco to Kairouan, Tunisia cuts precisely through the heart of the Aures Mountain range.

View Aures Mountains Flight Path in a larger map

MAP 4

Aures Mountains, Closeup

A Little Matter of Snow

Bill talked about landing in some snow. There is snow in the Aures mountains in winter time. I can’t find any reports of snow there in the summer at the time of Bill’s flight. It is possible in the higher elevations as it does snow in Summer in the Tell Atlas Range which are of the same height.

Snow on the Aures Mountains

Source: Wikipedia Commons

A Train to Tunis

Bill said he and the other men climbed down the mountain and found a railway. His plane was coming into the Aures range from the west. If his plane could not climb over the mountains they would have bailed out somewhere on a western or northwestern facing slope. Using a 1935 French Algerian railway map (see Map 5 below), if one climbs down from the western or northwestern side of the range and walks towards the west, the first thing you will run into is a railway running north-south.

MAP 5

French Algerian Railways Circa 1935

Source: United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative In the West by George F. Howe, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYWASHINGTON, D.C., 1957 http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-2.html

This railway runs directly through the town of Biskra which is to the south and west of Bill’s flight path through the Aures. (See Map 6 below and Map 5 above). It was the only railway line in the area during the War.

View Biskra, Algeria in a larger map

MAP 6

Biskra, Algeria site of 1935 Railway line running North-South

Biskra is a place name on the 1935 French railroad map so it must have had a railroad station. If the men came out of this range from the northwest or west they would have run into the railroad to the north of Biskra. It is quite likely they saw the railroad and the town of Biskra from the air before they jumped.

From their mountain top vantage point they might have been able to see them again periodically and adjust their decent to intercept the rail line using the most direct route. Food and water would have been serious concerns in this survival situation. Available time to reach help would have been limited to no more than a few days without aid in the harsh Aures terrain and climate. With the knowledge that the railway headed north out of the town they could have followed the tracks south to Biskra (which was a distance of perhaps 15 miles or 25 km from their bailout point) and caught a train there or flagged one down on the way.

Train Journey Back to the New Base at Kairouan

The 1935 French railway map shows how they could have travelled from Biskra to Tunis via Constantine. At Tunis they could have reported to an American unit to make arrangements for their return to base. It would have been easy to reach Kairouan by taking trains from Tunis along the coast to Sousse, before making their way inland to Kairouan by truck. Map 7 below shows a similar modern day route between the cities.

View Larger Map

MAP 7

Biskra – Constantine – Tunis – Sousse – Kairouan

What Happened to the C-47 Plane?

Bill did not say what happened to the C-47. However, a crash must have been imminent because all 10 paratroopers were ordered to bail out after failing to clear the mountains by jettisoning the cargo. It’s logical that the pilots would have bailed out too and that the plane crashed into the high Aures Mountains.

Sooner or later it would have been discovered by the poor Berber inhabitants of the region and picked clean of artifacts.

However, the airframe of a C-47 is heavy and difficult to disassemble. So perhaps there is something left of Bill’s crashed plane with fragments of WWII era stuff on board. There’s probably some Berber shepherd who knows where it is. It’s likely to be somewhere along the 505 flight path on the high Aures plateau around 6,000 feet (~1,830 m) as highlighted on Map 8 below. It’s an area 15x18 miles wide (25 x 30 km) and about 15 miles (25 km) north east of the railway line and the town of Biskra.

View Emergency Bailout/Crash Zone in a larger map

MAP 8

Showing Possible Bailout and Crash Area above 6,000 feet

C-47 aircraft flying over Southern France, 1944

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

C-47 General Characteristics

Crew: 3
Capacity: 28 troops
Payload: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg)
Length: 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)
Wingspan: 95 ft 6 in (29.41 m)
Height: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Wing area: 987 ft² (91.70 m²)
Empty weight: 18,135 lb (8,226 kg)
Loaded weight: 26,000 lb (11,793 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 31,000 lb (14,061 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

C-47 Performance

Maximum speed: 224 mph (195 kn, 360 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Cruise speed: 160 mph (139 kn, 257 km/h)
Range: 1,600 mi (1,391 nmi, 2,575 km)
Ferry range: 3,600 mi (3,130 nmi, 5,795 km)
Service ceiling: 26,400 ft (8,045 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 9.5 min

Source: Wikipedia

Assignment to 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment

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Bill said that he stayed in Casablanca for one week before boarding a train to the location of their North African training base in Oujda, French Morocco. The date that the Division began moving to Oujda was May 12, 1943. Bill arrived in Casablanca on May 10, so his train probably departed on May 17 or soon after.

View Larger Map

Map of Morocco showing Casablanca and Oujda

The trip lasted about 48 hours so Bill would have arrived at Oujda sometime on May 19.

Here’s a humorous excerpt about the train journey from “Ready: A World War II History of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment” by former 505 WWII paratrooper, Allen Langdon.

“…most of the regiment went by rail and so got its first introduction to that famous (or infamous) mode of travel, the French 40 & 8 railroad car, – in this case a rickety railroad that must have been the inspiration for the old “Toonerville Trolley” comics. While on this trip 505ers got their first look at some of Hitler’s supermen, the equivalent of whom they would be facing in the near future. At some point in the desert the train stopped on a siding directly opposite a train load of big, blond, bronzed Afrika Korps prisoners of war. Riding on top of each of the box cars was an equally big, inky- black Senegalese soldier with a tommy gun. One German who spoke English began talking to the troopers and the following conversation took place:

Afrika Korps POW: “Where do you Americans think you are going?”

Paratrooper”: “We’re going to Berlin.”

Afrika Korps POW: Well, that’s fair enough, We’re headed for New York.” Source: “Ready: A World War II History of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment” Allen Langdon, 1986, p. 9.

Here’s a picture of a Toonerville Trolley comic strip from 1917 to give some context to what the paratroopers were reminded of by the French trains.

Toonerville Trolley comic strip from 1917

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Here’s a richly descriptive account from a trooper who made the journey not by train, but in a convoy of trucks. I felt compelled to include it since it captured so well the magnificence of the Moroccan countryside, the ancient culture of the native people, and the mindless destruction of both by the war.

“…On the trip to Oujda we passed through some of the most wonderful country imaginable. There were grain fields, olive orchards, citrus trees, vineyards, flowers, snow capped mountains, pretty rock formations and unique cities. We saw the antique methods of farming with plows made of scraps pulled by oxen. Some of the plows were made of wood, which is very difficult to find anywhere in North Africa. All of the natives went to the fields very early and as they marched along with that slow gait of theirs they all chanted the religious music that they so well love. In several places we saw them harvesting the wheat by cutting it with hand made scythes and tying the bundles with the straw……..”

“We visited several wineries and sampled some of the famous wines, but the places were so filthy that we almost became sick. We gathered some apricots, walnuts, peaches, grapes, lemons, limes, oranges, almonds, plums and dates and had a real feast along the route. We saw crude little French trains as they sped along at twenty m.p.h. We were much amused by the huge charcoal burning busses that hauled fifty or sixty passengers. Most of them broke down every few miles, but the people did not mind that at all. We saw the ‘Wadis’ (creeks) running wild at the foot of the mountains as the melted snow came down in torrents.”

“We passed by some of the olden castles and cities and soon got into the battle areas where we began to really see what a war does to a country. We began to see roadside graves marked with the fallen soldier’s helmet or rifle. We passed a few neat cemeteries, which were kept up by the Arabs. We began to see the destroyed tanks, trucks and planes and other impedimenta. We were amazed at the amount of equipment that Jerry had deserted in his hasty retreat. The fields were covered with his supplies. Some of the cemeteries were almost beautiful, with ornamental walks and gadgets made by the soldiers….” Source: 0f All American All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, Phil Nordyke, 2005, pp. 28 - 29.

Bill’s EGB unit set up camp a couple of miles away from the 82^nd Division’s main encampment. I’m not sure why they set the EGBers so far away except maybe to ensure they didn’t get in the way of the Division’s main training activities. The men of the EGBs themselves trained hard and stayed in excellent shape. They were subjected to the same demanding training and adhered to the tough discipline which typified life in the 82^nd Airborne.

Bill said he stayed in Oudja for one month. Not all of that time was spent in the EGB. In fact after arriving, his time as an EGB man was to last only seven more days. His big break came on May 26, 1943 when a Special Court Martial was held at the 505^th Regimental Headquarters at the Oujda base.

Documentation of this event was found in a Morning Report for the 505^th PIR at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The primary order of business at the Special Court Martial was assignment of men many of whom were presumably from EGB’s (although that is not indicated) to companies within the 505’s evolving Table of Organization.

Below is a copy of a portion of the Special Court Martial (Special Order Number 90). It is dated May 26, 1943.

Source: Morning Report 5/1943 for the 505^th PIR, National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri

As per Point 1 on the first page, the Special Court Martial met at the 505 Headquarters which was stationed at the Oujda base. It is unclear if Bill was present for the event or whether he received the orders for his assignment later. Direct reference to him can be found on page 2 above.

Under point 10 it states "The following named EM are reld fr attachment with Serv Co and are asgd thereto:”

About half way down the page in the first column is the entry for Bill:

“Pvt William A. Clark 15338297”

Pvt William J Cody is listed in the second column almost directly across from Bill’s entry. In the blog post on Bill’s training I talked about William (Eagle) Cody as being a good friend of Bill’s and one with whom he corresponded after the war.

There are several other names that are familiar to me. One in particular is Pvt Gilbert C. Smith. His name appears in the second column of Point 9 being assigned to Regimental Headquarters Company. Twelve days later on June 7, 1943 Gilbert was killed while on duty at Oujda. His company was making a practice jump as part of their training. Gilbert’s parachute failed to fully open. The trail of its white silk followed him to the ground in an accident known as a “streamer”.

There’s a lot of interesting information in the document. From it some observations and can be made and conclusions inferred. With the exception of the few soldiers listed in points 3, 4, 5 and 6, the majority of the officers and enlisted men are being assigned to Regimental Headquarters, Headquarters Company, Service Company, and the Medical Detachment for the 505^th PIR. The EGB personnel were to be used as replacements when men were injured or killed. There are too many names listed to conclude that these were EGB men replacing troopers injured in training, or those suffering from diseases – like dysentery which was prevalent at the time. Moreover, combat training jumps (which caused by far the most injuries) only began on June 5, 11 days after these assignments. Instead I believe unless where companies are indicated they were EGB men being assigned to the 505 for the first time.

