From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 8:23 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 1124 517TH PRCT- JUNE 1, 2006
70 Pleasant St. Cohasset, MA.02025  *781 383 0215 * Mail Call : Ben Barrett  Ben517@aol.com
 
Hello,  

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  Annual Reunion
July 17-22, 2006

Portland, OR

REGISTRATION FORM


     As of June 1st           517th Portland Reunion  July 17-21, 2006

              
17               Days left to close of Hotel Registration - June 17th
                              Prices for the 517th Registration of  $ 88 or $ 99 daily  rate cannot be
                                   guaranteed after the above date.

              
46                Days until Reunion D-Day - July 17th

                              Please submit your choice of the various events at the earliest
                              date as we must make plans for number of participants                                   
                        
              
Gene Frice, President and the valiant Portland Planning Committee                        

JEAN MICHEL AND ERIC, Airborne Museum Le MUY
 
In first a big thank you ta all the veterans and family  who make donations and help us to make the trip to USA. (general Seitz, G. Frice, Gary Davis...)
We were this morning at the french passport department. at 99per cent we will have it in time ready to go, the 1 percent can be win with letters you have or you will sent to support what we are doing here in france during more that 20 years to perpetuate the memory of the 517th action in 1944 D day.  thank you in advance.
The action report sent by Wayne Cross is very interesting and will help for research in the area. We met many veteran scattered out of the Drop Zone including Al Johnson 596, Al Goodman 596, Lud Gibbon and are in touch with a french resistant who was with the group in Montauroux. He kepp in touch many years after the war with a paratrooper named ROBINSON THOMAS, if our information are good he was with Capt Hooper group in G co. We try to find him in USA with the help of Clark Archer but our letter arrived one week after his death in 1996. he leaved in Escondido CA, and had a son that may be will be interested to join the web site...
At montauroux the germans french and American soldiers K.I.A were buried in a little field near a chapel temporary. the wounded were treated by a group of nurse and sisters from a abbey one of her still alive and she remember those days. Other paratroopers from H and I co and 3rd Bn HQ co ( including colonel Zais) landed around the little village of Seillans. Tom Mc Avoy was in this group and we drove him several times in this zone recollecting many "souvenir" and met Jeannette the lovely girl who take care of him when he was injured during his drop.
If any of you one to come back or family that will be a great honor and a pleasure to show you the drop zone area and visit the museum of course !.
cross my fingers and see you in Portland.!
 AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY !  P.J photo  Leo Dean Gene Frce and Al Johnson inaugurate the 517th plaque we make for you all at Le Muy monument.  photo 2 Eric driving Merle and Mardy Mc Morrow at celebration
                                                 ***************
Two other members have each donated $200
 

Howard Hensleigh
 
Ben:  My thanks to Wayne Cross.  I had no idea anything as complete and concise had been written up and was still with us today.  I am quite sure the majority of the 3rd Bn. assembled by Mel Zais, Hensleigh, Art Riddler, Joe McGeever and Lud Gibbons attacked and took the south end of les Arcs on D plus one.  I can remember only one night on the road.  Those Service Co. demolition men under Lt. Minard were with us as stated.  They destroyed telephone lines with their demolitions along the way from Callian to Regt. Hq.  Unless I am mistaken, they arrived at the Hq. late afternoon on D plus one, not D plus two.  My hat has always been off to all those who made it to the jump zone area to assist the 1st and 2nd Bns. take our assigned objectives in support of the seaborne invasion, as rapidly as we did.  We knew that our job was with the Combat Team, not fighting our own private war off by ourselves.  Zais drove straight for the drop zone.  We who were further from the drop zone caught up with him and the men he assembled to make the attack on les Arcs.  I have wondered why those guys who dragged in to join the Combat Team several days later weren't bitten by the same organizational bug.  Howard Hensleigh

Wayne Cross
 
                                          Dragoon
 
Record of Events
Regimental Headquarters Company
 
on the position by a German patrol estimated at 40 men at 1000 and 1400 hours.  Lt. Tait led his group toward La Motte when they encountered elements of the British.  They directed him to the Regimental CP.
 
