National Reunion

                                                            Salt Lake City

                                                            July 200

Gene Frice

Ben,

     The following is for yourself, Wayne Cross, Jean-Loup Gassard, and any remaining members of F Company; or others that may have an interest. I believe the below applies closely to all troopers that enjoyed the walk. The missing map involved is somewhere within the 517 link documentation as I observed it there. If we could identify the gentleman who obtained it from me in St Louis,  and who subsequently placed it in the 517th data-we all then have it. Mystery solved at that point. Otherwise, I will obtain my original map and provide the information to those that desire it. The reproduction of that portion of the map is difficult and somewhat costly as we travel from the southwest to the northwest over different large portions of a large map.

Gene Frice 

The Long Walk-Aug 15 to November 1944

      The attached map represents the travel of F Company, 2^nd Battalion, 517^th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, from the scattered area of the assigned Drop Zone, near the village of Le Muy, France, in the foothills of the Maritime Alps. The Company traveled the route traced. Other units of the 517^th traveled an independent, however, similar route in the area. The combat period for the 517^th was a total of 91 continuous days. The terrain was extreme and difficult. The enemy did not cooperate and the weather consisted of every extreme from oppressive heat, rain, and occasional snow. The equipment was not adequate for the extremes encountered.

      The mission of the 517^th was in support of the seaborne invasion of the coast of Southern France and to prevent the Germans from supporting the enemy troops in Normandy, or those remaining in Italy.

      The 517^th was withdrawn from the area in November 1944; to be committed to the Belgium, Ardennes, “Battle of the Bulge, and the subsequent brutal combat in Germany.

      The original of the above map was drawn by Cpl. George Ross of F Company, on a day-by-day basis, from August to November 1944, tracing the exact route of F Company during that period. The artistic work was likely illegal.. The copy and tracing from the original was done be Gene Frice of F Company.

      The map the route was subsequently traced upon was a normal Michelin, Provence Cote d’ Azur, 1/200 000 scale, # 528 Regional. The terrain has changed little over the years. The above Michelin map is current available from any map supplier or bookstore.

               Gene M. Frice   F Company        517^th Parachute Regimental Combat Team