Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 009, folder 08: 101st Airborne Division after action reports

After Action Reports 101st Airborne and 82nd AB pers. state.

Box 9, #8

SANTARSIERO? (Check)

LIEUTENANT CHARLES J. SANTIORSIERD COMPANY I - 506th PARACHUTE REGIMENT 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION

Statement was taken by Lieutenant Stockton at the 111th General Hospital. Statement begins: "We were stationed at Exeter prior to D-Day and studied maps and tables to France. We had been given a practice jump on Exeter 'eagle' on which conditions of battle were simulated. Preparation was quite thorough -- we were well briefed. "Our mission was to drop near Carentan, secure the bridges across the Douve River, knock out enemy artillery fire on the beach, contact the seaborne forces, and hold the area until relieved by them. We knew that the 4th Infantry Division was the ground force which would land on the Utah Beach on D-Day at H-hour.

"We took off from Exeter about 2300 hours on D-Minus 1 and became part of the 2000-plane armada of C-47s heading for France. As we went across the Channel we saw Jersey Island and flew near Cherbourg where we received some flak. My plane received a direct hit as we approached the drop zone at about 400 feet. We were then on a bearing of 125°. We jumped when we got the light. I wasn't sure we were over the correct area but the plane was having some trouble after being hit. Our jump was very successful and we found ourselves safely on the ground in a field. It was full of anti-glider [inserted]obstacles?[end inserted] I was aware of heavy small arms fire and knew it was from the Germans’ 6th Airborne Division. (Presumably he is talking about the German 6th Parachute Regiment.)

"We were unable to use our lights for assemblying due to the heavy fire of the enemy. But we started gathering together small groups or our men and finally collected four officers and one hundred seventy men. The rest was still fighting in the drop zone. We waded in irrigation ditches and arrived at the Douve River before daylight. Our bridge objectives were bridges 36 and 37. It was still before H-hour. Bridge 37 was about three miles away across the river. We tried to cross it to get to it but were fired on and could not make it. We still had about 170 men. Some had been lost but others had joined us. Our naval artillery observer

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and radio operator had never arrived. Much of our equipment fell into enemy hands but we had some mortars and enough ammo to last two days. We were receiving heavy fire from across the river both small arms and artillery so we dug into the abutment. No enemy troops tried to cross the river to attack us. Our Headquarters Company made another effort and finally gained the other side. We knew that the 4th Division had landed but had no word from them.

CAPTAIN R. H. BROWN HEADQUARTERS 506TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION

It was taken by Lieutenant Stockton at the 61st General Hospital. It begins:

"I landed early in the morning of June 6th. I could find none of my men so sped out to the north post to the Battalion assembly area. I thought I had landed near Carentan as scheduled but 0700 hours found me only one and one half kilometers from Cherbourg. I stopped at a French farmhouse when I discovered I had been landed at the wrong place. They gave me the map from a book and I started south after orienting myself.”

FIRST LIEUTENANT ELMER S. ERICKSON 507th PARACHUTE INFANTRY 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION

A statement taken by Major Lee of the 314th Station Hospital. The statement begins:

"We jumped the night before D-Day about 0100 hours in the morning. I landed about one mile and a half from Ste. Mere-Eglise. I did not run into enemy opposition on landing, only scattered rifle shots. I tried to locate my group but could only fine two men at that time. Throughout the rest of the morning we spent getting together small groups of men and picking up equipment that we could locate. The morning of the first day Captain Taylor, in charge of my group, found one hundred men. At approximately 0900 we attacked a small town north of Ste. Mere-Eglise toward the end of the peninsular. We took the town and ran into a lot of todts captured about forty or fifty Germans and then ran out of ammunition for machine guns and rifles. We got word that some Germans were coming up the road from Montebourg. We did not realize at the time that these Germans turned out to be two battalions of troops that had been called up to Montebourg. They swept through the town and pushed us back, splitting us up. I had just four enlisted men with me and were isolated from the main group. We went off cross-country and after two miles laid down in the ditches, we were so tired. That evening, sometime after dark, the Germans took up positions around us so we laid on the grass all night. About 0400 part of the 325th Glider Infantry moved up and the Germans withdrew which enabled us to get out of our holes."