Furthermore, Point 8 States:

“The following named officers are reld fr attachment with Co's indicated and are assigned to Service Co., and are placed on SD with the provisional 4th Battalion.”

SD means Standard Duty. The word “provisional” likely refers to the planned future designation of a fourth battalion. In the table of organization for the 505^th there were three battalions – all of them combat units. 1^st Battalion contained Companies A, B, and C; 2^nd Battalion contained D, E, and F; while 3^rd Battalion contained G, H, and I. The rest of the table of organization consisted of Regimental Headquarters, Headquarters Company, Service Company, and the Medical Detachment for the regiment. Perhaps it was under consideration at the time of this Court Martial that these companies were to be later assigned to 4^th battalion 505which was only provisional at that stage.

Notably, all of the officers in Point 8 are being moved from the Headquarters Companies of the three combat battalions to the 505 Service Company. This is a significant transfer which together with the assignment of the enlisted men in Points 9, 10, and 11 seems to indicate that the regiment was undergoing a reorganization of its existing structure. It’s as if the responsibilities relating to servicing an airborne regiment were being taken from the individual battalions and centralized into one new Service Company.

Based on these observations, it seems reasonable to conclude that even at this late point in the 82nd Division’s activation as a front line fighting force the organization of the 505was still being developed. This is supportive of the fact that the concept of Airborne Warfare was at the time still in its infancy.

In this regard, the Special Court Martial document quietly underscores the extreme risk facing these early paratroopers. Not only would they soon be facing a well trained and superbly equipped enemy behind their lines, but the very principles of Airborne Warfare were still being formulated and had yet to be proven in actual combat operations. I will come back to this reality and its tragic consequences in later posts on the Sicilian Campaign.

Most if not all paratroopers in the 82^nd Airborne wouldn’t have been concerned in the slightest by such considerations. That airborne warfare was a particularly dangerous endeavor was well understood and even embraced by the average paratrooper.

Undoubtedly Bill would have been overjoyed at his finally being selected for assignment to the 505 Service Company. No longer would he languish under the dubious banner of the “Easy Going Bastards”.

I can picture him now after receiving the assignment orders. Head swimming with unbelieving excitement he ducks down into the pup tent which he thought would be his home for forever. His hands fumble as they hastily grab a dusty duffle bag, half empty with meager belongings. He turns to the men who have gathered around, trading farewell jibes with those he will leave in EGB limbo before rushing over to the road to bum a ride to his new digs. No ride appears and in his impatience and despite the heat of 120 degrees he begins eagerly traversing the two miles separating the EGB encampment and the main base where the 505 are bivouacked.

It was to be the beginning of a long assignment with Service Company. But Bill’s joy would have been short lived. The time in North Africa was to be extremely difficult. The location of the camp, a grueling training schedule, outbreaks of dysentery and the climate were to conspire to wash a lot of men out.

In upcoming posts I will relate the stories of Bill’s time in North Africa. Some of them are funny, others are dramatic or tragic, and still others are more than a little adventurous.

Stay tuned.

Voyage to Casablanca

2010-05-17T03:41:00.001-07:00

Although much worse awaited him in North Africa, Bill’s trip there on the USS George Washington was miserable . He referred to it as “an old junker.” Built in 1908 it was originally fitted as an ocean liner. It had previously seen service in World War One when it was converted into a troop carrier by the US Navy. In April 1943 it was re-commissioned again as a troop carrier.

USS George Washington as a troop carrier in World War One

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

USS George Washington in better days during a voyage between 1910 – 1915

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

It was one ship among many travelling in a convoy carrying the entire 82nd Airborne Division. To safeguard the extremely valuable fighting force onboard they were accompanied by a naval escort including several destroyers. The Atlantic naval war was at it’s height at the time making the U-boat threat all too real. Bill said the convoy had to zigzag most of the way in an effort to minimize its vulnerability.

Ever since 1941 when Hitler declared war on the US, newsreels back home had given good coverage of Admiral Donitz’ “Wolf Packs” of U-boats sinking thousands of tons of shipping all over the Mediterranean and the Caribbean Seas and ominously closer to their present location the Atlantic. Bill said the George Washington broke down on the voyage taking an entire day to get underway and catch back up to the other ships. The time away from the convoy made the men anxious.

A veteran of Bill’s EGB unit recently told me a story about a U-boat encounter he witnessed while on the George Washington. He was on deck one night getting some fresh air when their destroyer escort suddenly picked up speed and began circling the ship. As it did, it dropped depth charges. They detonated fairly close to the ship sending up huge plumes of water. This went on for about half an hour as the destroyer chased the U-boat around. The cat and mouse pursuit eventually moved off into the distance and after a while the destroyer returned. The fate of the U-boat was never discovered.

The whole trip to Casablanca took a total of twelve days. It was a boring journey. To help, movies were shown in the afterdecks. Boxing and wrestling matches were held there too. A small library offered pocket books on various topics for loan.

The men were allowed on deck, but as you can see in the ship photographs above, that area was small and was usually crowded. When on deck the men watched the other ships and the destroyers in particular as they patrolled for U-Boats. False rumors quickly spread that each ship in the convoy had Nurses and other women service personnel from the WACs (Woman’s Army Corps) and Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). In truth there were no women on any of the ships.

Rumors abounded as to their destination. Some men thought England, others Ireland, or Malta. No one was particularly surprised when a couple of days into the trip they were informed it was in fact Casablanca, North Africa.

The dining facilities onboard were inconvenient, of inadequate capacity and of poor standard. There were too many men on board for the limited cooking facilities to keep up. This meant there were only two meals served a day per trooper even with the galley working around the clock.

The mess hall was a long narrow room with a long high bar like table where the men ate standing up. Each man took a tray and lined up in front of a counter while cooks served food onto mess kits. The food was piled up with bread on the bottom, vegetables and meat next, then ice-cream or other dessert on top. Some men refused to eat these unappetizing “meals”. Others couldn’t stomach them.

Except for a lucky few who volunteered to sleep on deck, most men slept in tiny cabins on hammocks hung four rows high, three across and two deep with orders to sleep for eight hours. There was no room in the cramped conditions to read, or write and it was difficult for many to even roll over.

On May 10, 1943 they anchored in the Port of Casablanca. Right from their point of disembarkation of the docks onwards the men were harassed by poor Arabs, who begged for anything, but notably mattress covers were the most sought after item. They were often the victims of thievery by these people who were so desperate they would literally steal anything not nailed down.

Bill and the rest of his unit of Easy Going Bastards marched five miles through the heat of the town in full gear to a field in the outskirts where they made a bivouac.

The wife of one veteran in Bill’s outfit told me of a story about her husband’s time in Casablanca. The trooper was invited by a relatively well off local man to a family dinner of roast chicken. The promise of a real home cooked meal was difficult to turn down so he readily accepted the kind offer. But the poor guy got a shock when dinner was served. To his disgust the local way to roast a chicken was with all the innards intact. When served the meal smelled awful and was understandably inedible. The trooper refused to each it and the local was greatly offended. The trooper gladly suffered the man’s scorn which was preferable to eating the meal. The trooper returned to camp hungry, but with his culinary ethics preserved.

A couple of days later on May 12th the 82nd Airborne boarded trains bound for Oujda, French Morocco (See map below). It was in Oujda where their base would be built in preparation for the invasion of Sicily code named Operation HUSKY.

North Africa Circa 1943

Source: United States Army in World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative In the West by George F. Howe, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYWASHINGTON, D.C., 1957 http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-2.html

Paratrooper Training – Fort Benning, Georgia

2010-04-29T13:26:00.001-07:00

For months now I’ve been trying to piece together the dates of Bill’s activities after he finished Basic Training to when his unit shipped overseas. Until recently there wasn’t much to go on, but now it’s possible to reconstruct most of this information.

Bill finished Basic Training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia by the end of January, 1943 and quickly made the 100 mile journey across state to Fort Benning. He had to get there before Monday, February 1st, the start of a 4 week course in parachute training (AKA ‘Jump School’). He arrived in time and graduated on Saturday, February 27th as a fully qualified Paratrooper.

Next he was assigned to train as a Rigger and Parachute Repairman (MOS 620) in Fort Benning’s Parachute Rigger School graduating on or close to Wednesday, March 24th. It was an advanced graduate course where he learned specialist skills in the inspection, maintenance, repair, and packing of parachutes.

These dates and assignments are deduced from: the letters Bill wrote home during Basic Training; his discharge papers; what is known about Jump School; and the only new trace of information found so far about his time in Fort Benning – a Partial Payment PAY ROLL dated March 24, 1943.

The pay roll is for the Enlisted Parachutists Riggers Class #33. They were assigned to N Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Parachute Training Regiment.

There are three pages to this document which appear below. Click on each page to make it bigger.

Bill is the first man listed on line 1 of Page 2:

Name: Clark, William A.

Serial Number: 15338297

Date of Enlistment: Nov 2/42

Number of Years Service: 0

I recognize the name of a close friend of Bill’s listed on line 11 of Page 2: “Cody, William J.” His nickname was ‘Eagle’. Eagle was eventually assigned to the same unit as Bill: Service Company, 505th PIR. He survived the war, ending up in Berlin with Bill where both of them were assigned to occupation duty in the 82nd Parachute Maintenance Company. They corresponded after the war until at least 1946.

Partial Payment PAY ROLL

March 24, 1943

Enlisted Parachutists Riggers Class #33

N Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Parachute Training Regiment

Page 1 Partial Payment PAY ROLL

Page 2 Partial Payment PAY ROLL

(Bill Clark Listed on Line 1)

Page 3 Partial Payment PAY ROLL

Significance of the Partial PAY ROLL Document

On lines 10, 11, and 12 of Page 3 the document states:

“The amount set opposite the name of each enlisted man on the payroll have been determined in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 10b, AR 345-155 to include parachutists pay and have been charged against him on his service record.”

Despite this no dollar amount is entered for any of the men. My research sources have indicated that there was no unit roster for Company N, 3rd Battalion (Class #33). It’s probable that this partial payroll served not as a record of the men’s pay, but as the unit roster for those men graduating from the Parachute Rigging Class #33 on March 24, 1943. Furthermore, the fact that the payroll is a partial payment indicates that his parachute rigger training class ended on March 24.

