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| Unit History of E Co. 2nd Battalion 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment |
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Now replacements and wounded started to return to the unit. Boredom started to overtake E Company. For combat veterans, field exercises were not very entertaining nor were they welcomed. The lull in activities allowed division commander, General Taylor to fly home to help reorganized the table of organization and equipment for airborne units. The Deputy Commander was summoned to England to give lectures on Operation Market-Garden. General Anthony McAuliffe, the 101st's artillery commander became the acting division commander. |
| On December 17, 1944 E Company and the rest of 101st were "truck lifted" in a miracle of logistics into and around a small town called Bastogne. With little of the refit complete, E Company went into action with what they left France with. Few winter uniforms were issued along with ammunition. E Company dug into the woods to the east side of the road that ran from Bastogne to Foy-Noville. They encountered remnants of American units moving blank faced and panic strickened to the rear of the 506th positions. The Company was in familiar territory, short of ammo, food and completely surrounded. Twelve days of the most bitter fighting in the history of the US Army lie ahead for the men of E Company. As if to mock the surrounded paratroopers on December 1, 1944 it started snowing and stopped only after 12 inches had fallen. The cold and trench foot did as much damage as the Germans. On December 12, the Germans offered to accept the surrender of the 101st The famous rally cry and moral raising saying of "Nuts" was sent back to the German lines. Finally on December 26 Patton's 3 Army broke through to the "battered bastards of Bastogne" to effect relief and resupply. Unfortunately for E Company, a manpower shortage befell the US Army and they were put on the offensive. E Company came to Bastogne with 121 men, the company held less than 100 on New Years Day of 1945. E company would fight to regain ground around Bastogne for over two weeks into January of 1945. The 506th would finally be moved to regimental reserves. |
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From
January 18 to February 23, 1945 E co. 2nd
Battalion 506th PIR. Was placed in the lines of a
town called Hageuenau. They got their first taste
of urban combat defensive style. Constant
bombardments followed by small arms exchanges
were the order of the day. On 25 February 1945 E Co. and the rest of the 506th were pulled off the line and shipped by rail to Mourmelon France. For the first time since Bastogne, they were able to shower and sleep in cots instead of washing out of their helmets and sleeping in their foxholes. It was during this break Gen. Eisenhower personally awarded the 101st Airborne the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation. It was the first time in Army history that an entire division would be given this award. |
| From April to
V-E day E Co. would be on German soil. It would
only be fitting that the Screaming Eagles be
allowed to take the Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden.
It would be a fitting ending of the war for the
beleaguered regiment. When E Co. entered the war on June 6, 1944, it had 139 men in its ranks. At wars end 48 E Co. men would have given the ultimate sacrifice and more than 100 would be wounded, some several times. In their honor, we portray these men so their memory and sacrifice can be displayed for all to see. Currahee! Which means, "Stands Alone", Eco. 2nd Bat. 506th PIR definitely stands alone. |
