Operation Market Garden - Day 4

Day 4

On day 4 of 'Operation Market Garden,' the 101st airborne continued to repulse the German probing attacks up and down their narrow corridor of 'Hell's Highway,' but the real action was taking place in Nijmegen and Arnhem. The British paratroopers were still grimly holding on, but they were massively outgunned and outnumbered and they had taken catastrophic casualties. The relief columns still pinned down in Nijmegen were already 30 hours behind schedule. There was no sign of a breakthrough. A bold plan was required to take the all important bridge.

Gavin meeting British generals

82nd Airborne General, James M. Gavin and a group of British generals met on the south side of the Waal river. They discussed how a simultaneous assault on both ends of the bridge might break the German's grip. Captain T.Moffatt Burris, of I company 504, was present at the meeting. 

 Captain T.Moffatt Burriss explains

Original crossing boat (courtesy Groesbeek museum)

The boats chosen for the crossing were narrow, flimsy, canvas and collapsible.

Original crossing site, Waal River

As the troopers drifted out into the middle of the fast flowing river,  they paddled with their rifle butts as the Germans opened up with everything they had. Many of the little boats were blown clean out of the water. Casualties on the crossing alone amounted to over 50%. After the survivors reached a small sandy area on the far bank, now named 'Little Omaha,'  they had to make a 500 yard dash in the face of withering machine gun and mortar fire.

Open ground on far bank of Waal River.

 While the 504 were making the river crossing, elements of the 505 and 508, with British tanks in support, were attacking from the Southern end. After killing or capturing the German defenders on the far bank, the troopers of the 504 began their fight to the Northern end of the bridge. It was a house to house battle, which took several hours. Finally they fought up the steps of the bridge and overpowered the defenders while continuing to take fire from snipers up in the superstructure.

Steps to Northern end of Nijmegen Bridge.

The actions of the other regiments of the 82nd Airborne at the Southern end had also succeeded and British tanks started to make their dash across.

Heinz Harmel (courtesy Bundesarchiv)

SS Brigadefuhrer, Heinz Harmel, watched as the first tanks started to cross. He wanted to wait until they reached the center before giving the order to detonate. He gave the command and nothing happened! He realized the wires had been cut!

Captain Moffatt Burriss met up with the first tanks across. 

The British stopped for the night, but in the morning when they moved off the Germans had re-grouped and re-supplied. There would be no relief for the British paratroopers at Arnhem. Of the 10,000 British at Arnhem, only 2,000 escaped death or captivity.

Though all American objectives had been achieved, 'Operation Market Garden' had failed. The war would not end by Christmas 1944 and northern Holland would not see liberation until the Spring of 1945.

The Americans on Hell's Highway is the 2nd part of 'The American Road to Victory' trilogy, which has been broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. It is available on DVD priced $ 23.95 or $69.95 for the entire WWII trilogy.

Operation Market Garden - Day 3

Day 3

  

At 06:00 am, U.S paratroopers and British engineers, having worked all through the night, finally waved the British tanks across the bridge at Son. By 07:15 am, the British tanks had reached the midway point of the Highway at Veghel, where some peeled of to support the 501st. At 08:30, the forward British elements were at the Grave Bridge South of Nijmegen, which was still firmly held by the troopers of 504th, 82nd Airborne.

Nijmegen Bridge

The tanks reached Nijmegen soon after and paratroopers and armor battled towards the bridge.

Jan van Hoof

There was hellish street fighting and there paratroopers sustained many casualties.  The SS held a firm grip on the bridge. They had a fine vantage point and could direct accurate fire on the approaching Americans. The Germans had wired the bridge with explosives as a last ditch attempt to stop the advancing Allies. Late in the night on Day 3, a young Dutch patriot, Jan Van Hoof , is reputed to have climbed under the bridge in the dead of night and cut the detonating wires. Jan was caught and executed by the Germans on the morning of the 20th as he lay wounded after a British scout car that he had been traveling on was hit by a German grenade.


The Americans on Hell's Highway  is the 2nd part of 'The American Road to Victory' trilogy, which has been broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. It is available on DVD priced $23.95 or $69.95 for the trilogy.

Operation Market Garden - Day 2

Day 2

Leonard Funk

In the early morning of Day 2, the 82nd Airborne drop zone at Groesbeek, an area vital for the re-supply operations, came under heavy fire. Their German attackers had recovered from the initial shock of the paratroop and glider landings. In danger of being completely overrun, 1st Sgt Leonard Funk of the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment saved the day. He mustered a group of paratroopers and repulsed the German attack, taking many prisoners.