Length of Basic Training 10 – 12 Weeks (Early November - January 29, 1943)

Basic Training programs in World War Two took anywhere from 8 to 15 weeks to complete depending on the particular unit to which a soldier was assigned. So how long did Bill’s take?

His last correspondence from Camp Wheeler is post marked January 27, 1943 on the envelope – the same as the internal date on the letter. Bill’s discharge papers state he received his Parachute Wings (aka ‘Jump Wings’) in February, 1943. The corresponding Jump School program lasted exactly four weeks. For Bill to have written a letter on January 27 from Camp Wheeler and graduate from Jump School some 100 miles away at Fort Benning in February must mean that he completed Basic Training close to the very end of January and probably on Friday, January 29th.

He would have needed to start Jump School by Monday, February 1st at the latest to finish the four week program and earn his Jump Wings in February. It would take time to cover the distance from the two camps, say about a day, with potentially some time needed to get organized on either end of the journey. So to make the start of Jump School on February 1st, Bill probably left Camp Wheeler by January 30th at the latest.

Following this logic, since he enlisted on November 2, 1943 and it took say a couple of days to get to Camp Wheeler from Fort Campbell, Kentucky Bill’s basic training at Camp Wheeler would have taken most of November, all of December, and all of January; a period that lasted between 10 and 12 weeks.

Jump School 4 Weeks (February 1 – 27, 1943)

Parachute training was designed to be an impossibly difficult mental and physical test of a man’s strength of will. It was a four week course comprising of Week A, B, C, and D. It was so intense that only half of all recruits that started it would ever earn their Jump Wings.

To become a paratrooper in WWII was a huge deal. Even those veterans I’ve interviewed who never made combat jumps during the war, but who made it through Jump School are immensely proud of their accomplishment. An indication of how tough Jump School was is that the other paratroopers who did make combat jumps treat these non-jumper graduates with a measure of respect.

Week A of the course was used to weed out those who were physically weak and without sufficient character to become a paratrooper. It consisted of grueling physical programs that made any boot camp experience of WWII look like a picnic. These programs consisted of constant, unceasing exercise for at least nine hours straight each day. They included rope climbing, pushups, long runs day and night, judo training, tumbling exercises for breaking your fall during a jump, and brutal hand-to-hand combat fights emphasizing silent killing techniques.

As if this wasn’t enough, men were regularly and frequently pulled aside by officers and drill sergeants for minor infractions and often for no reason at all; and then ordered go for a run or to do 30, 50, even 100 pushups – sometimes one armed. No one was allowed to walk. They had to run everywhere. All this was designed to push the men beyond their physical and mental limits.

To quit of one’s own volition meant swift expulsion from the Airborne. If a man failed to achieve at an established level of performance he was out. There were no second chances. Any man who quit or couldn’t keep up was immediately escorted off the base. Most washouts occurred during the first two weeks.

Week B aimed to teach the trainees how to parachute. They learned the function of the parachute: how to exit the aircraft and properly position their bodies during the jump; how to steer while in the air; how to avoid injury upon landing; and when to use the main chute strapped to their backs versus the reserve chute on their chests.

They used wooden models of C-47 airplanes to learn the sequence of making a parachute jump as part of a ‘stick’ or team of 18 paratroopers. They drilled on getting it faster – down to at least two men per second. The quicker they exited the closer together they would be on the ground and therefore, the better their chances of functioning as a fighting unit and surviving in combat.

During Week B, the hard physical training programs of Week A intensified in difficulty, washing more recruits out.

Week C kept up the impossible pace of the physical exercise and repeated the jump training. On top of this, the main objective during this week was to test each man’s courage. They learned to jump from two towers; one of 250 feet and the other of only 30 feet.

In the 250 foot tower exercise each man was put in a harness connected to a parachute that was fastened to a strap and hoisted up using a pulley system to the top of the tower. They were let go and the parachute would open. Most men made it easily.

The 30 foot tower was more of a problem. The trainees had to climb to the top of the tower and were ordered to jump from a model of a C-47 airplane door. They were harnessed and connected by a strap to a cable that was terminated in such a way so as to catch their fall before they hit the ground. It was so close to the ground that a lot of men instinctively balked at the unnatural situation and could not trust the cable to terminate properly when their time came. If they failed to jump they had to walk back down the tower. Perhaps surprisingly to those of us who never did it, the 30 foot tower exercise washed a lot of otherwise physically capable men out of the program.

An additional requirement during Week C was for each man to learn how to pack his own parachute. The men were incented to pay close attention and learn this skill very well because in the final Week D of the program they were made to jump with the parachute they had packed. If a man’s chute failed to open – and there were some that didn’t – he would have only himself to blame for his death.

Week D continued with the physical torture of the previous weeks. On top of that the trainees were required to make five jumps. They would have to confront and overcome their fear of heights, parachute failure, and death – all a full five times. The first jump took place on Monday and the last on Friday. Monday’s was the hardest because it was their first time jumping and most of them had not even been in an airplane before. After each jump, with their bodies and brains spent from the constant exercise, those that were left had to pack their parachutes again for the next day’s jump.

At the end of the week each surviving man graduated from Jump School. The graduation ceremonies were held on a Saturday. The new Paratroopers were presented with their silver Jump Wings which they wore pinned to their left breast. They were allowed to wear their jump boots (which had been issued during Week A) off of the training base and to tuck their pant legs into them. Known as ‘blousing', this was something which distinguished them from all other US armed forces personnel.

On Saturday February 27, 1943 Bill had graduated earning his Jump Wings. Mentally disciplined and physically toughened, he had overcome his fears and proven himself worthy. Now he was a Paratrooper; an elite. He was a member of the best team of soldiers America would produce in WWII. The realization filled his young mind with enormous pride – and ‘balls’.

Parachute Wings aka ‘Jump Wings’ issued to Paratroopers upon completion of Jump School

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Parachute Rigger School 3 Weeks (March 1 – 24, 1943)

Bill’s discharge papers state that he attended the “Parachute Rigger School, Fort Benning GA Feb’ 43”. His attendance at the Rigger School is corroborated by the Partial PAY ROLL document. However, it is not possible that he was trained as a Rigger before completing Jump School. Every want-to-be paratrooper had to complete Jump School first before anything else could happen. With Bill’s Basic Training finishing at the end of January, the only time he could have attended a Rigger course was to do it at the beginning of March after he completed Jump School.

So why does Bill’s discharge record say that he attended a Parachute Rigger School in February, 1943? The answer lies in the way men were selected for occupations in the 82nd Airborne during the war.

Their military records (if they had any), Basic Training evaluation reports, and their skills acquired during civilian life were all reviewed to determine the unit they would be assigned. Besides combat troopers, there was a need for clerks, cooks, typists, mechanics, illustrators, polyglots (with German and Italian in high demand), drivers, carpenters, medics, and so on. Men with skills in these and other areas were tagged for assignment to a Service Company in a parachute regiment.

Bill’s Separation Record gives a description of his work and skills before the war as a Back Tender at the Aetna Paper Mill. Being skilled in controlling and adjusting the machines used in making paper and manipulating the paper sheets does correspond to repairing, and maintaining things. Parachutes, like paper, are essentially two dimensional objects . It is not a big step to construe that the skills of a back tender could be useful in repairing, maintaining and packing parachutes.

When Bill arrived at Fort Benning, someone likely looked at his civilian background as a paper mill back tender and decided that he had much needed skills relating to parachute rigging, repair, and packing. They assigned him to the Parachute Rigger School in February. This school taught him the Jump School course first in February. After he graduated he completed the Rigger class by March 24th. Judging by the partial payroll date it probably started on Monday March 1st and lasted for around three weeks.

Parachute rigging had always been part of the Fort Benning Jump School training program. At first men had to learn everything about parachuting, including: how to jump; load equipment; and inspect, repair, and pack chutes. But as the Jump School graduates swelled to fill the ranks of the growing number of US Army Airborne Divisions the loading of equipment and advanced skills of parachute inspection and repair were dropped from the course. These skills took too much time to learn which slowed the training process down. Ultimately the decision was made to design an advanced course on packing and maintenance of parachutes. This is the course which Bill took.

This sequence of training corresponds with historical sources like this one documenting the history of the parachute rigger course used in WWII:

“In a sense, this was a post-graduate course to the main parachute jump training. The scope of the rigger training program was described in these words: ‘At the riggers school the men are trained as specialist maintenance personnel to inspect and to repair parachute equipment and to build new types of rigging, parachute containers and harness[es] for special use.’ At the end of the war the Riggers Course continued to be given, along with the Parachute Course (Basic Airborne Course)…”

- History of the Development of Airborne Courses of Instruction at the Quartermaster School 1947 – 1953, page 6

Assignment to an EGB Battalion (After March 24 – April 17, 1943)

By January, 1943 the 505th PIR was already fully manned and staffed. So after graduation from the Rigger School Bill was assigned to an EGB battalion within the 82nd Airborne, where he continued training as a paratrooper. This would have encompassed a period from March 24th until April 17th; around the time the 82nd Airborne began moving out to deploy.

By the end of April, 1943 there were some 4,000 EGB personnel in the 82nd Airborne, including: orderlies, medics, stenographers, clerks, cooks, carpenters, truck drivers, parachute riggers and combat soldiers. Men in an EGB battalion were replacement troopers yet to be assigned to a unit. They would have to wait until someone died or was injured to take their place – not a thought Bill relished. And not one relished by those men already assigned to units. No one wanted anything to do with his potential replacement.

EBG men referred to themselves as “Excess Government Baggage”. Men of assigned units called them “Easy Going Bastards”.

The name calling aside, Bill wouldn’t have been happy about his predicament. He had trained just as hard as everyone else and was a thoroughly qualified paratrooper. He was just one month too late in finishing Jump School and didn’t make the final intake of assigned troopers in January.

Bill’s training as a Rigger would mean he would eventually be rigging parachutes and jumping into combat as a show of confidence that he’d packed the chutes correctly. He would have to wait for an opening in the Service Company of the either the 505th or 504th PIR for that to happen.

