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We stand alone together: stories of the WWII Airborne

May 24th, 2008 Susan - Central

Having very much enjoyed the popular HBO series Band of Brothers, which tells the story of E (”Easy”) Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in World War II,  I decided to read more about the Paratroopers in their own words.  If you don’t consider yourself a likely reader of war memoirs (which I didn’t), never fear.  They have fascinating, moving, sometimes humorous stories to tell, which are interesting whether you consider yourself interested in military history or not.  As a bonus I found that I almost inadvertently learned more than I ever did in school about military battles and hardware in the context of these personal narratives.

Parachute Infantry : An American Paratrooper’s Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich, by David Kenyon Webster, is a good place to start. I f you’ve seen the HBO miniseries or read Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same title, Webster’s memoir may seem familiar, as Band of Brothers owes a lot of its color and detail to Webster’s diary entries.

Webster was unusual in that he was studying English literature at Harvard University when he volunteered for the Army’s parachute infantry, and he served as a private though he could likely have received an officer’s commission. 

He was a gifted writer and his self-deprecating humor is very evident throughout this greatly detailed account. He vividly conveys the feelings of boredom, confusion, and irritation– punctuated by periods of sheer terror– that are part of being a soldier.  Getting wounded or killed (or trying to avoid that outcome) are obvious concerns, but what about the other discomforts and indignities that go along with war?  Digging the “perfect” foxhole, trying to stay warm and dry (and often failing), and scrounging for extra rations (or liquor) are pursuits that are never far from mind it seems.  He honestly documents acts of cowardice as well as courage and is not shy in his criticism of some officers.  He is no Superman; his humor and humanity make him very relatable and make for an excellent read.  Of dropping into Normandy on D-Day and finding himself waist deep in water, separated from his unit, and being shot at, he writes “I shivered convulsively and started to cry, then thought better of it.  The hell with everything! I’m here for keeps; make the best of it.”  And he does.

Another excellent book about the Paratroopers in WWII is Currahee! : a Screaming Eagle at Normandy, by Donald R. Burgett, a member of A (”Able”) Company, also in the 101st Airborne.  Donald Burgett describes in great detail the very strenuous training they underwent to become Paratroopers, and I found myself surprised at how many ways there were to die or be seriously injured before ever completing the training.  He doesn’t shy away from flatly describing the gruesome sights and horrific events he witnessed or took part in, but I think his matter-of-fact tone effectively conveys to the reader the reality he experienced. He remembers coming upon an infantryman holding a dead friend and wailing in despair while at the time he himself wondered basically “what is the matter with that guy?”.  To effectively function in war, one simply couldn’t react in a way that under other circumstances would be considered normal.

Since the Paratroopers were all volunteers and had to undergo additional vigorous training beyond regular infantry (including of course, five successful jumps out of an airplane), it was a self-selected group whose members would certainly seem to be a classic examples of Type T Personality, a thought that kept coming to mind while reading these stories.  They took amazing risks that at times seemed idiotic and unnecesary (such as rule-breaking or risking getting shot in pursuit of a case of wine).  On the other hand, I thought, if they weren’t the type of guys to pull such crazy stunts, they also wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what they did against such long odds.  Despite landing far from their planned drop zones on D-Day and being scattered from the rest of their units, the Paratroopers managed to coalesce into small, improvised groups and accomplish their objectives.  It’s fascinating from a psychological as well as military and historical perspective.

For a glimpse of what life was like for a local Paratrooper, read A Paratrooper Remembers, a slim volume of recollections by Glen C. Drake, a Baraboo native who was a member of the 508th Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.  Glen Drake was a regular farm boy from Wisconsin who gave up his draft exemption because his sweetheart, soon to be his wife, didn’t want to marry a farmer. After completing basic training, he somewhat impulsively volunteered for the Paratroopers because he didn’t want to serve as an Ordinance instructor.  (Certainly this was a guy who didn’t choose the easy path!)  His no-nonsense style, sometimes colorful manner of speaking, and dry sense of humor made me smile, reminding me of older relatives and neighbors I encountered growing up in small-town Wisconsin myself.

I admit I appear to be hooked on the topic. Next up on my list is Beyond Band of Brothers : the War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters , by Richard D. Winters, the much-revered third commanding officer of Easy Company.  He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for an important assault which took out fixed artillery aimed at the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, though there is a movement to have him awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as well.  On a frivolous note, though still handsome today, looking at the many old photos accompanying his book I can’t help noticing that as a young man he was even better looking than Damien Lewis, the British actor who portrayed him in Band of Brothers.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction