Troopers take a break

 The 506th PIR under the command of Colonel Robert Sink, landed about twenty miles from its designated drop zone. Of the two battalions sated to land on drop zone ‘C’, only nine planeloads, approximately 144 men, hit their target. 1st Battalion 506th PIR could only locate fifty men. 2nd Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Robert Strayer fared slightly better as he found himself in command of some 300 troopers, some from the 82nd and the remainder from the 101st. Irrespective of their division, Strayer led them to capture one on the important causeway exits. 3rd Battalion 506th was scheduled to jump onto drop zone ‘D’ near the town of St Come du Mont, an area that the German defenders felt was a prime candidate for airborne landings.  Accordingly, they had the area prepared and heavily defended. As the aircraft approached, the Germans set fire to a barn that they had soaked in petrol and the whole area was lit up. Many paratroopers were shot as they came down or as they struggled to get out of their harnesses. The Battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wolverton was killed as was his Executive Officer and a large proportion of his men. However, a lucky few in two planes, were miss-dropped several miles from the drop zone and under the determined leadership of Captain Charles Shettle, secured the battalions objective with just thirty-four men and two vital bridges over the Douve were secured by the small band.

The 3rd Battalion 502nd PIR was dropped on the outskirts of St Mere Eglise and, knowing this was an 82nd Airborne objective, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole led what troops he could muster to St Martin de Varreville, a 502nd target. By the afternoon of 6th June 1944, Cole and his group, which had grown to about 250 men, met up with the lead troops from the US 4th division coming from Utah Beach.

 At 0400 on 6th June 1944, the first of the 101st Airborne Division’s gliders, on mission Chicago, arrived at landing zone ‘E’ two miles west of St. Marie du Mont. The gliders brought in an additional 155 troops from the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment and landed on or close to their designated spots. Unfortunately, upon landing, the lead glider hit heavy and skidding upon the wet grass, failed to stop before careering into the hedgerow that bordered the field.  In the ensuing crash, Brigadier General Donald Pratt became the first general to die on D-day and the second to die in WWII. The other US glider operation that day, Mission Detroit, faired nowhere near as well. Taking of from Ramsbury, Wiltshire at 0100, they as they approached the Normandy coast, they too ran into thick cloud and mist. Seven of the gliders were accidentally released early and blasted by German antiaircraft fire.  A further seven were release over swamp fields, west of the Mederet River, while many others were hit by flak and machine gun bullets. Twenty gliders made it to their intended landing zone, but nearly every glider and eleven of their twenty-two jeeps were destroyed on landing.

 82nd Airborne Landings             

The main elements of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment landed about two-miles from their objective, La Fière Bridge, but it wasn’t until daylight that Lieutenant General James Gavin had gathered sufficient numbers to move out. With approximately 200 men, Lt. Gen. Gavin had to negotiate the swampy ground before following a raised railway line towards their objective. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion 505th PIR probably, probably had the most accurate and concentrated jump of all the 82nd Airborne. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort, who broke his ankle on landing, the 2nd Battalion was able to amass 600 troopers within the first thirty minute of landing and headed out towards their battalion objective to block the road north of Ste Mere Eglise at Neuville au Plain. While en route, Vandervoort received an order to go to Ste Mere Eglise and capture the town, so sending a small force under Lieutenant Turnbull to secure the road, he and the rest of his mean, headed towards Ste Mere Eglise.  3rd Battalion 505th missed their drop zone, but still landed reasonable close, so that Lieutenant Colonel Edward Krause, its commanding officer, was quickly able to assemble half his men and head towards his objective, Ste Mere Eglise. Helped by a French guide, 3rd Battalion was able to reach the town almost unnoticed and before dawn, the town had been taken. 1st Battalion 505th, under the command of Major Frederick Kellam, had the task of capturing the La Fière bridge across the Mederet River just outside the town of Ste Mere Eglise. Gathering a small force together, they made a futile attack that was easily pushed back, a second attempt cost Major Kellam his life and a third attempt was equally unsuccessful. Later in the day, with the town of Ste Mere Eglise secure, the 82nd concentrated their efforts on the two key bridges across the Mederet at La Fière and Chef du Pont. After very heavy fighting, the 82nd took the bridge at Chef du Pont, but nothing could shift the Germans from their positions at La Fière.

