Historical Unit in World War 2 Reenactment Group Sukai Halaman Ini · 17 Desember · LIBERATION CARENTAN 101st Airborne Division 506th PIR

LIBERATION CARENTAN 

101st Airborne Division 506th PIR

By : Historical Unit in WW2 Reenactment Group

FG : Hendra JS

On June 12, on the edge of Carentan, the 506th’s 2nd Battalion, of which the 2nd Platoon was part, was walking down a road, readying for our all-important attack. It was dawn.
F Company was on our left flank, D Company in reserve.

Private Alton Moore
E Company 506th PIR

On June 12, on the edge of Carentan, the 506th’s 2nd Battalion, of which the 2nd Platoon was part, was walking down a road, readying for our all-important attack. It was dawn.
F Company was on our left flank, D Company in reserve.

Private Alton Moore
E Company 506th PIR

June 12
The enemy fire split our platoon; the Germans were in a perfect position to wipe out not only our platoon, but the entire company. We scrambled to the ditches along the road, next to hedgerows, so panicked we were all but digging foxholes with our fingers. You had the feeling if you popped your head up, it’d soon be gone. It was almost as if the Germans were mowing down that entire hedgerow to get to us. It was the heaviest fire I would ever experience in war.

Don Malarkey
E Company 506th PIR

On June 12, on the edge of Carentan, the 506th’s 2nd Battalion, of which the 2nd Platoon was part, was walking down a road, readying for our all-important attack. It was dawn.
F Company was on our left flank, D Company in reserve.

Private Alton Moore
E Company 506th PIR

We reluctantly headed forward—early-game nerves, I suppose. When someone tossed a grenade to take care of the machine-gun nest, we had the intersection under control. The Germans withdrew. Knowing our positions, though, they rained mortar fire and machine-gun fire on us from afar. Guys around me were going down right and left. We also have machine gun. They sell, we bought, this is war.

"Gunny"
E Company 506th PIR

 We reluctantly headed forward—early-game nerves, I suppose. When someone tossed a grenade to take care of the machine-gun nest, we had the intersection under control. The Germans withdrew. Knowing our positions, though, they rained mortar fire and machine-gun fire on us from afar. Guys around me were going down right and left.

 We reluctantly headed forward—early-game nerves, I suppose. When someone tossed a grenade to take care of the machine-gun nest, we had the intersection under control. The Germans withdrew. Knowing our positions, though, they rained mortar fire and machine-gun fire on us from afar. Guys around me were going down right and left.

“Move out!” our Platoon Leader yelled.
And we move out.

Lt. Winters
E Company 506th PIR

Go! Go! Go! I could see the building. Clearing House. I burst in the door, breathing hard.
Maybe one or two jerries in there.

Cpl. Hoobler
E Company 506th PIR

Watching from a window. We rained down everything we had on the Germans; they did the same to us. At some point, E Company was the only force holding the line; units on either side had fallen back under fire, leaving us out there like sitting ducks. We had a flooded area to our right flank, and nobody on our left.

Sgt. Welsh
E Company 506th PIR

I enter the building. Hold breathing. I will shoot this door, but my heart choose opened it.
There was parent and their daughter.
This cold situation in a hot circumstances. Fuck this war.

Private Blithe
E Company 506th PIR

Go to the top building near causeway Carentan - St Merie Eglise. This was a good spot to knew German snipers and artilery. Lt order me to stand by there and spread eye and report.

Cpl. Luz
E Company 506th PIR

"Gunny", deploy that MG over here, this will be good supporting fire. My job, whether I chose to accept or not was fun, just burst this MG and eveything will going well...

"Gunny"
E Company 506th PIR

We need machine gun ammo
“Malark, get over here!” It was Buck Compton, whom I’d one day count as one of my closest friends, but, for now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear from. “We need machine-gun ammo,” he said. “You’re elected.”

Don Malarkey
E Company 506th PIR

We were close to being overrun. Tired. Losing guys. And hope. But at midafternoon, the 2nd Armored Division—sixty tanks strong, plus fresh soldiers—arrived to relieve us. What a wonderful sight.

We were close to being overrun. Tired. Losing guys. And hope. But at midafternoon, the 2nd Armored Division—sixty tanks strong, plus fresh soldiers—arrived to relieve us. What a wonderful sight.

We were close to being overrun. Tired. Losing guys. And hope. But at midafternoon, the 2nd Armored Division—sixty tanks strong, plus fresh soldiers—arrived to relieve us. What a wonderful sight.

That night, over K rations in a gutted church, a story was told about Ronald Speirs, a first lieutenant in D Company, giving cigarettes to a bunch of German POWs a few days before and then mowing them down. That’s nothing, someone said, Speirs had also gunned down one of his own men for disobeying him.

But that's myth or true, i dunno

We had ten casualties in the June 12 attack on Carentan; nine the next day in the defense of Carentan. As that defense continued, we were giving up ground fast. The Germans were relentless.

We were close to being overrun. Tired. Losing guys. And hope. But at midafternoon, the 2nd Armored Division—sixty tanks strong, plus fresh soldiers—arrived to relieve us. What a wonderful sight.

We were close to being overrun. Tired. Losing guys. And hope. But at midafternoon, the 2nd Armored Division—sixty tanks strong, plus fresh soldiers—arrived to relieve us. What a wonderful sight.

Cigarettes..?
Yeah.. thanks.

Aftermath

We hate no jump no more
US 101st Airborne Div hold a German Nazi flag after battle of Carentan.
Thats flag must be keep as souvenir of war

Men, it’s been a long war, it’s been a tough war. You’ve fought bravely, proudly for your country. You’re a special group. You’ve found in one another a bond, that exists only in combat, among brothers. You’ve shared foxholes, held each other in dire moments. You’ve seen death and suffered together. I’m proud to have served with each and every one of you. You all deserve long and happy lives in peace.

I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?'
Grandpa said 'No... but I served in a company of heroes.'

Richard Winters

We’re all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there’s still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier’s supposed to function. Without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends on it.

That night, I thanked God for seeing me through that day of days and prayed I would make it through D plus 1. I also promised that if some way I could get home again, I would find a nice peaceful town and spend the rest of my life in peace.

Richard "Dick" Winters
E Company 506th PIR .. Toccoa man