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Paratroopers on C47A, Tail Nr.
42-10104 shot Down Near Wyler Germany |
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 The entire stick
of 508th Company A paratroopers left the aircraft as it was beginning to burn and
subsequently crashed. Remarkably, after narrowly escaping death in the
aircraft, at least 12 of the men survived the war although four of them had
to endure the deprivations of POW camps before being liberated at war's end.
A signed statement made by 508ers Cpl Walter Firestine and Pvt
Edward J Wodowski on 12 Dec 44 testified that the aircraft had been hit
several times before reaching the DZ, both motors were afire, flames were
coming through the floor. They last sighted the plane when it was over
[Wyler] Germany.
Sgt Pierce, they also stated, was the last man to jump, and after
[the platoon] assembled on the ground Pierce made the statement that after
he felt the opening shock of his parachute, he turned and saw the plane
explode in mid-air over Germany. Firestine and Wodowski said that "The
equipment bundles were burning as they came down, and they exploded on the
ground. We were unable to save any weapons." (Handwritten stick
names from Rex Combs collection) |
 James
Blue wrote: "First the Pathfinder team droped [sic] to mark the Drop Zone
followed one hour later by the 505 Regiment. Second to drop was the
504 Regiment followed by the 508 Regiment.
On our flight (508) Lt. Rex Combs plane (3rd platoon) became
endangered by that plane of Lt. Schlesinger that was on fire and both plane
loads were droped 2,000 east of D-Z 508. Lt. Combs said he was looking
down from the plane and he could see people in the church yard at Wyler so
that tells me that our flight was south of Wyler. Wodowski was in the
Schlesinger plane and he landed I would think in the headwaters of
Wyler-Mere.
After the Schlesinger plane load droped the pilot banked right and
his plane crashed just out side the Peters farm house [Jumpmaster note: see
'X' on sketch map] All the crew was killed. In clearing the D-Z on 18
Sept this was the Co "A" section." |
|
Rank |
Name |
Comments |
Died |
Location |
| 1/Lt |
Nolan R |
Schlesinger |
EUS (Evacuated, to U.S.?), 10 Nov 44 |
9 Apr 1984 |
Mesa, AZ |
| Cpl |
Walter |
Firestine |
KIA |
31 Dec 44 |
Near Vielsalm, Belgium |
| Sgt |
Vernile G. |
Pierce |
KIA |
19 Sep 44 |
Holland |
| Pfc |
George |
Lapso |
WIA, 17 Sep 44 |
26 Mar 1999 |
Cleveland, OH |
| Pfc |
Rigoberto |
Ledesma |
Changed surname
to MARKS |
3 Mar 1998 |
Morrow, GA |
| Pfc |
Miles B. |
McPherson |
MIA 17 Sep 44,
POW |
23 Jan 1988 |
St. Albans, VT |
| Pvt |
Willard H. |
Davis |
KIA |
19 Sep 1944 |
Devils Hill, Holland |
| Pvt |
Julius P. |
Musmeci |
KIA |
19 Sep 1944 |
Devils Hill, Holland |
| Pvt |
David H. |
Weeks |
Not reported as a
casualty |
06 Nov 1988 |
Hit in legs by shrapnel while still in
aircraft. (Died York, ME?) |
| Pvt |
Edward J. |
Wodowski |
Wounded by German
grenade |
02 Mar 2008 |
Fayetteville, NC (provided some of
the above information) |
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