1944 O​PERATION OVERLORD 

101st Glider landings

 The 82nd Airborne Division’s parachute landings were even more hazardous than those of the 101st as they were landing very close to the Mederet River. Unknown to the planners, the Germans had flooded much of the area and many of the 82nd troopers drowned under the weight of their equipment. The 82nd jump had been so scattered that it took until the 8th June to assemble some 2,100 men, so many of the early action was undertaken by small isolated groups of men, usually with minimal ammunition and weapons..

 The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment had a disastrous jump onto drop zone ‘T’ with most of their men being miss-dropped twenty miles away. Only two planeloads hit the drop zone while the others scattered their cargo across the swamps and marshland that surrounded the Mederet River. Subsequently, many troopers drowned or lost their equipment and the regiment was unable to assemble little more than one battalion. Therefore, much of the 507th’s action was undertaken by very small groups of men fighting isolated battles against heavy odds.

 “The Red Devils,” 508th Parachute Infantry Battalion landed more compactly than the 507th but still had great difficulty achieving its objectives due to lack of numbers. Seven C-47s actually found the correct drop zone and nine planeloads landed nearby close to the 101st objective at Causeway 3 Exit at Utah Beach. However, the bulk of the 2,056 paratroopers ended up scattered across the Cotentin. The 508th mission was to capture the bridge across the Douve River at Pont l’Abbé. After assembling some 200 of his men, 2nd Battalion 508th PIR commander Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Shanley headed off towards the bridge over the Douve River. A mile from Pont l’Abbé, the group ran into strong battalion sized German opposition and outnumbered, Shanley took his men back to Hill 30, which they strongly defended for the next two days.

​82nd men relax with Calvados

101st land in Normandy

Despite the miss-drops, the enemy ground forces and the terrain, once on the ground, the paratroopers set about finding their locations, and heading towards their set objectives. Even at the lowest levels, the troopers knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. Sometimes alone or sometimes in small groups, the airborne infantry began to engage the enemy and cause confusion throughout the region. Despite the dispersion, General Maxwell Taylor was able to assemble a large group and, quite quickly, take some of his immediate objectives including the towns of St. Martin de Varreville and Pouppeville. But far more importantly, he and a few of his men, were able to ensure that some of the vital exits from the beachhead were secure.

​CONT'D ON NEXT PAGE

Troopers Fly over

 At 0130, the main body of the 101st Airborne Division began dropping in a spread out circular pattern southeast of Ste. Mere Eglise. They were widely dispersed and the thick high hedgerows and flooded terrain hampered their assembly.  The night would be one where small groups of me engaged the enemy, not really knowing where they were, or which direction their designated objectives lay. It wasn’t until daylight that many were able to locate their positions as some 1,500 troopers landed well outside of their designated area. The 82nd Airborne Division followed closely behind the 101st and by the time they arrived, the German defenders were alerted to the fact that something was happening. Accordingly, the 82nd faired little better. As they approached land, the convoy was hit by heavy antiaircraft fire and the pilots scattered widely. Only one of the three regiments, the 505th PIR landed even close to its allotted drop zone.

101st land in Normandy

Despite the miss-drops, the enemy ground forces and the terrain, once on the ground, the paratroopers set about finding their locations, and heading towards their set objectives. Even at the lowest levels, the troopers knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. Sometimes alone or sometimes in small groups, the airborne infantry began to engage the enemy and cause confusion throughout the region. Despite the dispersion, General Maxwell Taylor was able to assemble a large group and, quite quickly, take some of his immediate objectives including the towns of St. Martin de Varreville and Pouppeville. But far more importantly, he and a few of his men, were able to ensure that some of the vital exits from the beachhead were secure.

                                       Lt. Col. Gavin in Ste Mere Eglise​