D-Day +60 Years

Jerome J. McLaughlin

Description

This unique account of D-Day
history provides an unusual look into the US Army’s preparation of a new type
of World War II warfare, that of airborne operations. The book describes, using
personal interviews with the veterans involved, how young men who had never
even flown in an airplane before the war were trained to fly into combat, or to
parachute into the dark of night.  The
narrative personalizes the events of D-Day for a small group of men of the 77th
Troop Carrier Squadron and G Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry
Regiment.  Most, including the author’s
uncle, did not survive to see the dawn on D-Day morning.style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  The story then moves forward more than half a
century, when research to find out what happened to his uncle led the author to
meet some of the survivors of that night, resulting in what is believed to be
the first reunion of a D-Day pilot with the men he dropped on that fateful
morning, 56 years earlier.  Many children
of the “next generation” are making efforts to find out what happened to their
fathers and uncles in World War II.  This
story is a classic example of the joy and heartbreak that can result from the
success of such a search.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 21 avril 2004
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781418402686
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

D-Day +60 Years
A Small Piece of History
Jerome J. McLaughlin


AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
This book is a work of non-fiction.
 
 
© 2004 Jerome J. McLaughlin. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 07/20/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-4184-0269-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4184-0270-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4184-0268-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004090871
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
BEFORE
CHAPTER 1 3–6 June 1944
CHAPTER 2 77th Troop Carrier Squadron 1943–44
CHAPTER 3 G/501 – 1943/44
CHAPTER 4 Normandy 1998
CHAPTER 5 Jesse and Jack
CHAPTER 6 June–September 2000
CHAPTER 7 Normandy 2001
CHAPTER 8 The 77th Squadron After D-Day
CHAPTER 9 G/501 After D-Day
End Notes
Bibliography

There are several people to whom I wish to dedicate this book:
My uncle, First Lieutenant Joseph Sullivan, whose loss was so profound to his family that the need to complete his story became compelling; his fiancee, Mitzy Hangarter-Coogan, who will always remain a member of our family; his immediate family at the time of his death: mother Katherine, older brother and sister Vincent and Katherine, and his loving younger sister, my mother, Dorothy. Their pain has kept his memory alive.
The World War II veterans of the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron, who were so supportive of these efforts to remember their lost brothers.
The World War II veterans of G Company, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, who were as proud to be brash young warriors in 1944 as they are now proud to be compassionate recorders of history.
My cousin, Glenn Kenneth Smith (1963 - 1987), who would have been this project’s most ardent supporter.
And most important of all, Denise Mary Catherine Broderick McLaughlin, my bride since May 1, 1982, and the love of my life. I literally could not have completed this project but for her.
 
