I landed
on a stump in a highly forested area. The stock of my carbine, carried
slung across my chest, hit the stump first and the gun sight raked across
and cut a small gash in my left jaw. I had landed about 200 feet from a
small house and barn. My jump stick of 18 men rolled back along the line
of flight and soon joined me. Captain Patrick Gibbons, our S2, spoke
passable French, and after talking to the farm family, we calculated that
we were about two and one half miles north of Sainte Mere Eglise, and to
the northeast of Neuville au Plain. After rounding up our jumpers and
collecting all our equipment, it was still dark, but with an indication
that morning light would soon be upon us, we moved out in column toward
Sainte Mere Eglise. As the sky began to lighten we met Major Kellum with
about 40 men who had also been dropped north northwest of Sainte Mere
Eglise and were headed for their 1st Battalion objective on the Merderet
River at La Fiere.
We had not gone far when we came to the main road leading
northwest to Monteberg and Cherbourg. We heard motor vehicles approaching
from the northwest. We ambushed about 20 Germans with a two and one half
ton truck loaded with radio equipment, and eight or ten motorcycles, two
of which quickly turned and escaped to the northwest. At this point in
time and distance, my orderly, Chick Eitelman, and I headed for our
Regimental and Division Command Posts to be located just southwest of
Sainte Mere Eglise. Major Kellum and his group of 1st Battalion men headed
for their objective at La Fiere.
When I arrived at our Regimental CP, I found that Major
Norton, our S3, and three or four Regimental Headquarters men were there
and in action with a radio. Colonel Eckman, the Commanding Officer of the
505th had been there and had headed for Sainte Mere Eglise and La Fiere,
which were our main Regimental objectives. We had radio communications
with Lieutenant Colonel Vandervoort and Lieutenant Colonel Krause in
Sainte Mere Eglise. They were being attacked from both the east and west.
Major McGinty and Captain Roysdon with the 1st Battalion at La Fiere had
reported being attacked by strong German forces supported by Renault
tanks. In the morning a small group of Germans had passed from east to
west just to the south of our CP and they had been firing over our heads
and causing leaves to fall in the CP area. About 60 or 70 glider pilots
from the early morning flight had collected near the CP of the Division
Headquarters. I went to General Ridgeway at the adjacent Division CP and
asked if I could have the glider pilots for a perimeter defense of the CP
and he readily approved. I divided the pilots into four small squads and
put them under command of a Major pilot and had them take up a defensive
position with three units on the perimeter and a small squad of 10 glider
pilots to go to the area that is attacked.
At our CP, we were receiving reports that the 2nd and 3rd
Battalions were being attacked at Sainte Mere Eglise (our main Regimental
objective)--the 3rd Battalion from the southeast and the 2nd Battalion
from the northwest, along the main road from Cherbourg. The 1st Battalion
at La Fiere was being attacked by German Infantry supported by Renault
tanks. Then we learned that the 1st Battalion Executive Officer, Major
McGinty was killed and late in the morning that the Battalion CO, Major
Kellum, and the Battalion S3, Captain Roysdon, had been killed. We had
been unable to make contact with Lieutenant Colonel Eckman. I talked it
over with Major Norton, our S3, at the command post and decided I should
head for La Fiere and the 1st Battalion defending the bridge at La Fiere.
I took my orderly, Corporal Chick Eitelman, with me. On the way, we had a
scrimmage with several Germans and Chick got one through his kneecap.
Chick strongly objected but I ordered him back to HQ where he received
medical treatment. I proceeded to La Fiere.
On the way to La Fiere, I found a group of about 40 101st and
508th men lying in a ditch along the road. Supposedly, someone had held
them as a reserve. I did not know who so I rounded them up and took them
with me to La Fiere. We arrived at the railroad crossing above La Fiere at
about 1:30 or 2:00 o'clock. I scouted the position and found that most of
Company A with Captain Red Dolan were well organized and in a good
situation on the right side of the road facing the Merderet River and
bridge. I approved Captain Dolan having moved his Company back 150 yards
from the intense mortar and machine gun fire along the riverbank. On the
left of the road was a mixed group of Company C, 505th men occupying a
house (called a manor), and some 507th men under the command of, I
believe, a Captain Rae on the ridge above the manor.
On the bridge was a disabled Renault tank from earlier
fighting. The whole position was receiving heavy fire from the west bank
around Cauquigny--mortar, machine gun, and occasionally 88mm. through my
binoculars I spotted two German tanks screened behind the buildings in the
village of Cauquigny across the river. |