His time in the EGB battalion included combat training in addition to continued parachute rigging. He trained in stealth killing; evasion techniques for war behind enemy lines; hand-to-hand close quarters combat; and as a rifleman in attack and defense of key objectives.

By the end of it all he was a razor; conditioned to respond to any physical threat on instinct and with immediate lethality.

On April 17th, the 82nd Airborne Division was on the move. They assembled at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Bill’s EGB unit was with them. On April 20th, they made a rail journey to Camp Edwards, Massachusetts. They stayed there until April 28th when the Division caught trains to the Port of New York where the men boarded ships.

Before dawn on April 29, 1943, 67 years ago to the day of this blog post, Bill’s ship the USS George Washington set sail. Unbeknown to him he was bound for Casablanca in French Morocco, North Africa and the beginning of his war.

USS George Washington

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Basic Training – Camp Wheeler

2010-03-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

When Bill left home he travelled to Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky for his enlistment into the regular army. He enlisted on 2 November, 1942 with the rank of Private. Afterwards he was moved to Fort Campbell, Kentucky and then finally to Camp Wheeler, Georgia for basic training.

He wrote three letters home about his experience there. They’re well written in their own right and interesting to read, so I’m posting them here without comment. Click on each page to enlarge for better readability.

Letter Dated 28 November 1942

Letter Dated 13 December, 1942

Letter Dates January 27, 1943

The Makings of a Paratrooper

2010-03-04T10:39:00.001-08:00

Roots

Bill grew up on his parent’s farm in Preble County, Ohio near the town of Eaton with three brothers and two sisters. The Clark’s farmed corn, soy beans, chickens and pigs. Bill worked hard juggling school and farm work. He liked guns, becoming an expert shot at an early age. In his spare time, he loved to hunt in the woods on the farm. Of an evening, he would run along a network of country lanes that crisscrossed the county. He had a deep affinity for trees. He hated to cut any down and would plant them wherever he could.


The farm house where Bill was raised	Bill planted the tress on either side of the house


The barn where Bill spent many hours helping his father	One of many quiet country lanes in the area

Always cracking jokes, Bill had a keen sense of humor. He was humble, non-judgmental, forgiving, and generous. With these traits it was easy for him to make friends. He made plenty of time for people. Even as a youth, Bill was known for his charity and was fast becoming widely respected in the community for helping those in need.

“The House by the Side of the Road” by Sam Walter Foss was Bill’s favorite poem and one which he often recited. It captured his character well and perhaps inspired it.

Bill attended Dixon Township High School where he achieved above average grades and was awarded a position on the track team. He graduated on May 17, 1940.

Afterwards he was hired as a back tender at the Aetna paper mill in Dayton, Ohio. He had every intention to settle down in the area; maybe go to college, marry and raise a family, but the coming war in the context of his family background was to change all all those ideas.


All that is left of the Dixon Township High School	Looking out over one of the fields on the Clark farm after a soy bean crop harvest

Pearl Harbor

It was a Sunday when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Clark family went to church during the day returning home with family friends for a fried chicken dinner that evening. Because of the guests, the radio was turned off so everyone missed the news of the attack.

Bill and his older brother, Henry Jr. went to town after dinner and returned home at 11:00PM. The brothers walked into the living room wearing stony expressions. Without a word, Henry held up a newspaper. The Japanese attack was spelled out in big black headlines. A pall fell over the family at the news. It did not lift until after the war was over.

Being of draft age, Henry Jr. knew he would be called up soon, so he volunteered for fighter pilot training in the Army Air Forces. At 19, Bill still had some time up his sleeve. Both brothers felt it was their duty like so many other young men to join up, but their father’s influence drove their desire to enlist in front line combat units ahead of the draft .

Henry Clark Jr. in uniform (center) His brother James (left) His father Henry Sr. (right)

The Power of a Father’s Influence

Henry Clark Sr. demonstrated a taste for adventure early in his life. At the age of 16, he signed up with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. He became friends with several of the show’s performers. Their stories of how the West was won whetted Henry’s appetite to make his own mark. His opportunity came with the outbreak of World War One. He enlisted in the Rainbow Division (42^nd Division) and fought extensively in France. He was a close friend of fellow soldier and renowned poet Joyce Kilmer, author of the poem “Trees” which you may read here http://www.risingdove.com/kilmer/love_trees.html.

Joyce Kilmer is well recognized for his affection for trees. His granddaughter has this to say about him:

“Nevertheless, I am thankful for the popularity of "Trees," because its captivating lyrical simplicity drives home this profound message: we humans can never hope to surpass the awesome beauty of nature. This is why I think of my grandfather as an early environmentalist. Countless trees have been planted in his honor, and for that alone he deserves to be remembered. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest was dedicated in his honor.” - Miriam A. Kilmer (http://www.risingdove.com/kilmer/Trees.asp)

As was mentioned earlier, Bill had a deep affinity for trees and I can’t help wondering if Henry Sr. instilled in him a love of trees in remembrance of his friend. Joyce Kilmer died in the second battle of the Marne at the age of 31 on July 30, 1918.

An avid story teller, Henry Sr. would talk for hours recounting to his children and later his grandchildren, and great grandchildren unabridged stories of his battles during the operations of the Champagne-Marne, the Aisne-Marne, the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. There were gripping tales of gas attacks, lightning fast machine gun fights, tortuous trench warfare with unending shelling, anxious intelligence missions behind enemy lines, and fierce human wave assaults ending in gruesome hand to hand combat.

Henry Sr. would counter these with copious amusing tales of happenings during the quiet times between battles. His stories spared none of the details of war’s horror and absurdity. At the same time, he deftly related much of the honor in serving his country that went along with his experience as a soldier.

Given the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Germany’s subsequent declaration of war upon America, their father’s stories of the Great War sparked in Bill and Henry Jr. their own desire to serve their country and protect America’s freedom. Like their father, they were only interested in front line combat service.

It did not take long for Bill to start looking at the different options offered by the various branches of the service. Initially, he thought about joining the Navy, but his brother Henry Jr. talked him out of it sending him a letter trying to persuade him to join the Army Air Forces instead.

LETTER TO BILL FROM HENRY JR.

Air Force Advanced Flying School

Victorville, California

July 13^th, 1942

Hello Bill,

I received that letter that mother wrote. She said you were planning to get in the Navy. I just thought I would tell you what you are getting into. I still think that you are too hasty about getting into anything, but the Navy is a dog’s life you don’t want any part of it. The Coast Guard is the same. What you want to do is get into something where you can get a commission such as officer’s training or aviation cadet. Personally, if I were you I would get into the aviation cadets. I know you can pass the mental. The bars have been dropped a lot on it since I took the examination. You can also pass the physical if your eyes are alright as I think they are.

If I were you I would go to the optometrist and have him (give you the works) on your eyes if he says they’re OK you’re a cinch to make it. Not that I think there might be something wrong with your eyes but that is the stiffest part to pass before the cadet board.

If you get into the cadets you will have it tough for about 2 or 3 months then things will start coming your way they give you (the works) to see how much desire you have to go through with it. Not that they mistreat you or anything during your rookie days but they just see if you can take orders. The pay, living conditions and everything are much better. If you get into the aviation cadets you cannot go on the inactive reserve anymore I don’t think anyhow that’s what I have been told. They would send you to Ft. Thomas for a week or two then would either be sent to a field in the south east training center or in the west coast training center for basic air corp. Training such as I have completed (takes three weeks) which every man in the air corp goes through whether he is a cadet or a grease monkey. Then after you have completed that, when they get an opening at the cadet induction center (Santa Ana in California and Maxwell Field Alabama) the only two in the U.S. It is a slow process from there on.

I don’t expect to get hold of the controls before the last of Sept. if they don’t classify me as a bombardier or navigator (what they need is what you get). We are told that the classifying process takes about 6 weeks. We are given refresher courses in arith., geom., algebra, trig., at Santa Ana. It’s the same at Maxwell field. I think I have a good chance of getting a pilot classification because of my…

[the letter abruptly cuts off]

Clark family relatives. Leonard Sparacio in seabees uniform. Perhaps the source of Bill’s initial consideration of the Navy.

The Airborne Siren

Bill took heed of Henry Jr.’s advice and steered clear of the Navy and Coast Guard. Although his grades were good enough, his brother’s efforts at persuasion were to be in vain.

Henry Sr. commended his son’s desire to enlist in a combat unit. If he didn’t want to join the Army Air Forces, he encouraged Bill to join the regular infantry. Bill listened to his father’s advice and duly looked into what the infantry offered. When Bill brought up talk of joining the 82^nd Airborne Infantry Division, his father sternly forbade it, calling it “a suicide outfit.” He told Bill the nature of airborne divisions meant they would be the first ones sent to hotspots and on risky missions. Their casualty rates would be much higher than the regular infantry. Once more he advised Bill to join the regular infantry.

The months passed by and soon Bill turned 20. In late October 1942, a recruiting sergeant with a keen eye for talent, from the 82^nd Airborne Division, spotted Bill at an event in Dayton, Ohio. Bill was fit from a life of manual labor, he could shoot, had 20/20 vision, no maladies, and at 5’ 7” he was the just the right height. The sergeant enticed the young farm boy, telling him he had “the makings of a paratrooper.”

The recruiter had a fine sales pitch which he used to great effect on Bill. He explained that paratroopers received advanced training when compared to the mediocre training offered by other service branches and that this would make him safer. The Airborne Divisions were the elite forces – the most prestigious of any US service branch. Then, there was the attraction of additional jump pay which paratroopers received for jumping out of airplanes. To top it all off, he would get to wear the stylish and exclusive paratrooper jump boots which were already the envy of other non-airborne service men.

The sergeant explained to Bill that since he had only just turned 20, he would have to get his parents to sign for him. Bill told him that would not be possible given his father’s anti-Airborne position. The sly and opportunistic sergeant countered with a way around the problem. All he had to do was get his parent’s to sign for him to enlist in the regular infantry and then later he could transfer to the 82^nd Airborne.

This was all Bill needed to know to make his decision. He signed the paper work then and there.