General Maxwell Taylor 101st Airborne

The 101st Abn's 501 regiment came under heavy attack at Eerde, but beat off a determined offensive by the same German paratroopers who had attacked the British armored columns on day one. Holding only a narrow corridor, Allied paratroopers were vulnerable to attacks from the flanks. 

The Germans were using their forces as a 'fire brigade', rushing up and down either side of the highway, attacking at will. General Maxwell Taylor of The 101st Airborne Division described the position as being "like guarding the railroad from Indian attacks in the Wild West."

The 101st Airborne 506th had managed to construct a makeshift walkway across the canal at Son, they had entered  Eindhoven and had met up with the British XXX Corps. A Bailey bridge was requested and the British battled through the cheering crowds to reach Son. They would finally arrive at 23:00.

The 505 and 508 regiments of the 82nd Airborne continued to fight the stubborn Germans in Nijmegen. They were still a way from their objective, the main bridge.

Elements of the British 1st Airborne were locked in deadly combat with the German 9th & 10th SS panzer divisions at Arnhem. They were being decimated.

The Americans on Hell's Highway  is the 2nd part of 'The American Road to Victory' trilogy, which has been broadcast on PBS stations nationwide. It is available on DVD priced $23.95 or $69.95 for the trilogy.

Veteran clips

Jacques Reboul's photos for Livingbattlefield

Who better to tell a story than those who were there? We are proud to introduce some of the heroic veterans from The American Road to Victory series.




 Veteran Earl Norwood, of North Carolina, recalls sobering memories in the film, The Americans on D-Day, airing on PBS stations across America this summer. 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.”

 South Carolina native, Carl Beck, now lives in Atlanta. No shrinking violet, Carl tells it like it was. Carl annually visits a French family who helped him after he parachuted into an area heavily occupied by the Germans. Following D-Day and the fight in Normandy, Carl went on to battle up Hell's Highway, participating in the largest airborne drop ever attempted in broad daylight. While in Holland, Carl came up against a  Tiger tank, which he describes in this clip from The Americans on Hell's Highway.

More discussion on Sherman tanks can be found in Tank Warfare post.

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, airing across America this summer.

“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 'the Lost Battalion'."

Col Dillard went on to fight in Korea and Vietnam and then to work for the CIA. He has written a book about special ops in Korea, and continues to travel frequently around the world.

Community Outreach Update

News clippings from February

It has been an incredibly busy winter for the Livingbattlefield crew, as we’ve criss-crossed the Southeast, holding outreach screenings, mainly in libraries - the heart of most communities.  At each screening, we show one of the American Road to Victory films, and then invite local WWII veterans to share their personal war memories with audience members. The stories they've told have had audiences shivering with cold, tearing up with empathy and even laughing at the absurd things that can happen in the midst of war.

Richard introduces The Americans in the Bulge in Florence

The most popular film for this time of year has been the snow-filled Americans in the Bulge. Because the Bulge was so late in WWII, and because it was such a huge battle, every town we visited had veterans from the Bulge participate in the screenings. At the Florence County Library, fourteen WWII veterans attended the screening, nine of whom fought in the Bulge. One of the veterans had even served on a firing squad following the Nuremberg trials, something he talked about because a scene in the film featured actual footage from an American firing squad. He described his role, and said it was something he had to do, but an experience that was difficult to put out of his mind.

Sumter veteran speaks

The film triggered many memories. Veteran Jim Martin, featured in the film, said that Patton's Army didn't need to rescue the 101st Airborne, who were locked into trench warfare when Patton broke through with fresh troops. Martin said as long as the skies remained clear and they could get supplies, he and the other 101st paratroopers could have continued to fight on their own. Well, following the screening, another 101st veteran held a different view.

"I don't know about that guy, but I'll tell you right now, I was GLAD to see Patton!" 

The audience burst into laughter.

Stories of humanity were lovely to hear. One veteran talked about walking down a wooded path, exhausted and hungry. He saw a little German girl, all alone, holding a basket. The little girl ventured out to the path where he was walking and handed him a painted Easter egg.

veteran discusses segregation

We were reminded of the history that can still be touched when one veteran at the Orangeburg County library spoke of memories involving his great grandfather, who fought in the CIVIL war! He talked about this grandfather taking him to see the steam trains when he was a little boy. He also talked about what it was like to be a part of a segregated fighting unit in World War II. Richard, the film's director, then discussed how the Battle of the Bulge, in particular, was a turning point in segregation, and a chance for blacks and whites to fight side by side. The need was so great for soldiers at that point in the war,  blacks who might have only been allowed to drive trucks or to cook were handed rifles and told to fight.