 Captain Pearce, Tec 4 Durbin and Tec 4 XXXXX dropped XXX German fortified area approximately 1 kilometer North East of Le Muy.  Captain Pearce sustained a broken leg on the jump.  Tec 4 VanCleave was fired upon immediately upon landing, but evaded the fire by hiding in a vineyard.  Three of the enemy pursued him.  VanCleave disposed of one with his trench knife and killed the remaining two with a hand grenade when they came to investigate the struggle.  At 0900 hours he contacted a British patrol which he heard passing by calling to them over the wall which surrounded the fortification.  At 1100 hours the British attacked the fortification with mortars, and under cover of smoke, entered the fortification.  In the ensuing fight approximately 30 Germans were killed, 20 wounded and 20 captured.  Captain Pearce was then evacuated.
 
 Lt. Pattin and part of the 2nd Bn. demolition section landed approximately 11 kilometers South of La Motte.  He assembled his section and equipment and moved to a bridge North and East of La Motte which he prepared for demolition.  Then, with part of his section, he established a road block on the highway between Le Muy and Les Arcs near the railroad bridge.  No enemy of any force was encountered.
 
 Lt. Alicki, with the remainder of the 2nd Bn. demolition section and the Regimental M.P.’s landed ½ mile South of Le Muy.  He assembled 4 of his men and moved North.  He encountered Major Paxton, S-3, and a large group of men who led him to the C.P.
 
 Sgt. Brown, who was in the same place as Lt. Alicki, assembled eight men from the stick and was immediately surrounded by a force of Germans estimated to be 30 men.  In the fight that followed, Pvt. Ciner was killed and the remainder captured.  They were taken to a German prisoner-of-war enclosure at Le Muy and were held until the town was captured by the 550th on the afternoon of "D" plus two.
 
 Captain Dearing and Captain Bigler landed approximately one kilometer North East of Le Muy and assembled approximately 10 men from the Communications Platoon.  Captain Dearing led the men toward Le Muy when he met a group of 20 men of the 2nd Bn. and 460th PFA Bn.  At daybreak, the group was on the outskirts of Le Muy when a German motorcycle patrol was encountered.  Three Germans were killed.
 
 Captain Dearing then attempted to lead the group to the Company assembly area but was immediately pinned down by enemy fire.  An attack on a strong point which was between Captain Dearing and the assembly area was launched with Captain Dearing leading half the men on the right flank and Captain Bigler furnishing a base of fire and attacking from the left.  Captain Dearing with eight EM succeeded in capturing the strong point from the right but the enemy brought in reinforcements of men, mortars and 88’s.  Captain Dearing and three EM were wounded and all nine men were captured.  They were taken to Le Muy where the wounded were treated by a French doctor and a captured British medic.  They were liberated when the 551th Prcht. Inf. Bn. captured Le Muy on "D" plus one.
 
 Captain Bigler withdrew his group and led them to the Regimental CP after  arriving on the morning of "D" plus one, three walking wounded.  Estimated enemy casualties were 12 killed and wounded.
 
 Major Paxton, Regimental S-3, landed approximately 1-1/2 miles South of
Le Muy.  He assembled his men and waited on the field until daybreak.  At daybreak, he led the men toward Le Muy meeting Chaplain Brown, Lt. Mitchell, Captain Kinzer, Major Vella, Lt. Alicki and approximately 75 EM.  After orienting himself, he moved to the assembly area by way of La Motte.  On the way, two enemy on motorcycles were killed.  No enemy were found in La Motte.  Captain Newberry with approximately half of 2nd Bn. was encountered shortly thereafter and stated that the rest of the 460th FFA Bn. was in position and that they had communications with the 1st Bn., who were moving on their objective.  Major Paxton instructed Captain Newberry to proceed to his objective and led his men to the Regimental CP arriving at 1130 hours on D Day.  At approximately 1300 hours, Colonel Graves arrived with elements of F Company and took command.
 
RICHARD A. BIGLER
Capt., Infantry
Commanding
 
                                             To Be continued in future Mail Calls
Robert Cohen
 
there are no war pictures, just old celebrations, when we met our dear friends , in France, and USA.