"In the Company of Heroes".
There are going to very few visitors to this site who have not heard of "Easy Company" 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne. Their story has become folklore to a whole new generation of avid historians, and we support the rebirth of interest in that former generations service and sacrifice. Above, the village of Aldbourne today. New homes surround the older parts of the village where young soldiers rested and trained before going to the airfields and climbing aboard the C47 transports for their next mission.
There is still evidence of the places where men trained, ate, slept, although the latter is only partly true as the much publicised removal of the old stable block from near the village green to America in 2004 severed a very tangible link with the past.
However, yet more exciting finds come to light, even now. At left are some of the identity disks that a local metal detectorist has located in recent years. The names may be familiar to someone. Any further information on these individuals is welcome;
Elmer L. Debarea, A.S.N. 37246317. Baker Company 501st. Read his story here
Stanley Stockdale Jr, A.S.N. 35883057. Born in 1925, Stanley was from Kentucky. He enlisted in Ohio on 12th January 1944. Coming from a rural background Stanley was a farm hand, with practical experience in the matters of life and death. He was to see far more during his young life as a paratrooper in the 101st. (photo below).
Bernard A. Korst, A.S.N. 37029806. Charlie Company 502nd. Bernard was born June 1919 in Montana, and so perhaps was looked upon as a father figure by those younger troopers around him. He passed away in 1979, taking those memories of his experiences during WW2 with him.
Ernest Bills, A.S.N. 15072101. Easy Company 502nd. Enlisted into the Army on February 5th 1942 at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio. Having done 2 years of High School. Born on 12th November 1913, older than his peers he was married and no doubt looked after those around him. He climbed aboard his final trooper transport in 1979, taking his history with him.
Clyde C. Schneider, A.S.N. 36297181. Dog Company 501st. Read his story here
John L. Davis, A.S.N. 15316846. A Technician 5th Grade in Service Company 506th. John L. Davis came to Aldbourne from Trumbull County, Ohio, U.S.A. Sadly we know little about him. He died during the liberation of Normandy. However, the discovery of his disk in England led to another story being told. There was another John L. Davis, a Corporal in 502nd P.I.R. Both men had been in England.
Stanley Stockdale Jr in 1944.
Above: The irrefutable truth, John L. Davis' name in the Ohio Honour Roll.
Purple Heart Lane.
By the evening of June 6th, Lt. Col. Robert Cole of 3rd Battalion, 502nd P.I.R.
had gathered together a force of around 250 men from those who had dropped in
Normandy during that day of days. This force was soon to be used in heavy combat
during the attack on Carentan. The German garrison in the town, numbering little
more than a regiment itself was determined to give no ground without a fight.
The N13 approaches the town along a causeway and passes over 4 river bridges;
Jourdan, Douve, Le Groult and Madeleine. On June 11th 1944 this causeway was the
scene of intense courage and sacrifice.
Lt. Col. Cole and the men of 502nd were pinned down for over an hour by intense MG fire and accurate mortar fire from an emplaced enemy from 150 yards to their front. The next action earned Cole a Medal of Honour and his place in history. It also meant that one John L. Davis, a Corporal from Baltimore as well as many others that day went into action for the last time.
Lt. Col. Cole issued the order to fix bayonets! He then got up, pistol in hand and ignoring the enemy MG fire encouraged the men about him to charge the positions. Gathering up a fallen comrades rifle and bayonet he led the charge across the open ground and thereby the bridgehead over the Douve river and it's tributaries was established. The causeway became known as Purple Heart lane, and Cole's act, the cabbage-patch fight (in 1944 the enemy occupied a cabbage patch, no trace of which is left today).
Corporal Davis was just one of those who earned a Purple Heart that day. A long way from the peaceful English village he left in June 1944. We dedicate these pages to the memory and to the sacrifice of those young soldiers who passed through Aldbourne on their way into history.
As yet we have no further
information on the John L. Davis from Ohio. He has the peculiar honour of not
only sharing his name with a comrade in another Airborne unit, but sadly his
date of death. Both soldiers died the same day. Did they ever meet and joke over
their shared name? Did they fight alongside each other? Today John L. Davis from
Ohio lies at rest in America. His namesake from Maryland lies with his fellow
soldiers in Colleville sur Mer, Normandy.
Above: Howard M. Williams, A.S.N. 37526221. Was born in 1925 and enlisted at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas on 18th May 1943. We believe him to be a member of Baker Company 506th P.I.R. Somehow Howard left one of his tags and chain in Aldbourne during the war.
Above: Staff Sargeant Anthony Dieni originally heralded from Wayne County, Michigan. He gave his life during WW2. The Michigan address on his dog tag after initial research is no longer there. We have not found any trace of his enlistment documents thus far.
Below: How some paratrooper of the 502nd must have cursed when his rifle jammed because of a failed cartridge! The previous 30 cal round has been expended, but part of the cartridge has remained in the breech, the next round has then jammed into the "sleeve" left by the former. Garand Guru Scott Duff of USA has witnessed similar cartridge failures on the ranges. So a manufacturer fault. Such a problem in Normandy would have caused much consternation!
The countryside in which the 101st Airborne did their training before going overseas still hides traces of their passing. Below: Subject to a great degree of "target practice" was this Sherman tank turret, now quietly mouldering.
The exploits of the WW2 American Paratroopers would be nothing without the support and service of the men of Troop Carrier Command. In the case of the 101st Airborne that came in the form of 437th Troop Carrier Group who were stationed in nearby Ramsbury Airfield.
The dogtag above was worn by Eugene Greek, who, as far as we've been able to ascertain lied about his age in order to join up! From the archives the only person with that name and heralding from Michigan was born in 1931, making him only 12 when he joined up? Sadly he passed away in 2007 and so his story appears lost forever. However it is known that he saw activity with 437th TCC and took Paratroopers and gliders to Europe.