Young lady thanks veterans for their sacrifices to help keep our country free

We are particularly excited when young people attend the screenings. Younger people seem to be deeply impacted by the bravery they witness during the films, and the opportunity to meet veterans who, when they were young, were committed to do anything and give everything for their country.

Young lady introduces her uncle to Richard, in front of her project

People often bring personal scrapbooks and letters to the screenings, and veterans might bring their medals, or objects they captured or found during the war. One young lady even brought her school project, which was about her uncle's experiences in WWII.  Following the Greenville County Library screening, local re-enactors attending the film allowed two young boys in the audience to hold actual WWII rifles.

All in all, the outreaches provided a wonderful opportunity for communities to explore the rich tapestry of their shared history. We received a lot of audience feedback, stressing the need to do these screenings throughout the country. But, it takes an enormous amount of time to set up good screenings, and, frankly, there is not much time left with our veterans to do them. So, in response, we are now hard at work on a screening packet for libraries. The packet will include instructions on how to find local veterans, customizable press releases and information on how to get the word out about a screening, poster art, a video introduction to the films and Q&A ideas to follow the films. We are offering this screening packet free to libraries that put The American Road to Victory trilogy into circulation.

We are seeking a corporate sponsor, to help get the films and screening packets into the hands of libraries throughout the US. Ideas are welcome! So, if you work with a corporation that might be interested in sponsoring community outreach screenings, or, if you work at a library that would like to hold an outreach, please contact Rachael in our office at 917-231-1231. Or, write to her at rachael at livingbattlefield dot org.

I Danced with Marlene Dietrich

Richard Lanni speaks with Linda Ketron outside the Strand

At two screenings of The Americans on D-Day, one at the beautiful Strand Theater, Georgetown, South Carolina, on December 3^rd, and the other at The History Place, in Moorehead City, North Carolina, on Decmber 6^th, WWII veteran Earl W. Norwood described how he got the chance to dance with Marlene Dietrich and shake the hand of King George VI before going off to take part in an event, which Earl said shaped his life forever.

Standing Ovation

Earl Norwood autographs a card for a young viewer

Just 17 years old when he joined the Navy, Earl was one of the youngest pilots of an LCVP, landing craft off Bloody Omaha beach. There was not a dry eye in the place as he described driving his craft up on to the beach, dropping the ramp and seeing three soldiers cut in half by machine gun fire. “The other thirty guys just climbed over their dead buddies and rushed on to the beach. That memory will remain with me forever”.

Earl, who later joined the US army, fighting in both Korea and Vietnam said:

“Whenever I was in a tight spot I just remembered the courage I witnessed on D-Day and that spurred me on.”

Earl made 5 trips into the fateful beach on D-Day, and then spent several days trawling the choppy waters for dead soldiers. Finding this just too harrowing, he asked his commanding officer to give the job to someone else. “Just remember this, Son”, said the captain, “every time you recover a body, some mother back at home will know what happened to her son and where he is.” 

“We just went right back to work” said Earl.

 

screening at the History Place

At the North Carolina screening, Earl was joined on stage by Morehead City's beloved local historian, Rodney Kemp, and series writer/director, Richard Lanni.

Community screenings of episodes from The American Road to Victory trilogy will continue throughout 2012.

Earl Norwood & Richard Lanni at the Strand

"This is a chance that we must not miss" said Livingbattlefield executive director, Heidi Mehltretter. "We are losing these great warriors at an alarming rate. Occasions such as these, when an audience has the chance to see the real life locations and hear from the men who were there, the experience is nothing less than magical."

Financing for the current tour has been provided in part by both the North Carolina Humanities Council and the Humanities Council SC.

If you would like to hold an event at your museum, library or historical society, please contact heidi (at) livingbattlefield.org or call 803-429-7500.

'The Americans in The Bulge' on Veterans Day at Fort Benning

Entrance to the imposing museum.

It was a great honor to have the opportunity to screen The Americans in The Bulge, on Veterans Day at Fort Benning, as part of Livingbattlefield.org's non-profit, educational, outreach program. The museum is an incredible tribute to  U.S. armed forces through the ages.

Carl Beck, Marilyn Pahr and Richard Lanni

We were joined by Veteran Screaming Eagle, Carl Beck, who appears in The Americans on Hell's Highway. Carl drove down from Atlanta with Livingbattlefield.org's board member and friend, Marilyn Pahr. Carl joined in a Q&A session after the screening.

