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    506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition]
    506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition]
    506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition]
    Ebook75 pages1 hour

    506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition]

    By Colonel S. L. A. Marshall

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    Includes six maps.
    This is actual story of parent regiment of the famous “Band of Brothers” Easy company.
    As the tens of thousands of American troops began their approach toward the forbidding German-defended Normandy coast, their comrades in the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions had already flown over the Channel and began dropping and gliding into enemy territory. The Airborne Divisions had a role critical to the success of the entire Normandy Landings; beyond the initial beach landing areas were miles of flooded defended ditches and waterways. If the German troops managed to defend these bottlenecks the Americans on Utah Beach, at the extreme right of the operation, would be unable to move forward and might have foundered on the beach.
    The capture and retention of the two southernmost exits were assigned to the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment; the plan was well thought-out and would have in all likelihood have succeeded handsomely. However the drop of the 506th like many of their comrades on D-Day was wide and scattered all across the Normandy landscape. As groups of paratroops nervously grouped together in the darkness they started small actions against whatever German positions that they came across; as officers and NCOs struggled to gain some control over the chaos the most organized moved toward their objectives. They bravely pushed forward toward their targets and held them against the rising numbers of German reinforcements; before the major link-up with the beach landings they fought and won the engagement at St-Mairie-Du-Comt against their toughest enemies, the German paratroops.
    S L A Marshall, the Official Historian for the European Theatre of Operations, interviewed the men of the 506th on their return to the U.K. and from this collected material set about recording this story of their courage, dedication and fighting skill.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLucknow Books
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782893523
    506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition]
    Author

    Colonel S. L. A. Marshall

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      Book preview

      506 Parachute Infantry Regiment In Normandy Drop [Illustrated Edition] - Colonel S. L. A. Marshall

      This edition is published by LUCKNOW PUBLISHING—www.pp-publishing.com

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      Text originally published in 1944 under the same title.

      © LUCKNOW Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      REGIMENTAL UNIT STUDY NUMBER 3

      506 PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT IN NORMANDY DROP

      Published by History Section,

      European Theater of Operations

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

      THE LOWER CAUSEWAYS 3

      CAPTURE OF THE SOUTHERN CAUSEWAYS 11

      WITH STRAYER'S COLUMN 14

      AT THE LE PORT BRIDGES 14

      CONCENTRATION AND MOVEMENT 14

      THE GENERAL ADVANCE 17

      THE ACTION AT ST COME DU MONT 24

      THE LOWER CAUSEWAYS

      In all, there were four causeways which connected Utah Beach with the solid ground of Normandy. The 502d Regiment had been given the task of securing the two northernmost exits to facilitate the passage inland of the forces coming by sea principally from the Fourth Infantry Division. The seizure of the two southern exits was part of the mission of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

      The tactical situation and the nature of the ground in the operation against the southern exits were similar to the conditions confronting 502d Regiment farther to the northward.{1} The mission was considered an ideal one for parachute troops and the operation was thought to be so timed that the sea-borne forces would arrive before the enemy could build up a strong counter force.

      On the extreme left flank of the Beach, the causeway identified in the operations plan as Exit No 1 tied-in with the highway net of the Cotentin Peninsula just to the west of Pouppeville, a village near the mouth of the River Douve about 5 miles northeast of Carentan. Exit No 2, a little farther to the north, led from the Beach through Houdienville to Ste Marie Du Mont. Both of these causeways were built to a height of an average 6 feet above the marsh which was an initial barrier to the westward advance of the forces landing on the Beach. Over most of its area, the marsh could be waded, and it was therefore not a formidable obstacle to the passage of troops. But it was criss-crossed at many points by drainage canals, which though narrow, ran to a depth of 8 feet or more. The presence of these streams composed a very real danger: if the force coming by sea was denied the use of the causeways, many hours would pass before it could link-up with the force which had arrived by air. The time thus lost might determine the fate of the Utah Beach operation and finally of the whole invasion.

      The plan called for first and Second Battalions of 506th Regiment, supported by Regimental Headquarters Company, to land on Drop Zone C. This Zone was just to the south of Boutteville and to the west of Ste Marie Du Mont, which put it about as close to the western approaches of the two lower causeways as was tactically practicable. As rapidly as it could complete its assembly, Second Battalion, reinforced by one section of demolition men, was to move westward along a line running north of Ste Marie Du Mont toward Houdienville. From that point, the Battalion's northern element composed of Company E and the demolition section was to launch an attack westward for the purpose of clearing Exit No 2. The southern Element Company F would leave the column at Hebert and attack toward Pouppeville and Exit No 1. Company D and the Battalion Headquarters Company were to set up in Hebert as the battalion reserve. To divert the Germans and prevent them from taking the causeway forces in rear, First Battalion was to send a reinforced platoon from Company B to the area just south of Ste Marie Du Mont; it would demonstrate strongly enough in that direction to draw the attention of enemy forces stationed in the village. The remainder of First Battalion, supported by Regimental Headquarters Company, would stand at Hiesville as the regimental reserve.

      This was the plan for Third Battalion: Supported by one platoon of 326th Engineer Battalion and two demolition sections, it was to land on Drop Zone D, which was to the south of Vierville and east of Angoville Au Plain. From this ground, the force was to strike southward as soon as possible and seize the two bridges near Le Port at the mouth of the River Douve. The bridges were to be expanded into a bridgehead as rapidly as the tactical situation permitted. By seizing the high ground in the direction of Brevands, the Battalion

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