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News
From The
508
JANUARY 2008 |
Past Column editor ZIG BOROUGHS
wants us to correct erroneous entries made in his July 2007 submission.
In that month ZIG stated “The Red Devil's
football team won the local championship in the area of Frankfurt and
traveled to Southern France to play for the European championship but
lost that game.”
He also stated, “After their defeat, some
Red Devils went to a local bar to lick their wounds. Soon a fight broke
out involving Red Devil team members, who were promptly arrested by MPs.
BIG JIM KURZ was quoted as telling the MPs, "IKE won't like this," and
the players were released from custody.”
Based on William Lord’s “History of The
508th”, they lost the last game played in Frankfurt. The Red Devils were
bested by the 3rd Infantry Cockades by a score of 20-12 in Victory
Stadium. They went on from there to play the Chanor Base team in Nice,
France.
Zig received a letter about the Nice
football game from SCOTT ELLSWORTH. He said that the incident at the bar
occurred the night before the Nice game. It caused him to miss bed-check
and he had to get another place to spend the night. He arrived late but
in time to get in the game and throw a block which set the runner free
to make the winning touchdown. ELLSWORTH’S letter to Zig stated, “My
memory tells me that we won the Nice game 7-0. There was a bruhaw the
night before the game. Players did not make bed check … I was fortunate
to make the block in their backfield that left GRIGONIS to take a pass
in the clear. Clear in my mind this event.” Lord’s book bears this out
stating that GRIGONIS ran 27 yards for the only score.
508th DOCUMENTARY IN PROGRESS – STEVE
DROTER, Documentary Producer at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans
is producing a documentary that involves the 508th in Normandy. STEVE
was also instrumental in the production of “First Men In”, a documentary
often seen on the History Channel and which focuses on the Pathfinders
in Normandy. Amongst others, FRANCIS LAMOUREUX (G Co.) is featured in
this video. You may recall that the WW-II Museum recently acquired a
C-47 with tail number 42-43096. This bird was the Chalk-17 aircraft that
carried Pathfinder Team #2 of the 508th into Normandy. 2nd Lt LLOYD L.
POLETTE, F Co. was amongst the stick on board that night.
Because of that association, DROTER is
researching the famed patrol led by Lts POLETTE and MILLSAPS on the
night of June 7/8. In support of this effort STEVE is beginning in-depth
research into E and F Companies and any member of the MILLSAPS/POLETTE
patrol [other than BILL BIAGIONI and RAY WILSON who have already been
contacted] are especially needed. He would greatly appreciate any
assistance. STEVE can be contacted by writing to him at The National
WWII Museum, 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 or via e-mail as
Steve.Droter@nationalww2museum.org – or by phone at (504) 527-6012,
extension 301.
TAPS: WILLIAM EUGENE CLARK, 1st Sgt of
A Co made his Final Jump on Oct 25, 2007. Bill was a cadre member at
Camp Blanding. In the Normandy campaign, he landed miles away from the
Drop Zone but joined with other isolated troopers. After 8 days of
heroic combat inflicting heavy losses on a much larger German force, his
small group was surrounded and captured.
CLARK was imprisoned in Stalag III-C on the
Polish-German border. When the Russians later met fierce German
resistance at the German border, the prison camp became a battleground.
Caught in the cross fire, some of the POWs were killed and others
wounded. Those POWs that escaped made their way to Warsaw in bitter
cold. It took 2 months and 4000 miles before they were united with
American troops in Naples, Italy.
OTHER TAPS NEWS: A sad by-product of the
efforts recently expended by our association recruitment committee was
the determination that over 100 additional 508th WW-II veterans had made
their Final Jump. See the web site www.508pir.org and click on “What’s
New” for October and November for listings and links for those names.
LOOKING FOR EYE WITNESSES - Association
Secretary ELLEN PETERS reports that the son of an 80th AA Battalion man
has requested a special favor - that she check with 508th veterans to
see if there are any eyewitnesses to an 80th AA man knocking out 5 tanks
at Baupte on or around June 13, 1944.
If you have any information regarding this,
please contact ELLEN at eeptx@sbcglobal.net or 214-352-7002.
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Send news for column to
Dick O’Donnell
760 Conestee Drive
Melbourne, FL 32904
PH: (321) 759-6174
e-mail:
Jumpmaster@508PIR.org
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