Bill’s sister Doris, remembers how he maneuvered his way into the 82^nd Airborne Division:

“After Bill enlisted we (Mother, Daddy, Doris, Rebecca, Howard, and Jim) drove to Fort Campbell, Ky, to see Bill as we had to see Henry when he was there. He had already shipped out to Camp Wheeler, Georgia. You had to be 21 to enlist of your own accord so Mother and Daddy had to sign for him. They wouldn’t agree to do that until he assured them that he would enlist in the infantry. Evidently he had arranged with the recruiting sergeant to enlist in the infantry and after his parents signed he could easily go directly to the paratroops. The folks were definitely chagrined over that turn of events but it was out of their hands. They were also mildly amused at how gullible they had been. He was the optimum stature for a Paratrooper. He didn’t even get a furlough after boot camp, but was sent directly overseas after finishing the Airborne training. Probably because Paratroopers were in demand.

After Henry enlisted we had one blue star in the front window and after Bill enlisted we had two. They were about 12 inches square, white background with a blue star. Thank goodness we never had to change to a gold star because that meant a soldier had been killed.”

Bill’s sister Doris, 24 June 2005

Foreign Decorations

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Belgian Fourragère

Image Source: U.S. Institute of Heraldry

The first foreign decoration listed on Bill’s discharge is the Belgium Fourragère, more usually known as the Belgian Fourragère. The award is comprised of three cords braided together with a polished brass cap at one end and a loop at the other to attach the Fourragère to the right shoulder. The cords are made of red and green silk for officers and cotton for enlisted men. It was bestowed on the 82^nd Airborne for its actions against the German counter attack in the Ardennes Forest, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge from December 17 through December 31 1944. Below is an excerpt from GO #123 Headquarters 82^nd Airborne Division. It cites the reasons for the award and gives a factual yet moving account of the sacrifices the men made.

1. “This elite Division which has gone with the great élan through the campaigns of Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Holland and France, has distinguished itself particularly in the Battle of the Ardennes from December 17 to December 31, 1944. Called upon as a reinforcement by the Allied High Command in the evening of the 17 December, at a time when the division was in the vicinity of Reims, the Division was able to take up combat positions in the region of Werbomont only twenty-four hours later and this under very severe climatic conditions. Progressing towards Ambleve and the Salm, the Division opened and maintained a corridor for the elements of four American Divisions which were surrounded in the vicinity of St. Vith, thus giving new courage to the engaged units. The Division had prevented the enemy from piercing the north flank of the pocket created by the offensive of Von Rundstedt and thusly succeeded in saving the city of Liege and its surroundings from a second occupation by the Germans.

2. After having excelled in defensive warfare at the banks of the Salm and the Ambleve and after having repelled successfully the repeated attacks of the best German shocktroops, the 82nd Airborne Division with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment attached, in spite of extreme cold and excessively deep snow, went on the offensive themselves and advanced to the German border, capturing 2500 German prisoners, including five battalion commanders. This fighting was extremely valorous as the organic composition of the Division handicapped the unit considerably, not having at their disposal, as any other Infantry Division would have, heavy weapons to support their attack. During twenty-three days, under most painful and adverse conditions, the veterans of the 82nd Airborne Division did not cease to give a wonderful example of courage and heroism, exemplifying their fighting spirit by several remarkably brilliant actions. By its valor, the Division wrote another page in heroic annals of Allied Airborne troops and rendered an important service to Belgium and to the Allied cause by establishing the necessary basis for the new pursuit of the enemy towards the Rhine River.”

Article 2: The Minister of National Defense is herewith ordered to execute the decree.

For the Regent:

The Minister of National Defense

signed: L. Mundeleer.”

Dutch Citation Lanyard

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Bill’s discharge record states he was awarded the Dutch Citation Lanyard which is sometimes called the Dutch or Netherlands Orange Lanyard. The Orange Lanyard of the Royal Netherlands Army is the decoration’s formal title. It’s an orange colored cord worn over the right shoulder and was granted by the government of Holland. Only the 82nd Airborne personnel who physically fought in Operation Market Garden around Nijmegen are entitled to it. Other personnel from the Division were not granted the award and so were not entitled to wear the lanyard. The General Orders # 125 dated October 12, 1945 of Headquarters 82^nd Airborne Division are very specific about this. In part they have been reproduced below:

“Ministerial Decree of the Netherlands Minister of War, dated 8 October 1945, granting the personnel of the 82nd Airborne Division, who participated in operations during the period of 17 September to 4 October 1944, authority to wear the ORANGE LANYARD of the Royal Netherlands Army is quoted:

"MINISTERIAL DECREE OF THE NETHERLANDS MINISTER OF WAR, dated October 8, 1945, Section III A, Secret No-X 25.

The Minister of War considering, that the outstanding performance of duty of the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army, during the airborne operations and the ensuing fighting actions in the central part of the NETHERLANDS in the period from September 17 to October 4, 1944, have induced HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN to decorate its Divisional Colours with the "MILITAIRE WILLEMS-ORDE" degree of Knight of the fourth class; CONSIDERING also, that it is desirable for each member of the Division, who took part in the afore-said operations, to possess a lasting memento of this glorious struggle;

DECREES: That each member of the personnel of the 82D AIRBORNE DIVISION, UNITED STATES ARMY, who took part in the operations in the area of NIJMEGEN in the period from September 17 to October 4, 1944, is allowed to wear the ORANGE LANYARD, as laid down in article 123g of the Clothing Regulations/1944, of the Royal Netherlands Army.

THE HAGUE, OCTOBER 8,1945 THEMI ISTEROFWAR (Minister van Oorlog)”

As can be seen from these orders, the citation for the Dutch Orange Lanyard was part of a larger unit decoration bestowed upon the 82^nd Airborne; namely the “Militaire Willems Orde”, (Military Order of William) degree of Knight of the Fourth Class.” The Division was the first foreign military unit to receive it in WWII.

The only other foreign unit to be granted the Military Order of William in WWII was the Polish 1^st Independent Parachute Brigade for its effort in Operation Market Garden, but that didn’t happen until 2006.

The Other US Medals and Decorations

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Presidential Unit Citation

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

One of the most notable decorations on Bill’s discharge is the Distinguished Unit Badge. It was sometimes called that, but formally it was referred to as the “Distinguished Unit Citation”, established by Executive Order 9075 and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 26, 1942. In 1966 its name was changed to the “Presidential Unit Citation” (PUC). Like the CIB, this award was made retroactive to December 7, 1941 to include the attack on Pearl Harbor.

To receive a PUC in World War Two a unit had to do something altogether extraordinary. According to the U.S. Institute of Heraldry, to qualify:

“The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions as to set it apart and above other units participating in the same campaign. The degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant award of a Distinguished Service Cross to an individual. Extended periods of combat duty or participation in a large number of operational missions, either ground or air is not sufficient. This award will normally be earned by units that have participated in single or successive actions covering relatively brief time spans. It is not reasonable to presume that entire units can sustain Distinguished Service Cross performance for extended time periods except under the most unusual circumstances. Only on rare occasions will a unit larger than battalion qualify for award of this decoration.”

The Institute of Heraldry further states:

“The emblem is worn by all members of a cited organization and is considered an individual decoration for persons in connection with the cited acts and may be worn whether or not they continue as members of the organization. Other personnel may wear this decoration while serving with an organization to indicate the unit has been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation”.

The 505th PIR received this PUC for its action during the Normandy invasion. 2nd battalion 505th PIR was subsequently awarded a second PUC later in 1944 during Operation Market Garden in Holland.

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

The streamer portion of the award shown above is flown together with the flag of the unit upon which the award was bestowed.

Here’s the text of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s PUC for their action at Sainte-Mère-Église during the Normandy D-Day invasion:

“The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, is cited for outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy between 6 and 9 June 1944, during the invasion of France. The regiment landed by parachute shortly after 0200, 6 June 1944, on the Cotentin Peninsula, in the area west of Ste. Mere Eglise, France. Drops were made in the face of artillery, machine gun, antiaircraft, and mortar fire from organized and fortified enemy positions, and against small arms fire of mobile and static antiairborne landing groups of German forces in the area. Between 0200 and 0400 the regiment secured the area west of Ste. Mere Eglise for the predawn glider landing of Division Headquarters and antiaircraft elements of the division. By the dawn the 505th Parachute Infantry had captured the town of Ste. Mere Eglise and controlled this vital road center, preventing movement of German forces on the roads to the beachheads east of Ste. Mere Eglise. The regiment also established strong defensive positions east of the bridge over the Merderet River near La Fiere and prevented reinforcement of German forces east of the Merderet River. The regiment maintained these positions against repeated counterattacks by a numerically superior enemy supported by tanks and artillery. The regiment bore the full brunt of vicious German counterattacks, repelled every assault without comparable artillery support or assistance from friendly forces, and achieved the regimental objectives. In the midst of continuous enemy fire, duties were performed unhesitatingly and with utter disregard for personal safety. The courage and devotion to duty shown by members of the 505th Parachute Infantry are worthy of emulation and reflect the highest traditions of the Army of the United States.”

There will be more about Bill’s involvement in Normandy in a later post. For now I’ll let these powerful words speak for themselves.

European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Medal (with Arrowhead)

Image Source: U.S. Institute of Heraldry

According to the U.S. Institute of Heraldry, to be awarded the EAME medal a soldier had to meet the following criteria:

“a. The European-African-Middle Eastern (EAME) Campaign Medal was awarded to personnel for service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater between 7 December 1941 and 8 November 1945 under any of the following conditions:

(1) On permanent assignment.

(2) In a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 days not consecutive.

(3) In active combat against the enemy and was awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that he actually participated in combat.

b. ………..The EAME Theater included Europe, European Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Africa, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.”

We already know that Bill qualified for the medal for active combat as per his CIB. More specific to the EAME medal, Bill’s discharge papers state the following under 32. Battles and Campaigns

“GO 33 40 WD 45 Naples- Foggia Sicily Normandy Rhineland Ardennes Central Europe”

Corresponding to this in 33. Decorations and Citations it states:

“European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 6 Bronze Stars”

The GO 33 40 WD 45 were General Orders #33 and #40. They were issued by the War Department in 1945. They authorized the EAME Campaign Medal for service in the bronze star campaigns of Naples-Foggia, Sicily, Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe. I don’t have copies of these General orders at this time, so I cannot reproduce the text of them here.