Jerome J. McLaughlin
Alexandria, Virginia
January 2004
Acknowledgments
Numerous contributors merit special mention for their help in the research and publication of this book.
Among the veterans of the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron, two men who were close to my uncle, pilot Tom Gannon and fellow navigator Earl Vollbracht, corresponded with me for several years beginning in 1984, but passed away before I attended my first 77th Reunion in 1998. I regret not having met them. Others, such as Joe Flynn, Bud Busiere, and Jesse Harrison have become, along with their wives, good friends. George Winard and Abe Friedman have gone out of their way to relate stories of the 77th and personal reminiscences of my uncle. All of these men have supported my research with their time and with the mementoes they were able to retrieve from boxes long hidden in attics and basements. Others helped with interviews and documentation, including Henry Osmer, the first squadron commander, and his operations officer and successor, Phillip “Pappy” Rawlins. Pappy’s interview and his extremely well-documented, unpublished history of the squadron were invaluable. Paul Krause, Walter Lake, Gerry Mulcahy, Frank Blaisdell, and Gene Fosburg [from 435th HQ] went out of their way to assist me.
The French contingent involved refused to allow language barriers, international politics, personal crises, or the width of an ocean to stop their efforts to help with my research as well as the placement of two plaques honoring my uncle and those who died with him. Philippe Nekrassoff, a former paratrooper in the French Army and current national gendarme, played a significant role in this saga. If Philippe had not met Joe Flynn during the 40th anniversary celebration of D-Day, what follows would most likely never have been compiled. Philippe’s expertise on the subject of troop carrier operations in Normandy assisted me through this project for almost two decades.
Philippe also introduced me to Michel Gaudry, a retired jazz clarinet player. Michel now lives in Normandy and works with WWII veterans, their families, and friends trying to unlock or relocate the past. Others in the French contingent include Bill and Genevieve Phillips, who acted as our translators on our first visit; Claude Dulenay, the owner of the farm on which the plaque bearing my uncle’s name is displayed; and Regis and Patricia Bisset who, in addition to displaying a plaque, graciously invited twelve Americans into their home during our 2001 visit. A special thanks also to Sebastian Daher, the proprietor of Hotel du 6 Juin in St. Mere-Eglise, who served as a wonderful host and able translator. Nadine Hanguehard-Turmel, Philippe Nekrassoff’s editor and good friend, provided translation assistance and the e-mail conduit between France and Virginia that enabled Philippe and me to communicate in hours instead of weeks.
The veterans of G Company 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment were initially involved only on the fringes of my research. Thanks to assistance from George Koskimaki, I received letters in the 1980’s from Don Kane and Jack Urbank regarding the knowledge they had of the loss of my uncle’s aircraft. Later Ray Geddes launched an entirely new direction for the story that resulted in this book. Don, Ray, and Jack—along with Jack’s family, particularly daughters Claudia and Denise, have been major supporters. Lucien Tetrault, Don Castona, Fred Orlowski, Wilber Ingalls, and Warren Purcell contributed with detailed personal memories and pictures. A special thanks is due Cliff Marks and Art Morin, Jr., sons of G Company men who made significant contributions. Sue Kane provided several suggestions that have been incorporated in the book.
Authors Milton Dank and Martin Wolfe were helpful to me in my early research.
Some participants not part of the WWII military or citizens of France include my cousins, Katherine and Ken Smith and Margaret and Wilson Young, who have been involved both emotionally and technically. Mark Bando, the author of several excellent D-Day books, has been a major source of support. Photographs and tidbits of information he supplied are found generously throughout this book. Other contributors include Chris Wahl, a long-time friend and colleague, who translated Philippe’s letters for more than a decade; Amy Whorf-McGuiggan, who contributed her Master’s thesis; Art and Patti Morin and John Merkt, who made the 2001 trip to France; and Brian Williamson from the Museum of the Soldier, who contributed material on Milo Ludy. The staff at the Department of Defense Memorial Affairs Office during the time period 1981–1990 were most helpful in providing the files that I requested for review.
Others who helped have included Art Couchman, the nephew of medic Eddie Hohl, who shared the letter that his family had received from Laurence Legere in 1980. Art recounted several interesting tales concerning his search for the details surrounding his uncle’s death. Ken Holmes contacted me with information about his dad, who served as a platoon leader in G Company. Ken was able to document, from his father’s WWII memorabilia, that Lieutenant Luther Knowlton was seen wearing Bud Busiere’s top hat while in Normandy. (Ken is a retired career Special Forces NCO; his son is the family’s third-generation paratrooper.)
Others who were there when I needed help along the way include Jim Grismer, John Daley, Glenn Marshall, Maureen Rienmueller, and Scott Carothers.
I am not a professional writer. Production of this book was a labor of love. I did, however, find some fine professionals to work with me on the project. Shirley Parker and Roberto Kamide, who did the editing and graphic work, are outstanding people who made my ramblings into a product that I was proud to send to the publisher. I doubt, despite my best efforts, that this work has been completed without error. Although I did my best to ensure accuracy, any errors the reader may note are mine alone. If you would care to comment on any aspect of this book, I would appreciate hearing from you. You may contact me at: [e-mail] M .


INTRODUCTION
What follows is a small piece of history. It began in 1981 as an attempt to discover what had happened to my uncle, Lieutenant Joseph J. Sullivan, who had been killed on the morning of D-Day while flying as a navigator in a Douglas C-47, dropping the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy. After years of research I was to learn what did happen to my uncle and, in 1998, to actually visit the crash site where he perished, along with nineteen other American soldiers. What happened after my visit to France in 1998 is the second story, which led to the writing of this book.
It is the story of two small groups of the young men who had been caught up in the world’s largest, most horrendous war. None of the main characters had reached his thirtieth birthday; many were teenagers. The young men were members of two units of the United States Army that had not existed when the war began. Even the concept of what the units were designed to