COMPANY E - 506th PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT (May 3,1944) |
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Lt. Lynn D. Compton 2 Lt. Robert L. Mathews 1 Lt. Thomas Meehan (CO) 2 Lt. Warren R. Roush 1 Lt. Raymond G. Schmitz 2 Lt. Harry F. Walsh 1 Lt. Richard D. Winters (XO) Pvt James H. Alley Jr. PFC Roderick G. Bain PFC Salvatore F. Ballino PFC Edward J. Bernat PFC Albert Blithe Pvt Robert J. Bloser S/SGT Leo D. Boyle Pvt Richard L. Bray Pvt Earl V. Bruce PFC Thomas H. Burgess Cpl James D. Campbell Cpl Gordon F Carson PFC Burton P. Christenson PFC Maxwell M. Clark PFC Roy W. Cobb T/5 Herman F. Collins Pvt Philip Coviello PFC Seth 0. Crosby Sgt Bernard S, Cunningham Pvt Richard P. Davenport S/Sgt James L. Diel Pvt Rudolph R. Dittrich PFC Edward J. Donahue Cpl William Dukeman Pvt George L. Elliott PFC Carl P. Eckstrom Pvt John L. Eubanks 1/Sgt William S. Evans PFC Carl L. Fenstermaker |
PFC Bradford C Freeman PFC Walter S. Gordon Sgt Charles E. Grant PFC Everett J. Gray Pvt Genoa H. Griffith Sgt William J. Guarnere PFC Forrest L. Guth Pvt Stanley L Hagerman T/5 Herman T. Hanson Pvt Walter L.Hendrig Pvt Robert C. Hensley Pvt Hoseph E. Hogan Pvt Donald B. Hoobler PFC Clarence S. Howell PFC William A. Howell Pvt Eugene E. Ivie Pvt Eugene Jackson PFC Cobum M. Johnson Pvt Edward J. Joint PFC Joseph M. Jordon PFC William F. Kiehn Pvt Paul E. Lamoureux Pvt Louis Lampos Pvt Robert T. Leonard Pvt Joseph A. Llesniewski PFC Joseph D. Liebgott Pvt Quinton E. Lindler S/Sgt Clifford C. Lipton PFC Dewitt Lowery T/5 George Luz PFC Donald G. Malarkey PFC Robert A. Mann PFC Robert K. Marsh Sgt John W. Martin Pvt Jack F. Mathews Pvt Edward H. Mauser Pvt Arthur J. Mauzerall |
T/5 Bill C. Maynard Pvt Earl W. McClung PFC Thomas A. McCreary Pvt William McGonigal Pvt John McGrath Pvt Walter L. McKay Pvt James A. McMahon Pvt Francis J Mellett Pvt Joachim Melo Pvt Vernon J. Menze Cpl Kenneth D Mercier PFC William S. Metzier PFC John N. Miller Pvt Donald J. Moone Pvt Alton M. More Pvt David E. Morris PFC Sergio G. Moya PFC William H. Muck Sgt Elmer L. Murray Jr. Pvt Gordon H. Oien Sgt Richard E. Owen PFC Ernest J. Oats (Medic) PFC Alex M. Penkala Jr. PFC Frank M. Perconte Pvt Philip P. Perugini PFC Cleveland 0. Petty PFC John Plesha Pvt George L Potter PFC Darrell C. Powers Pvt Alex R. Raczkowski Sgt Robert J. Rader Pvt Joseph Ramirez Cpl Denver Randleman Pvt Mike Ranney Pvt Lavon P. Reese Sgt Carl N. Riggs PFC Woodrow W. Robbins |
S/Sgt Murray B. Roberts PFC Paul C. Rogers Cpl Harvy G. Robinson PFC Edward F. Sabo PFC Carl C. Sawosko PFC Elmer N. Schuyler PFC John L. Shashy PFC John C. Sheeley Pvt Wayne A. Sisk PFC Campbell T. Smith Pvt George H. Smith Jr T/4 Robert B. "Burr" Smith Sgt Robert T. Smith PFC Gerald R. Snider Pvt James L. Sowell Pvt Robert I. Stafford Pvt J. B. Stokes PFC Roderick G. Strohl Sgt Floyd M. Talbert Sgt Amos J. Taylor Pvt Elmer Telstad PFC Edward J. Tipper Cpl Joseph D. Toye Sgt Clarence M. Tridle PFC Robert VanKlinken Pvt Allen E. Vest Pfc William H Wagner Pvt Thomas W. Warren Pvt Kenneth J. Webb T/5 Jerry A. Wentzel (commo) Pvt Walter H. Wentzel PFC Daniel B. West T/5 Ralph Wimer PFC William H. Woodcock Cpl Richard M. Wright (Pfdr) PFC Robert E. Wynn Jr. Cpl Arthur C. Youman Pvt Frank J. Zastavniek |
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