The regiment, which included:, eight paratroopers from
Worcester, Mass., and vicinity, nevertheless played a brilliant role ,
in carrying out the mission of the airborne troops, which was to prevent
the Germans from interfering with the ground assault force until the
beach landings had been accomplished.
To achieve this, the 82nd captured the town of Ste.
Mere Eglise and fought for and held
bridges over two rivers, the Merderet at La Fière and at Chef du Pont,
and the Douve at Pont l'Abbe and at Beuzeville la Bastille.
33 Days of Action
A large pocket of Allied
resistance within enemy lines was set up. During the campaign it
stretched from Ste. Mere on the east to St. Sauveur le Vicomte on the
west, and from Le Ham on the north almost to La Haye de Puits on the
south.
This was accomplished in 33 days of action, without
relief and without replacements. Every mission was accomplished.
No ground gained was ever relinquished. For nearly 34 hours, or
until noon of the day after D-Day, the paratroops were without contact
with friendly forces. And though heavy casualties were suffered
throughout the campaign, nothing stopped the troops for long.
In Several Groups
The paratroopers of
this regiment were dropped in several groups and at first these groups
fell in with other units of the division rather than their own. It was
not until four days after D-Day that the regiment assembled as a
tactical unit. Before this, however, they had struck terrific blows.
With other units of the division they forced the enemy
west of the Merderet River at the start. Another element joined in the
heavy fighting at Chef du Pont, finally contacting an isolated battalion
and establishing a bridge head on the west bank of the Merderet opposite
Chef du Pont. Other elements went south to clear out Carquebut:;
crossed the river at La Fière and assaulted Guetteville. The latter
action was assisted by a naval barrage |
from the sea arranged by a naval liaison officer with
the regiment. After being pulled together as a unit, the regiment
jumped off the attack on Beuzeville la Bastille. After crossing
the Douve it swept on through the Cretteville-Baupte area. During
this drive many enemy tanks were encountered and many were knocked out.
Trucks moved the regiment to Pont l'Abbe for the general attack toward
St. Sauveur. The regiment followed another of the division,
driving the enemy west, north and south. Participating in the drive on
Pretot, a squad encountered a Mark IV tank.600 yards north of the town
and succeeded in knocking it out with a hand-thrown British grenade.
The regiment took up a defensive position at Vindefontaine before
joining in the drive toward La Haye de Puits. Heavy fighting was
experienced in the Bois de Limors, and one element which eventually took
'Hill 95" sustained heavy casualties.
Col. Roy E: Lindquist of Pittsfield, Me., the commanding officer, made a
lucky guess which kept the enemy force on this hill from being greater
than it was. He often directed the artillery fire, according to an
artillery officer, on the theory of catching the Germans doing what he
would have done under similar circumstances. Accordingly, he swept an
orchard with fire. Later a prisoner told that a German force preparing
for an .assault on "Hill 95" had been virtually wiped out by this hit.
The hard training,
incomparable self-reliance and bravado of all of the men added another
chapter to the history of the 82nd
Division.
Worcester. Mass.. area men in
the unit are: Pvt. George J. Johnson, 29 Hitchcock road, Pvt
Albert E. Joubert, 146 Belmont street, Pfc. Henry Luhrman. 71
Southgate street, Sgt. Joseph Thibodeau. 11 Trumbull street, all
Worcester, and Pfc. Robert K. Mills of 24 Appleton road. Auburn. Pvt.
James E. Duke. 103 Newbury street. Framingham, Pfc. Harold E. Brodd.
Cronstone street. Millville, and Pfc. Stephen F. Adamuska. RFD 1,
Webster. |
