Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 007, folder 32: 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment after action reports

-18 heavy ground fog - a relief for many because the anti-aircraft batteries could not see them. Soon after coming in over the peninsula the fog broke and before long the river Douve could be seen. The planes came out of the fog and at once started to lose altitude to get down to the proper jump height. The moon was bright, good for purposes of checking landmarks but also good for the anti-aircraft gunners that were shooting at them. Tracers could be seen seeping through the air passed most of the planes. The closer the planes came to their destination the closer the tracers seem to come to the planes and now and then a plane would pitch up getting the effect of an air bursting shell. Pilots now not under training conditions did not show the planes to the ideal jumping speed and at exactly 0151 the first unit jumped into combat.

Wave after wave the paratroopers jumped and landed on French soil and shortly after 0200 hours of the 6th of June 1944 the whole regiment was somewhere in France.

It would be too much to expect, the whole regiment did not land on the drop zone intended but was spread from Carentan to Valognes. However, only small units were in these outlying localities, and the main body was within three miles of the drop zone. Because of the all around briefing the men in this area quickly assembled and headed for their objective.

By 0500 hours Lt. Col. Krause had already assembled about one company of men of the 3rd battalion and had taken Ste. Mere Eglise. Lt. Col. Vandervoort promoted from major while at the takeoff aerdrome, had broken his leg on the jumpbut continued regardless and assembled his 2nd battalion and went into position north of Ste. Mere Eglise. He walked around on his crutches giving his orders. Lt. Col. Krause was wounded twice in the leg by snipers on the morning of D-Day but he too carried on after submitting to treatment by his battalion aid station. When these two battalions did join the first phase of the campaign as clearly expressed in the letter from the mayor of Ste. Mere Eglise.

Following is a true copy of that letter and also a true copy of the letter from 2nd Lt. Saville, French liaison officer to the VII Corps attached to 82nd Airborne Division to Lt. D. Chauvigny French liaison officer to the American First Army, asking that the recommendation for the

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award of the Fourragere be extended to include the 1st battalion. The following is the letter from the mayor of Ste.Mere Eglise: To Monsieur, the commissioner of the de Gaulle Government in Bayeux. Subject: Request for a French decoration for the two battalions of parachutists which landed at Ste. Mere Eglise. Monsieur, the commissioner: Monday, the 5th of June around 11 o'clock or midnight, French time, within a flight of heavy bombers flying in close formation the American parachutists dropped on Ste. Mere Eglise. They were the first of the allies to put foot near a beleaguered French town. Their strength was about two battalions. The second battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry, and the 3rd battalion 505 Parachute Infantry, members of the 82nd Airborne Division, 7th Corps U.S.A. These battalions were commanded by Lt. Col. Benjamin H. Vanderfoort and Lt. Col. Edward C. Krause.

On their landing in French soil they were engaged by machine gun pistol fire and by a detachment of anti-aircraft located in a park in the very center of the town. At dawn, this AA unit, under the command of Commandant Koller was thrown back on the village heights of Sauville.

Then for 48 hours the two battalions, their strength reduced already by losses during the night always alert for combat separated from the sea by 8 kilometers of histile country, having on their right flank in the village of Sauville towards Carentan strong detachments of Infantry and the remainder of AA units on their left flank at Neuville au Plain two battalions from the German division 1050 German Infantry, composed largely of guns and tanks and finally on their west facing the sea two companies of fanatical Georgians who would fight to the last man...these American soldiers resisted alone with their sub machine guns, two machine guns and two small cannons taken from gliders.

These men I have observed in battle, they did not show falso bravado. They spoke little, one might say they only maneuvered. They went along, cigarettes between their lips or chewing their gum, hugging the walls yet going along in fright and quietly under the ceaseless shelling from the batteries of Azeville and St. Martin.

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The evening of June 6th from the ditch where I sought refuge with my family I heard the battle drawing closer to us* The two battalions at Neuville au Plain and the first was reformed by Koller attacked. All night long, the 6th to the 7th the battle was relentless. The Germans came back as far as the entrance of the town; there was hand to hand fighting. One parachutist whom I interrogated told me "We are attacking. Reinforcements are going to arrive by sea in six hours okay.”

In the evening they were still waiting for reinforcements one of them told me "the sea and while the women were crying and praying, "don’t leave us" one of them made this reply with a big smile "We’ll never leave we’re staying right here."

An eye witness released to me that he’d seen parachutists straddle horses who arrived at top speed with men in the town. The bodies of the horses after the battle were laying in the center of town pierced with dozens of holes.

At the moment when reinforcements arrived from the sea, at that moment when joyously we heard on the Ravenville road, the rolling of the first tanks, the airborne troops had almost no ammunition. "Now," they were saying, "We’ll have to fight at close range and make 'em come. And after that we’ll have our bayonets and knives."