There were 16 qualifying bronze star battle campaigns in the EAME region:

Egypt-Libya: June 11, 1942 – February 12, 1943
Air Offensive, Europe: July 4, 1942 – June 5, 1944
Algeria-French Morocco: November 8–11, 1942
Tunisia: November 12, 1942 – May 13, 1943
Sicily: May 14, 1943 – August 17, 1943
Naples-Foggia: August 18, 1943 – January 21, 1944
Anzio: January 22, 1944 – May 24, 1944
Rome-Arno: January 22, 1944 – September 9, 1944
Normandy: June 6, 1944 – July 24, 1944
Northern France: July 25, 1944 – September 14, 1944
Southern France: August 15, 1944 – September 14, 1944
Northern Apennines: September 10, 1944 – April 4, 1945
Rhineland: September 15, 1944 – March 21, 1945
Ardennes-Alsace: December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945
Central Europe: March 22, 1945 – May 11, 1945
Po Valley: April 5, 1945 – May 8, 1945

Source: Wikipedia

Bill was not awarded any bronze stars for any of the North African campaigns. That’s because he arrived at their locations after fighting had ceased and the campaigns were finished.

Bronze and Silver Battle Stars

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

A bronze star campaign device is different from a Bronze Star Medal. The former indicates that a soldier fought in a designated bronze star campaign. The latter was awarded for valor in battle. Bronze battle star’s (as they are sometimes called) were only awarded if a soldier was physically present during a designated bronze star campaign. A soldier couldn’t have received one, say if he was sick and his outfit went to battle, leaving him behind.

Each Bronze Star device attached to the EAME medal corresponds to one campaign. A silver star device is attached when five bronze stars have been awarded.

Arrowhead Device

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Arrowhead pin is a replica of a real Native American arrowhead. It was awarded to Bill to symbolize the fact that he was a member of the group spearheading an assault; in his case, descending from the sky to do battle behind enemy lines. To receive it he had to physically jump from his C-47 aircraft during the assault. If his unit was called back or if he failed to make the jump, he would not qualify for credit.

It was only awarded once, regardless of how many times a soldier participated in spearhead assaults. Bill was in four such assaults namely; the jump into Sicily, the Salerno jump (Naples-Foggia), The Normandy jump, and the jump into Holland (Rhineland).

Display of EAME Devices

Since Bill fought in six campaigns in the EAME Theater, his ribbon and medal would comprise of one Arrowhead, one Silver and one Bronze Star. These devices would be superimposed in the following order on Bill’s EAME ribbon and medal:

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Meaning of the EAME Stripes, Colors and Imagery

The colors on the ribbon and medal were designed to symbolize the theaters of war in which the campaigns were fought. The red, white and blue stripes in the middle represent the United States. The green bands on either side of these signify the green landscape of Europe. The green, white and red strips on the left side correspond to the national colors of Italy, while the white and black strips on the right side represent those of Nazi Germany. The brown boarders on the left and right symbolize the desert sands of North Africa.

Image Source: U.S. Air Force Personnel Center

The face of the medal shows Army troops pouring out of a Navy LST while taking enemy fire. If you look closely, there’s an exploding shell to the back of the soldier at left in the foreground. The airplane on the left represents the Air Force. It’s a scene meant to capture the essence of the invasions of North Africa and Europe.

Image Source: U.S. Institute of Heraldry

The back of the medal presents a Bald Eagle, symbol of the American people. It stands proudly on a craggy bluff portraying America’s tenacity and fortitude in fighting the war from 1941 through 1945.

Good Conduct Medal

Image Source: U.S. Institute of Heraldry

The criteria for receiving this medal were:

“…exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity in active Federal Military service. It is awarded on a selective basis to each soldier who distinguishes himself from among his/her fellow soldiers by their exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity throughout a specified period of continuous enlisted active Federal military service. Qualifying periods of service include each three years completed after 27 August 1940 or, for first award only, upon completion of at least one year upon termination of service if separated prior to three years. The immediate commander must approve the award and the award must be announced in permanent orders.” - U.S. Institute of Heraldry.

“The eagle, with wings spread, denotes vigilance and superiority. The horizontal sword denotes loyalty, and the book represents knowledge acquired and ability gained. On the reverse, the lone star denotes merit. The wreath of laurel and oak leaves denotes reward and strength.” - U.S. Institute of Heraldry.

I don’t yet have the citation for Bill’s award in a General Order (GO) so I can’t tell when he received it, nor its exact wording. For some idea of what it might contain, here’s a GO for award of the medal to enlisted men of the 328^th Field Artillery Battalion of the 85^th Infantry Division:

Army of Occupation Medal (With Germany Clasp)

Image Sources: Wikipedia Commons

Bill was also awarded the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp. The medal was authorized in 1946 and delivery of them only began 1947. That’s why it’s not mentioned on his discharge.

The black stripe symbolizes Germany, while the red is for Japan. The bridge displayed on the face is the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany. It is symbolically important, being the first bridge where the Allies crossed the Rhine River in Germany.

Bill performed occupation duty in the area near Ludwigslust in northern Germany from around May 5 and for sometime onwards. Hostilities ceased on May 8, 1945 with the surrender of Germany. He was in Berlin from August 1 to November 1, 1945 as part of the US army of occupation and assigned to the 82^nd Airborne Parachute Maintenance Company stationed at the huge Tempelhof Aerodrome. He had previously reached the rank of Technical Sergeant T-4. In Berlin, Bill played a key role supervising the repair and packing of parachutes for regimental sized parade jumps as a show of American might to the Russian allies stationed nearby in their zone. Bill told numerous stories of dangerous patrol missions involving the post war Nazi resistance movement known as the Werewolves. He was also captured by the Russians and held against his will in their sector, later managing to escape.

The criteria for award of the Occupation Medal pertaining directly to Bill is:

“(1) Germany (excluding Berlin) between 9 May 1945 and 5 May 1955. Service between 9 May and 8 November 1945 will count only if the EAME Campaign Medal was awarded for service prior to 9 May 1945.” U.S. Institute of Heraldry

and

“(3) Berlin between 9 May 1945 and 2 October 1990. Service between 9 May and 8 November 1945 may be counted only if the EAME Campaign Medal was awarded for service prior to 9 May 1945.” U.S. Institute of Heraldry

I will need to get the General Order with Bill’s name on it for confirmation, but this means that Bill must have been awarded the EAME medal before 9 May 1945.

WWII Victory Medal

Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

The last US decoration appearing on Bill’s discharge is the World War II Victory Medal. It was awarded to all military service personnel, active or in reserve status, from December 7, 1941 until December 31, 1946; the date which President Truman declared to be the official end of hostilities. This meant that even though the war ended with the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, some men and women who had entered the service in 1946 were awarded the medal without having been WWII veterans.

In my view the Victory Medal is the most evocative of all Bill’s awards. Rainbow colors dominate the left and right sides of the award’s ribbon, representing the collaboration of all allied nations during the war. The broad red stripe symbolizes the blood of the soldiers killed or wounded in the war. The two white lines between the rainbows and the red stripe signify a new hope and the fact that this was the second global war the world has faced.

The front side displays Nike, Greek goddess of victory. The sword she’s holding is broken in two, symbolizing the end of Nazi and Imperial Japanese tyranny. She’s stepping on a helmet belonging to Mars, the Roman god of war. This represents the end of hostilities. A rising sun in the background symbolizes the dawn of peace.

The reverse side harks back to a speech made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Called the Four Freedoms speech, in it he proclaimed these four freedoms should be enjoyed by all humanity.

Bill’s Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB)

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Over the next few posts, I’d like to take a closer look at some of the medals listed in Bill’s Honorable Discharge starting with his CIB.

CIB History and Purpose

The CIB was introduced during WWII in October, 1943 and was made retroactive to 7 December, 1941 marking America’s entry into the war after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The idea behind the badge was to give personal recognition to the bravery of individual infantrymen fighting under extremely poor conditions, while sustaining very high casualty rates.

To receive the award a soldier had to be assigned to an infantry unit, hold an infantry related MOS, and had to perform his duty while engaging the enemy in battle on the ground.

At the time a regimental commander was the highest rank eligible for the award. General James Gavin (commander of the 82^nd Airborne) was a colonel commanding the 505^th PIR when he received his CIB for action in Sicily, 1943. That’s why you’ll see pictures of him wearing one even as a two star Major General.

CIB Design Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

Bill’s CIB

Bill received his CIB in General Order Number 16 (GO #16). It’s dated October 5, 1944 which is fitting because that just happened to be his 22^nd birthday!

I’ve scanned in GO #16 from a copy obtained from the National Archives. Pvt William A. Clark is listed forth from the bottom.

WD Cir. #186 and #271 means War Department Circular numbers 186 and 271, respectively. The acronym “EM” just means Enlisted Men.

The listed soldiers are being awarded their CIB’s “for examplary conduct in action against the enemy….” In October 1944, the War Department stated that “action against the enemy” more specifically meant “ground combat against enemy ground forces.” Subsequent, GOs awarding CIBs most likely contained the updated language, although I haven’t seen any examples.

The men were entitled to additional pay as per War Department Circular #271 of $10.00 per month. Since this was effective January, 1944, Bill may have received a nice birthday present of back pay on the order of $90.00 - $100.00.

According to the Military Awards Branch of the US Army Human Resources Command (USAHRC) individuals were only to be awarded the CIB in WWII if they possessed an MOS of the following: Light machine gunner (604); Heavy machine gunner (605); Platoon sergeant (651); Squad leader (653); Rifleman (745); Automatic rifleman (746); Heavy weapons NCO (812), or Gun crewman (864).

Bill’s separation record and discharge papers only list MOS 521 and 620. However, to get the CIB, Bill had to possess at least one of the qualifying MOS’s listed above. During the war and in the years after, at times Bill talked about jumping with his rifle and using it in battle. Sometimes he used the standard issue M1 Garand, but favored the British made Thompson submachine gun, or “Tommy Gun”, and the “Grease Gun” which replaced the Tommy Gun later in the war. They had a larger ammunition capacity and superior rate of fire over the M1 making them indispensable weapons in tight, fluid combat situations particularly after a jump.

Jumping with a rifle and using it in battle goes hand in hand with possession of an MOS of 745 and/or 746. I’ve reproduced them below from The War Department’s 1944 “Military Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel” (TM12-427).

Bill’s separation record document states that it was prepared using information “from available Army records and supplemented by personal interview.”