Lieutenant Jordan Beck, introduces the show.

IMAX Director, Mark Balsinger and AV Director, Lieutenant Jordan Beck, pulled out all the stops to make Veterans Day 2011 at Fort Benning, a memorable occasion for everyone.

Director Richard Lanni addresses the audience.

Although not present, 101st Airborne veteran, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin's words, stole the show. The audience were captivated by his gripping account of life in Bastogne during the siege, and his humorous description of how the German surrender pamphlet was used as toilet paper.












The National Infantry Museum is undoubtedly one of the most engaging historical sites that we have ever visited. We are sure that during our WWI research, we will be spending a lot of time here.

Statue of a GI, rifle in hand, charging forward.

It was incredible to see the film on the enormous IMAX screen, which measures 70' across and 5 stories high. The powerful sound system enabled the audience to hear every sound effect with alarming clarity.

Opening sequence.

Carl answering questions.

After the screening, Carl Beck, answered viewers questions about 'The Bulge'. Ever the comedian, Carl gave his own humorous recollections of that fateful battle.

Richard Lanni and WWII vets

Other WWII veterans, who volunteer their time to talk with people attending the museum, were also present at the screening. They were given a warm welcome and a rapturous round of applause.

1st Sgt. Chris Goodrow meets Carl

The U.S army showed their appreciation for the screening.  It was even suggested that every young soldier should see the films as part of their training, Wow!! Wouldn't that be great.

Carl talks with Dorothy Ziegler

Another special moment occurred when audience member, Dorothy Ziegler, realized that Carl Beck had served under her father, Col. Ewell, in the Hell's Highway campaign.






This film will be showing for another two weeks at Ft. Benning. Who knows, maybe the trilogy will become a fixture at this amazing theater. This was the first of a number of screenings this month and next, culminating with our final screening of the year in New York on December 7th.

Angoville au Plain cont . . .

Following up on Memorialized in Glass, here is a photo of Carl Beck with one of the brave medics, Robert Wright, who cared for Americans, Germans and locals in the Angoville au Plain church. In an interview on You Tube (posted by the Central Florida WWII Museum), Wright talks about collecting arms from every soldier, and not allowing anyone to use the bell tower as a look out. Likely for these reasons, the Germans left the church alone. Wright does say they received some friendly fire, however.

This is the area near where Carl Beck, 101st Airborne, should have landed. But, like many airmen on D-Day, he was dropped in the wrong place, and had to rely on a French family to help hide him while he waited for others to come into the area. Carl has returned to visit this family a number of times over the years.

In our last post, we talked about Mark "Sparky" Patterson's stained glass window memorials. One is here at this church, and another is being planned for a church near the La Fiere bridge. Anyone wishing to donate to this stained glass memorial project, please contact Mark at pathfinder.tours at yahoo dot com. 

Return to Normandy

After receiving such good response to our post about Screaming Eagle veteran Jim "Pee Wee" Martin's discussion of why he did not consider himself a hero, we decided to share more of his recent interview here. Here is Jim's response to the question, "How does it feel to be back in Normandy after 67 years?"

Jim served in Normandy on D-Day and beyond, and he is featured in our film, The Americans in the Bulge, for his chilling testimony of the conditions troops faced during that bitter campaign.

"I wanna be a photographer"

New Jersey WWII veteran, Harry 'Flip' Kulkowitz, just wanted to be a photographer. He was having a great time until the call came to ship out to Europe. Harry did his part and soon overcame his disappointment. He was too busy taking part in D-Day and The Battle of The Bulge to worry about what might have been. He did manage to shoot a few rolls of film, however and later  became an accomplished photographer. Harry appears in both The Americans on D-Day and The Americans in The Bulge. He has some interesting things to say about the ferocious German assault in the Ardennes.

We hope to post some of Harry's War time photographs on this blog over the coming weeks.

Not Heroes?

It's been a wonderful experience following 101st Airborne veteran, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin, on his first trip back to Normandy since he landed on D-Day, 67 years ago.

101st AB veteran, Jim "Pee Wee" Martin signs the tail plane
at the C-47 Cafe. Ellwood Von Seibold looks on.

Yesterday, he signed Ellwood's tail plane, in the C-47 Cafe. Afterwards, we spoke in the courtyard outside the cafe. During our conversation, we referred to Jim as a hero. He was quick to correct us, saying he did not consider himself a hero.

