16-283 Garand Picture of the Day - St. Mere Eglise

[Mark in Rochester]

Airborne Trooper runs for sniper hiding in Church in St. Mere Eglise

Information

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[browningautorifle]

That would be the church a man spent the wee hours hung up on...

[Mark in Rochester]

On the night before D-Day (June 5–6, 1944), American soldiers of the 82nd Airborne parachuted into the area west of Sainte-Mère-Église in successive waves. The town had been the target of an aerial attack and a stray incendiary bomb had set fire to a house east of the town square. The church bell was rung to alert the town of the emergency and townspeople turned out in large numbers to form a bucket brigade supervised by members of the German garrison. By 0100 hours, the town square was well lit and filled with German soldiers and villagers when two sticks (planeloads of paratroopers) from the 1st and 2nd battalions were dropped in error directly over the village.

The paratroopers were easy targets, and Steele was one of only a few non-casualties. His parachute was caught in one of the pinnacles of the church tower, causing the suspension lines of his parachute to stretch to their full length, leaving him hanging on the side of the church. The wounded paratrooper hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. He later escaped from the Germans and rejoined his division when US troops of the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment attacked the village capturing thirty Germans and killing another eleven. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat.

[browningautorifle]

Oh sure, he's smiling THERE... Trust me, two hours hanging in a parachute harness wouldn't be fun if NOTHING else was wrong.

[CINDERS]

Thats amazing he survived

[Bill Hollinger]

[browningautorifle]

I was aware they kept the memorial to this world famous event maintained...

[Mark in Rochester]

I was bazooka gunner in the second platoon, Company F of the 505th PIR of the 82nd Airborne Division. For the jump I was the 5th or 6th guy just after Lieutenant Harold Cadish, our jumpmaster. We were dropped over Sainte Mere Eglise, a house fire lit up the square. I landed on the roof of the church, and I was hanging by my parachute. While I was trying to reach my knife to get rid of my straps, another paratrooper hit the steeple and also remained suspended, not far from me. His canopy was hanging from a gargoyle of the steeple, it was my friend John Steele …… »

When you visit Ste Mere Eglise you will see the mannequin of John Steele hanging from the church steeple. Steele landed on the roof of the church on D-Day but not where the model of him is. The actual landing location of John Steele was verified by fellow trooper Ken Russell who landed on the church below Steele.

Steel landed left of the clock face in this picture and Russell landed above the middle window where he was caught in his parachute. When Russell was trying to cut himself free of his chute he cut the top of his thumb off.

Russell could see paratroopers landing all over the square including his buddy Sgt. John Ray who landed near the church. As soon as Ray landed a German shot him in the chest. The German then turned and aimed at Russell and Steele who were still hanging on the church.

Ray who hadn't been killed by the German could see what was going to happen and pulled out his .45 pistol and killed the German, saving his friends before he died of his wounds.

Ken Russell was meant to be the guest of honour at the 60 anniversary celebrations in Ste Mere Eglise. Sadly he died in his sleep on the anniversary of D-Day at almost the same time the German took aim at him 60 years before.

[browningautorifle]

Now that part isn't spoken of much.