Forty Eight hours after arrival the magnificent work was accomplished by them alone. Two battalions had been cut to pieces. In the north two battalions, in the south one battalion an AA unit; in the west two companies of Georgians whose remnants barricaded themselves in a chateau at Beuzeville au Plain. They had destroyed eight tanks, some cannon and had made 364 parachutists prisoners. The losses of the airborne troops were heavy. Meanwhile the battalion physician Capt. Lyle B. Putnam cared for our wounded people with the same devotion as with his own people.

I ask you, Monsieur, the commissioner of the Government if it would not be possible to request recognition from our great General who recognizes such courage for these tough men who first of all wrenched from the enemy a piece of French soil, a citation, which gives them

-21the right to wear Fourragere Francaise. I believe that their sacrifices will seem lighter to them if they can hope to pin to their battalion's flag soon a mark of French recognition. In future combat they will fight with even more tenacity proud to be airborne battalions which France has recognized as the brave among the brave. Please accept, Monsieur, the commissioner of the Government the assurances of my complete devotion.

The Mayor of Ste. Mere Eglise

and his name is: Aimano

By 0700 the 1st battalion had organized and taken their first objective. They passed the railroad bridge and continued on to their first highway bridge mission. Because parachute regiment on the other west side of the Merederet River had not organized and accomplished their mission, this battalion for a day and a half was fighting much ? seriously in order to seize and hold this important bridge over the Merederet River. The bridge was taken and lost several times during this period. The enemy attacked in the evening and everyone from the lowest private to the highest ranking officer fought continuously with the spirit and skill that was outstanding. The toll was high. By about 1900 hours D-Day only one staff officer, 1st Lt. Paterson, the G-2, was left in the 1st battalion. Major Kellam, the commanding officer, Major McGinity, the executive officer, and Capt. Roysdon, the G-3 were killed in action. Kellam and McGinity were killed on the La Fiere bridge. Lt. Col. Alexander regimental executive officer went to the 1st battalion as commanding officer. The attacking Germans could not be kept on the other side of the river for the night so the battalion had to take defensive positions and hold the east of the railroad. At 0800 hours on D-Day, Gen. Gavin the assistant Division commander had ordered the 505 to hold the line between the two bridges and Ste. Mere Eglise at all costs. From D-Day at 0632 members of the French underground—it is believed the first operation - was contacted by the G 2 section. At 0730 all German command posts in Ste. Mere Eglise was searched by this underground member and G 2 section. A guard was placed on their headquarters and the CIC was requested to blow the safe with their secret documents.

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Vehicles of the Todt organization were located and turned over to the G 4. In the afternoon the sectional leaders of the French resistant troops were located and a detailed and accurate account of the various small and large groups of Germans in that sector was obtained. The regimental objectives would have been relatively eastily held if as planned the seaborne forces had arrived on the afternoon of D-Day. As expected also, the enemy did not start to attack before D-Day evening until nothing had been heard from the 4th division, the seaborne force that was to come through our area. At 1400 hours we received one report at the regimental command post which said there were no signs of activity at the beach by the 4th division. We jokingly discussed having been stranded by another postponement of D-Day but not so jokingly were we thinking. The whole day we tried at least to contact them by radio but nothing could be heard from them. Not before 2100 hours when one operator contacted them did we know that they had had difficulties with all the mine fields at the beach but were now working inland. When Gen. Ridgway who jumped with our regiment had established the division CP at the same spot as our regimental CP, that is about 200 yards west of Ste. Mere Eglise, learned of the radio contact he wanted to re-contact the 4th division. He wanted to send the message that they should send us ammunition and medical supplies that night. After much effort the radio man got the contact again with the 4th Division. General Ridgway was spending the entire time with the radio and when contact was made he directed that the message be sent in the clear because it was urgent. At about 2100 he looked up into the east to see our first airborne reinforcements. From 2100 to 2300 hours over 75 gliders came into our area carrying one battalion of the 325th Infantry and Artillery units. A glider with a 150 mm gun and ammunition crashed with a tremendous racket just outside of the CP. These gliders were guided to their landing zone by the 505 Pathfinder teams under Lt. Chester, Lt. Smith, and Lt. Bell (?). They were able to organize immediately. Now it was midnight, the end of a hard and the beginning of a day which could be much worse. The situation looked bad, the enemy attacking from the west and with strong forces from the north as expected and we had started to run low on ammunition. Our regimental strength assumbled the first day was 1012 enlisted men and 82 officers. Of the 2,041 enlisted men and 164 officers who had jumped. The 505 had done a wonderful job. Major Gen Ridgway sent the following message to the 505