”The Greatest of the Greatest Generation"

For his heroic action Fitzpatrick was awarded the Silver Star medal, and Chrisman and Johnson received Bronze Star medals.

Albert Chrisman.  “At dawn, a company of Germans supported by artillery attacked ‘Devil’s Hill’ but was repulsed.  Two hours later, they made a second attempt to take the hill.  During the second attack, the Germans suddenly stopped firing and a German soldier appeared holding a white flag.  As he was ascending the hill, I saw two German riflemen about 25 yards from him -- waiting for any of us to show ourselves.  With a warning, shout to our men, I pulled the pins on two of my hand grenades and rolled them down the hill toward the two Germans.  We later found both Germans dead.”

Throughout the next weeks, the First Battalion fought off many German attempts to dislodge them from their positions.  The attacks ranged from strong combat patrols up through and including battalion sized units supported by armor and artillery.

 On October 6, 1944, the 508^th PIR were detached from the 82^nd Airborne Division and attached to the 50th British Division.  Hq1 loaded into amphibian trucks and rode across the Waal River Bridge to the Arnheim-Nijmegen Island, and the regiment established a defensive position near the town of Bemmel.

There were no spectacular large-scale attacks, but every night patrols went deep into the German lines and there was always artillery fire.

On November 11, 1944, the 508^th PIR was relieved.  It marched 22 miles to Oss, Holland to meet trucks.  Three days later the regiment arrived in Sissonne, France.

Casualty totals revealed that 681 of the more than 2000 officers and men that had parachuted into Holland were killed, wounded or missing in action.  It is significant that the 508^th PIR was the first American unit to:

·        Operate in Germany.
·        Capture prisoners in Germany.
·        Kill German soldiers in Germany.

A comparative analysis of the Normandy and Holland campaigns is neither necessary nor relevant to the purpose for this album.  However, Historians will appreciate that the campaign objectives were exceedingly different, the political environment belied

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