Talking about his WWII medals in 2001, Pierre Rinfret has this to say about US Army records:

“I cannot account for the incompetence of the U.S. Army….In many many ways the so-called records of an individual are more often than not totally and completely inaccurate, but what else would you expect. SNAFU (situation normal, all fouled up) was not invented as an acronym without reason!” - Pierre Rinfret, 2001

Renfret was a veteran lead scout in the 26^th Infantry Division under General Patton, an economic advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and a 1990 Candidate for New York Governor.

Looking at what we know, there can be only one explanation for the apparent disparity in Bill’s award of the CIB. His Army record seems incomplete in not including a rifleman MOS. It wouldn’t have been all that useful in postwar civilian employment, so it’s probable that he didn’t feel like pushing the issue during his separation interview. Indeed Bill himself said his service record was messed up in a letter home while stationed in Berlin.

Like General Gavin, Bill got his CIB during the Sicily Campaign. To be awarded the CIB was a really big deal because of the additional pay and because it distinguished a man from others who hadn’t been seen combat. Again quoting from Pierre Rinfret:

“The following listing [of medals] is what I believe to be the order of importance BUT I have placed the combat infantry badge first since in my judgment that is the most important medal anyone could ever receive and because it reveals the caliber of a man!” - Pierre Rinfret, 2001

Bill received his CIB for combat in the pivotal battle of Biazza Ridge, Sicily. The 505th PIR were fighting 17 Mark VI Tiger tanks and supporting infantry from the infamous and brutal German Hermann Goring Division. If it wasn’t for the heroism of Gavin’s “boys” (as the then Colonel Gavin referred to his men), the enemy would have succeeded in pushing the Allies back into the sea; dooming the invasion to failure.

The battle of Biazza Ridge was a horrendous engagement and a triumph of the human spirit on the part of the 505in the direst of circumstances. In a later post, I’ll talk in more detail about what happened to Bill during what he remembered as “one of those dark days.”

Bill’s Bronze Star Medal

BSM Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

After the war, Bill was retrospectively eligible for the Bronze Star Medal (BSM), but he never pursued his entitlement to it.

“The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) was established in February 1944. Announcement of the criteria of the award was made several months later. At the conclusion of World War II, General George C. Marshall, upon reviewing the number of awards received by infantrymen, was disturbed to learn that comparatively few had received recognition and that infantrymen accounted for more casualties than any other branch or element of the U.S. Armed Forces. It was determined that many commanders were unaware of the criteria for awarding the BSM. The reason, combined with the late announcement of award criteria, caused an inequity. In order to rectify this disparity and oversight, the criteria was established for Combat Infantryman Badge and Combat Medical Badge recipients during the period December 7. 1941, to September 2, 1945, to receive the BSM.” - National Records Personnel Center, 2009

So Bill’s CIB is effectively also a BSM.

Bill’s Separation Qualification Record

2010-01-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

Another interesting document is Bill’s Separation Qualification Record. It reveals some of the detail about Bill’s military skills or his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). He completed three months of basic training (MOS 521) and received his qualifications as a Rigger and Parachute Repairman (MOS 620). MOS 620 was a skill he practiced for thirty months covering the entire duration of the war, culminating in his promotion in grade to Technical Sergeant T-4.

Click on the pages for higher resolution images.

All enlistees to the Army had to complete basic infantry training to earn the MOS of 521. The War Department’s 1944 “Military Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel” (TM12-427), gives a description of what MOS 521 is used for on page 68.

Page 80 of the same document gives a more detailed account of the MOS 620 skill set.

Like all other would be paratroopers, once basic training was completed, Bill underwent the grueling four week long airborne training program. As per his discharge papers he was awarded his jump wings in February 1943. Upon graduation troopers were assessed for skills that would be useful in the context of airborne operations and were subsequently assigned to subordinate units within the 82^nd Division. In addition to combat troopers, men were needed to drive vehicles, cook meals, operate artillery equipment, and rig parachutes etc. Part of the decision of where they would go was based upon their basic training reports. Other information was used including any civilian skills they possessed.

I don’t have access to Bill’s basic training evaluation report, but page 2 of his separation record does indicate he was a back tender at the Aetna paper mill in Dayton, Ohio. The work there required skills in operating and maintaining machinery used to make paper. It seems very likely that this was a significant contributing factor in the decision to assign him to parachute rigging and repair. To complete the final part of his airborne training, Bill attended the parachute packing and maintenance school at Fort Benning which had been established since 1942.

Being a “rigger”, Bill was responsible for the vital and morally onerous task of repairing and packing parachutes for troops prior to combat and training jumps. If a chute failed to open the responsibility fell on the riggers. Bill also customized equipment satchels to overcome design faults at the request of commanders and as favors for fellow troopers.

Riggers comprised part of an airborne regiment’s service company. Other service company personnel such as ambulance drivers, runners, stenographers, cooks, orderlies etc had to attend jump school as well. But they usually landed in gliders instead of making combat jumps. However, riggers were routinely asked to volunteer (and indeed were required) to make combat jumps to instill confidence in the hearts of troopers that their parachutes were packed correctly.

In all, Bill made 52 jumps during the war including all four combat jumps made by the 505^th PIR . I’ll talk more about his involvement in these jumps in the coming months.

Bill’s Discharge Record

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Before he was discharged in November 1945, Bill’s supervising sergeant advised him to lodge his discharge record at his local county court house once he returned to the States. He told him the record would be better protected in the court house than if kept at home. Bill acted on the advice a couple of years later, in 1947. Most veterans either didn’t see the need to take this precaution or were not made aware of the option. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St Louis, Missouri stores all WWII Army veteran records including discharges. At time of separation, veterans were told that even if their personal copy was lost, they needed only to write to the records center to get a replacement copy.

In 1973 there was a disastrous fire at the NPRC. The records for eighty percent of Army personnel from November, 1912 until January, 1960 were destroyed, including most discharges.

Bill’s discharge record was in fact one of those lost. Fortunately, he was able to get access to his personal copy by making a request through the Preble County courthouse in Ohio.

Below is Bill’s Honorable Discharge. It’s a two page document. Click on the images to get full size views.

There’s a lot of interesting information in some of the fields, like the campaigns he fought in and the decorations he was awarded (See fields 32 and 33).

A few of the fields in the document are difficult to read. They are numbered from left to right horizontally across the page. I’ve put together a key to make it easier to understand. For example, field “22. Date of Induction” is a little fuzzy. Incidentally, it is left blank. Being a volunteer, Bill was not inducted (i.e. never drafted).

Field Number	Content
1	Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial
2	Army Serial Number
3	Grade
4	Arm Of Service
5	Component
6	Organization
7	Date Of Separation
8	Place Of Separation
9	Permanent Address For Mailing Purposes
10	Date Of Birth
11	Place Of Birth
12	Address From Which Employment Will Be Sought
13	Color Eyes
14	Color Hair
15	Height
16	Weight
17	Number Of Dependents
18	Race: White/Negro/Other (specify)
19	Marital Status: Single/Married/Other (specify)
20	US Citizen: Yes/No
21	Civilian Occupation and Number
22	Date of Induction
23	Date of Enlistment
24	Date of Entry Into Active Service
25	Place of Entry Into Service
26	Selective Service Data: Registered Yes/No
27	Selective Service Data: Local S. S. Board and Number
28	Selective Service Data: County and State
29	Selective Service Data: Home Address At Time Of Entry Into Service
30	Military Occupational Specialty and Number
31	Military Qualification And Date (i.e. infantry, aviation, and marksmanship badges, etc.)
32	Battles and Campaigns
33	Decorations And Citations
34	Wounds Received In Action
35	Latest Immunization Dates: Smallpox; Typhoid; Tetanus; Other (Specify)
36	Service Outside Of Continental US And Return: Date Of Departure; Destination; Date Of Arrival
37	Total Length Of Service: Continental Service Years, Months, Days / Foreign Service Years, Months, Days
38	Highest Grade Held
39	Prior Service
40	Reason and Authority For Separation
41	Service Schools Attended
42	Education (Years): Grammar; High School; College
43	Longevity For Pay Purposes: Years; Months; Days
44	Mustering Out Pay: Total $; This Payment $
45	Soldier Deposits
46	Travel Pay
47	Total Amount, Name of Disbursing Officer
48	Kind of Insurance: Nat. Serv.; U.S. Govt.; None
49	How Paid
50	Effective Date of Allotment Discontinuance
51	Date of Next Payment Due (One Month After 50)
52	Premium Due Each Month $
53	Intention of Veteran to: Continue; Continue Only $; Discontinue
54	Right Thumb Print
55	Remarks (This space for completion of above items or entry of other items specified in W. D. Directives)
56	Signature of Person Being Separated
57	Personnel Officer (Type Name, Grade And Organization – Signature)

Merry Christmas from 1942

2009-12-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, I’d like to share a recording of Bill’s voice from Christmas 1942.

In 2006, I obtained access to a record of Bill’s voice wishing his family Merry Christmas from Camp Wheeler while he was at basic training in December of 1942. The disc was scratched and damaged by mold. I took it to my cousin, an expert in old records who was able to clean and resurrect the recording.

Below is a transcript of the conversation. If you’re interested in the history of the recording, please read on.

William A. Clark Radio Announcement Christmas Day December 25, 1942

Transcription by Jeff Clark August 30, 2006

Announcer: Here comes now Private William A. Clark. Go ahead Bill, say hello to the folks there.

Bill: Hello folks. I can’t say I have much to say after such a swell Christmas dinner. Here at Camp Wheeler they really feed well; not only on Christmas day, but every day. This camp is almost as good as it could be; good barracks, good officers – in other words it is almost like home.

Before I enlisted in the Army people told me that is wasn’t so good, but I have found out that it’s okay and I think it is a privilege to be a part of it. I can’t think of much else to say, so I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Oh yes, and don’t forget to tell the folks in Hamilton and also Grandpa and Grandma Clark that I wish them a Merry Christmas.

– Private William A. Clark.

Announcer: Okay, now comes Private O. Preston Wilson from Fitz……..

[The recording cuts out at this point].