Yet, after stories of bitter cold and lack of provisions he spoke of in The Americans in the Bulge, and listening to him go through the horrors of Normandy, the facts speak for themselves. Sorry to contradict you, Pee Wee!

One thing is indisputable, Pee Wee Martin is an inspiration. We were touched by the soldiers lined up outside the closed cafe, waiting to shake his hand. 

Up Above Them

Lt Col. FC ‘Hap’ Chandler, a WWII B24 pilot navigator, wandered into Ellwood’s café in Ste Mere Eglise during the 2008 D-Day celebrations. This unmistakable ‘Georgia’ boy, with his rich Southern accent and old world charm stood beside the famous C47 tail piece and said in pretty audible tones, “You're gonna have to get me a ladder, 'cos the only place I’m gonna sign this thing is up there”  pointing to the uppermost part of the tail, which had been signed by hundreds of veterans. 

“I was up above them in WWII and I’m going to stay above them now.”

 A ladder was duly provided and the 88 year old flyer deftly climbed the steps and wrote his signature and a short message at the very top.

After accepting a cold beer as recompense for his exertions, he turned to us, the roving film crew and said “ Ok boys, let’s do an interview." There followed, what can only be described as one of the most lucid, detailed and entertaining descriptions of service in WWII that we have ever had the privilege to film.

Hap has been a great friend to all of us and he makes an appearance in The Americans on Hell’s Highway This little film was made for him, as a tribute to his service.

Omaha Cemetery

'Omaha Beach,' the killing zone of D-Day, is overlooked by the magnificent American cemetery. None of the fallen, not even the unknown soldier pictured here, were overlooked on this Memorial Day weekend.


Though the reasons for the words on these graves of unknown soldiers are grim, we find the epataph comforting.

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY

A COMRADE IN ARMS

KNOWN BUT TO GOD

Today, the tide was half in when we took this photo from from the German vantage point on high ground. 


The Allies had to attack at low tide, to avoid mines and other obstacles that had been strategically placed by the Germans to destroy incoming craft. 


Standing here, it's hard to imagine how the soldiers steeled themselves for what they had to do.

Earl Norwood, veteran landing craft pilot, featured in The American's on D-Day, shares this memory:

Mike Fitch

WWII hero and one of the stars of 'The Americans on D-Day',

buried with full military honors.

Sgt. Mike Fitch, World War II

 

Mike Fitch, from Conway S.C has passed away at the age of 92. He was a Sergeant in the 29th Infantry Division on D-Day. He came ashore on Omaha beach in full glare of the German machine gunners. His sector 'Charlie' was one of the murderous killing zones on that fateful morning. His harrowing testimony in The Americans on D-Day, sends chills down the spine. When the remnants of the 29th finally managed to get of the beach and on to the High ground, Mike came face to face with his first German and although stunned, he killed him. He averaged one kill a day for the remainder of the war.

 

Mike's Service Record.

Mr. Fitch was a decorated World War II veteran, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in August of 1941,  and served primarily in the European Theater of Operations, rising to the rank of technical sergeant  in an intelligence and reconnaissance platoon of the U.S. 5^th Infantry Division’s 11^th Infantry Regiment.  In Operation Overlord, the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy, France, he served in a two-man intelligence and reconnaissance team, which was attached to the U.S. 29^th Infantry Division’s 116^th Regimental Combat Team. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed in the second assault wave on Charlie Sector of Omaha Beach, where American casualties were among the highest of D-Day.  On “Bloody Omaha,” he and his recon team were  instrumental in destroying  WN-73,  a deadly German artillery and machinegun installation overlooking the right flank of Omaha Beach.

Afterwards, he was engaged in the Normandy Campaign, the Battle of the Bulge and in the final Allied offensive against Nazi Germany, ending the war in Czechoslovakia. From the summer of 1944, through the duration of the war, he served in advance of American front lines in reconnaissance and intelligence operations and as a U.S. Army sniper, and was repeatedly engaged in combat. On several occasions, when the 11^th Infantry Regiment was serving in the U.S. Third Army, he was detached as an intelligence operative to serve as a driver for General George Patton. A former civilian pilot, he was trained as a U.S. fighter pilot while posted to Iceland in 1943, and in late 1944, he briefly held a temporary duty assignment as a P-51 pilot until injured by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

For his services in World War II, Mr. Fitch was awarded the Sharpshooter Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the French Croix de Guerre.

Obituary: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/myrtlebeachonline/obituary.aspx?n=mike-fitch&pid=154084563