La Fiere

We went walking with the dogs yesterday alongside the Merderet River by the La Fiere bridge. Two bus loads of American servicemen were walking around the bridge talking about the fierce fighting that took place there. It's such a small bridge, that it's difficult to imagine it being the site of what is called "the bloodiest small arms conflict in US military history."

When you look at it now, you have to wonder why the Allies didn't just put some planks across the river and not worry about taking the bridge. Turns out that this area was one of many that was flooded before D-Day, so the field you see on the left side of the river (German side) was submerged.

Here's a tiny clip from our Americans on D-Day film that shows what it looked like then.

Vinnie Vicari

Vinnie Vicari was a glider infantry officer who saw action in Normandy, Holland and Germany. He talks about his first glider ride, and lasting fear of heights, in The Americans on D-Day.

In The Americans in the Bulge, Vinnie Vicari describes the horrors of Bastogne and remembers seeing McAuliffe respond "NUTS!" to the Germans' attempt to exact his surrender.

Col. Doug Dillard

Hero of the last allied bayonet charge of WWII and survivor of the massacre at Rochelinval (The Bulge), Col Doug Dillard 551st P.I.B (rtd), appears in The Americans in The Bulge due to air across America this Memorial Day weekend.
“When we finally took Rochelinval we sent a runner down to bring up the guys, who were trapped in the valley.” There is no point, Sir” he said “They are all dead.” “That earned us the name of ‘The Lost Battalion.’

Earl Norwood

Earl Norwood from Moorehead City, North Carolina is one of the stars of The Americans on D-Day, which will air on PBS stations across America this weekend. He was seventeen years old as he piloted a landing craft off Omaha Beach, on D-Day. Earl came in on the second wave of the landings.
“When the transport door dropped I watched two men get cut in half by machine guns firing from the beach. During the invasion I made so many trips in and out. Then once I was done putting them off on the beach I patrolled the waters to pick up dead bodies. As a 17-year-old kid, it’s etched in my memory.”

Press package

Visit our presenting station, South Carolina etv, to view broadcast details, press release and promo.

http://www.scetv.org/index.php/press/release/etv_presents_the_american_road_to_victory/

New Blog

We've switched our blog over to Blogger, so I will be reposting some of our old posts to consolidate, then adding new posts throughout the Memorial Day weekend and beyond