The Record’s History

In 2006, an old 78 rpm record came into my hands on loan from a family member. It was enclosed in a brown 9x12 envelope with 6 cents worth of 3 cent “WIN THE WAR” postage stamps on it. The mailing date was illegible. The envelope was addressed to the Parents of: William A. Clark, R. R. # 3, Eaton, Ohio. The record was labeled “CBS WHIO Dayton, Ohio”, “Christmas greetings from William A. Clark, Camp Wheeler” (See photographs below). From November 1942 through part of January 1943, Bill was stationed at Camp Wheeler, near the city of Macon, Georgia. In World War II, the camp was used as a facility where enlisted citizen soldiers completed a five week course in basic infantry training.

The surface of the disc was very moldy and had a prominent scratch in the shape of an arc that covered the first 1/3 of the playing surface. The scratch looked to me to be deep enough to make it unplayable. To my untrained eye the mold looked like it might have corroded the media beyond repair. Despite the damage, I thought it was worth the effort to see if it could be salvaged.

A lot of questions went through my mind over the ensuing days. If it was Bill’s voice what did he say? How long did he speak? What did he sound like as a young man?

Fortunately, I knew of someone who might be able to help. One of my cousins is an expert on antique analog recordings. He has a collection of over 5000 thousand old records including a large number of 78s. He is very well connected in the vintage music scene and knows several prominent specialists in the field.

On August 26, 2006, I met with my cousin over breakfast to assess whether the disc could be salvaged and digitized. I was keyed up to hear what he thought but braced myself for the worst. He inspected the record with the same look on his face that a diamond merchant has when examining the quality of a precious stone. I sat by helpless; anxiously looking time and again at the record then at my cousin for any sign of his final judgment. After a few minutes of careful scrutiny and some ominously raised eyebrows, he spoke. In his opinion the disc was about 45 - 50 seconds in length, was of a recording studio grade and made of metal covered in lacquer. Its delicate lacquered surface was designed to be played on state of the art high fidelity replay equipment of the 1940s. This equipment was only found in recording studios and radio stations and used sapphire or diamond styli. It was not intended for use with consumer grade 78 rpm players, which used abrasive steel needles. Consumer grade Shellac records were more durable, but the sound quality was not as good as their more fragile lacquered relatives. Judging from the width and angle of the scratch my cousin concluded that the disc was damaged because it had been played on a consumer grade Victrola record player. The Victrola had a needle which was too big and heavy for the fragile surface of the disc. He said that radio stations didn’t have the equipment or the blank Shellac discs available to make consumer grade records. As soon as the recording was made it would have been pressed onto the surface of a lacquer disc and was subsequently sent to Bill’s family. He said that because the recording was made on a high fidelity studio grade record, it was almost certainly the only one in existence.

Bill’s father, Henry Clark Sr. was well known for his love of records. In 1942 he owned a Victrola 78 player. In the summer of 1975, on a vacation from Australia, my family visited my grandparents on their farm in Ohio. I saw firsthand how much my grandfather enjoyed playing records on his Victrola. In the evenings he would pick out a couple of records, wind up the machine and play them. The records were big and thick. The needle of the Victrola looked to me to be dangerously sharp, so I didn’t want to investigate it too closely. I do remember it looked more than capable of playing those bulky records without skipping. Grandpa would play the records and we would all dance to old tunes from the 1920s and 30s. That ungainly windup mechanism, the oversized steel needle, the awkward looking gramophone, and the fact that surprisingly good music could come out of this contraption made a huge impression on me; one that has lasted to this day.

In 1942, when the record arrived in the mail, Grandpa, with his love of records was undoubtedly ecstatic at the prospect of playing it on his Victrola. I can envisage him now, taking it from its sleeve, placing it on the player, and turning the crank of the machine. Imagine his shock as he gently dropped the needle onto the spinning record hoping to hear Bill’s voice, but instead only getting the sound of a dirty great screech as the Victrola’s needle dug deeply into the disc’s lacquered surface, right through to the underlying metal. Poor guy; he wasn’t to know and apparently no one from station WHIO told him of the incompatibility issue. Amazingly, the broken record was kept for 62 years and wasn’t thrown out.

My cousin next examined the mold on the disc and determined that it had not damaged the playing surface. He said it could be removed with special cleaning fluid so as not to degrade the lacquered surface. In his opinion, the recording was damaged, but he thought it could resurrected. He told me about a 78 rpm record enthusiast friend of his whom had purchased new state of the art turn table equipment and audio restoration machines that were capable of retrieving sound from almost any disc. His friend had successfully coupled this mechanical equipment with digital recording devices. Using this combination of technologies, my cousin said he could work with his friend to salvage the recording. He said it would be difficult to find professional restoration artists with sufficient skill to restore the disc to acceptable fidelity. Of course other people could do it, but he said the resulting sound might be robotic and wouldn’t sound like natural voices. With the possibility that Bill’s voice was on the disc, my cousin and his friend appeared to offer the best solution. I gave the record to him and he promised to protect it with his life. As it turns out, this was the best decision I could have made.

My cousin stayed up all night on August 28, 2006, working with his friend’s specialized equipment retrieving and saving the good sections between the needle scratches. Then he combined the sequences and successfully reconstructed the entire recording by creating a digitized mp3 file.

On August 29 I called him and he said the effort was successful. I was relieved and elated at the news. He offered to play the recording over the phone. I drew in a deep breath as he pressed the play button. I heard static and then for the first time in almost 64 years Bill Clark’s youthful voice from 1942 crackled over the phone line. His distinctive tones even from so long ago expressed the same dry humor I had come to recognize and to cherish. As I listened, the potency of his youth coursed through me. I had the sense that this experience was a privilege. In those moments he was resurrected as a young man of 20 years. Together we transcended the gulf between then and now. We were transported to an eternal place where time itself having no purpose was absent. Before I knew it the recording fizzled out and Bill was gone. I lamented the fleeting mirage. Yet I was left with the precious sensation of meeting Bill as a young man; of sharing the enthusiasm and vigor of his youthful purpose.

Since that time, I have been given access to a letter, clarifying some of the mystery about the source of the recording and events surrounding broadcast of the message. The letter is dated December 21, 1942 from WHIO radio station in Dayton, Ohio (See scan of letter below), so the message had been recorded several days or perhaps even weeks before Christmas, 1942.

One day during this period Bill Clark had been standing in a line of soldiers at a recording studio possibly that of a radio station in Macon, Georgia. He was waiting to record his Christmas wishes to his family in Eaton and Hamilton, Ohio. The recording was to be sent to WHIO in Dayton for broadcast on Christmas Day.

WHIO sent the letter to Bill’s parents so they could make arrangements for everyone to be present for the broadcast. On Christmas Day at 3:00 pm Bill’s family was tuned into WHIO awaiting the broadcast. They must have been gathered around the radio with baited breath in anticipation of hearing Bill speak to them on radio and on Christmas Day to boot. Bill was to be the first family member on the Clark side ever whose voice was to be broadcast over the airwaves. It was a special moment for everyone. The atmosphere had to have been charged with excitement in the Clark farmhouse.

An equally electric yet nervous atmosphere surrounded the young men waiting in line at the radio station during the time of the recordings. To speak to their families while a good portion of their respective communities were listening was unsettling for all but the most extroverted souls among them.

A recording of each soldier’s message was pressed onto on a 78 rpm record and posted to their local home town radio stations for broadcast on Christmas Day. In Bill’s case after it was broadcast, WHIO sent his recording onto his family for posterity.

Listening to Bill, it is evident that he read his previously written message aloud. It also seems reasonable to assume that he was briefed before composing the message on what were considered to be appropriate topics. I can imagine a hall full of young enlistees being lectured to on what to say and what not to say. Perhaps it went something like “You can talk about food, conditions at the camp, and make sure you take this opportunity to sell other un-enlisted guys on how good it is to be in the Army and what a privilege it is to serve your country.” I think Bill handled the situation very well with his joke about it being “almost like home.” This is Bill’s dry cutting sense humor to a ‘T.’ His ability to thumb his nose at authority whilst preserving the overall integrity of the system as he did here was to serve him well. His brand of individuality was exactly what Colonel James M. Gavin (commander of the 505) was looking for in his young would be paratroopers.

After completing basic training, Bill left Camp Wheeler to attend paratrooper school at Fort Benning, Georgia in January, 1943.

Chronology of Bill in the War

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Bill was born in Hamilton, Ohio on October 5, 1922. After completing high school on April 23, 1940 he got work in a nearby paper mill as a back tender until November, 1942. On November 7, 1942 he enlisted in the regular Army, but quite soon after he volunteered for the Airborne. He completed basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia and upon completion was transferred to attend paratrooper jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia. He graduated with his coveted silver ‘Jump Wings’ in February 1943.

Bill landed with the 82^nd Airborne Division at Casablanca, French Morocco on May 10, 1943. He was transferred from his original company and assigned to Service Company 505 on May 26, 1943. He fought in the Sicily jump and invasion near Gela on July 9, 1943; the Salerno jump, near Paestum on the Italian mainland on September 13, 1943; the Normandy jump and invasion on June 6, 1944; and Operation Market Garden in Holland on September 17, 1944. Between December 1944 to February 1945, Bill served through numerous engagements and movements including among others: the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes; the Hürtgen forest; the Siegfried Line; and deep into northern Germany. His last engagement and one of the final assaults of the war was crossing the Elbe River on April 30, 1945. After victory in Europe was declared on May 8, 1945, the 82^nd Airborne was reformed and sent to Berlin for occupation duty. During this time period, Bill was assigned to the 82^nd Parachute Maintenance Company. The war was over, but not for Bill and his fellow paratroopers. In Berlin, he survived dangerous encounters with remnant Hitler Youth and out of control Russian troops. His occupation duty lasted from August 1 – November 1, 1945. He returned home on November 11, 1945 and was separated from the army on November 15 of the same year. After the war Bill made the difficult transition from a soldier to a civilian, taking his old job at the paper mill. Later he married and had a family.

Purpose

2009-12-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Since 2006, I’ve been researching a book about my uncle – William (Bill) Clark – and his involvement in WWII as a paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne’s 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment. So far there’s over 200 pages written. The book follows Bill’s journey from his humble beginnings as a mid-west farm boy through his voluntary enrollment in the Airborne, and his bravery and sacrifice over his years as a paratrooper.

Stories like Bill’s are needed to pay tribute to him and the many thousands of his comrades in arms on all fronts during WWII.

I’m looking forward to sharing some of what I’ve discovered with you.