From: Ben517@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:14 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: MAIL CALL NO. 734 517TH PRCT--AUGUST 10. 2004
Hello,
I just want to catch up on a few items.
 
Everyone must have received the Thunderbolt by now and all seem very enthusiastic about the format and contents thanks to the efforts of Bob Christie and Donna Hillard. Tom Reber compiled the roster which has all information that you want to give to him. Tom has an up-to-date version on the website www.517prct.org/archives  but you must notify him of any changes so that he can keep it current and that is not an easy task.. Where do we find such people to this?
 
August 15 is fast approaching and many members use this date to remind them to make a donation to keep the 517 PRCT active.  Donations should be sent to Bob Christie at 390 301 Blvd. W. Unit 10C, Bradenton, Fl. 34205-7904.  Donations for the French monument should also be sent to him.
 
August 15, is most important date to those members who jumped into Southern France in 1944. August 15 is also an important date for our president Howard  Hensleigh and his wife Jan. They were married on August 15 fifty six years ago.  Howard and Jan are moving to warmer climates on August 18. He will be a neighbor of Tom Cross in Atlantic Beach, Florida.. About the same time I will also be moving south but only thirty miles from the North Shore of Boston to the South Shore. Howard can recall with accuracy many events of combat for the 517. He was in it from  the first day to the last and thus has provided us with interesting stories for "recollections" on the website.
 
We have recently received many request from relatives for information about love ones who served in the 517.Please help them if you are able to do so.

Website                      www.517prct.org
Mail Call                     Ben517@aol.com
Mail Call Archives     www.517prct.org/archives
Roster                        www.517prct.org/roster.pdf
Florida Mini-Reunion 2005
January 23-27, 2005
Kissimmee, FL

John Alicki

August 15, 1944  Allies land in southern France

One hour after midnight on 15 August the 517th Parachute Combat Team began its original mission participating in Operation Dragoon.  This operation was the second largest combined Airborne/Seaborne invasion of World War II.  It involved 1,000 ships, several thousand warplanes and 300,000 men including a 9,100 man contingent of Airborne Troops. The most fascinating and successful Allied Airborne assault of World War II.
In all, 300,000 Allied soldiers (French, American, Australian, British) stormed France's Mediterranean shore, 70 days after D-Day Landing at Normandy (6 June 1944) catching German troops in a pincer so tight that Hitler mentioned to his aides, "This is the darkest day of my life."

My stick jumped between 4 & 4:30 a.m.. Although our military planners had hoped for a clear night of August 15th a large high pressure system moved and settled in over southern France and over our objective creating a heavy fog.  Being the lead stick of my 20 man Demolition Team and looking out the open plane door I couldn't see anything.  About that time the Red light over the open plane door came on signifying to stand up, hook up and ready to jump when the Green light signal over the open door came on.  At the Green light I jumped into the thick foggy soup like a frog not knowing whether I would land in water or the good terra firma.  Our pilot navigated the plane right on our designated target for I landed directly on the DZ (Drop Zone) near Le Muy and began searching for my men.  I figured they should be nearby as they all jumped from the same C-47 but could not locate a single one.  Then I remembered, a split second after I jumped the plane made a sharp L-Bank and the remainder of my stick parachuted down on top of a German bivouac.  A violent firefight erupted and the Germans attacked my trapped men from all sides.  Sizing up the situation in the confusion and darkness Sergeant Brown my squad leader managed to get eight men together but they were quickly surrounded by thirty or more Germans.  Private Giner was killed instantly by a bullet.  The uneven slugging match could have only on ending.  Sergeant Brown and his remaining seven parachutist were captured and taken prisoners to Le Muy.  Shortly after, they and others captured were released after our Regimental S-2, Intelligence Officer, Captain Dearing who was also captured brilliantly negotiated with the Germans into surrendering.

John Alicki
You must go to this website, it is magnificent.  
 
http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/windowmovie.html

The following book was authored by Bill Webb, Hq. 3rd.  and can be purchased from Trafford www.traford.com  for $10.45 plus S  & H
 

Escapades by W.T.W.

54 pages; perfect bound; catalogue #03-2229; ISBN 1-4120-1851-X; US$10.45

Trafford Publishing (www.trafford.com search for "Escapades")

Escapades is a true story about an overseas paratrooper in World War II. Like all paratroopers, in World War II, he felt his parachute regimental combat team (the 517 PRT) to be the best there was.

Details:

Paratrooper in World War II. Aviator with over 25,000 flight hours. District Manager of large retail fuel company. Owned and ran seven Florida citrus groves.

Excerpts:


from Italy:
 

I peeked around the end of this fence just as "C" companies captain stood up in front of this kill of Germans and signaled real deliberate to fix bay nets three times. On the third time about 100 bayonets came up. "G" company was going in.
Comm. Platoon got up to follow. No one fired at us as the Germans switched their fire on "G" company. They were too late as "G" company was in on top of them, "G" company took more German prisoners than "C" company had personnel in the company.
 

from The Bulge:
 

In the process a couple of tanks were digging in and one of their sergeants was standing talking to me. Major Paxton walked by and said to the tank sergeant "Your outfit has a reputation of pulling out and leaving people in the lurch. You don't do that to the 517, I gave orders to my gunners to shot you if you try it, we are all staying." Major Paxton then went on his way.
 

from Germany
 

About the 4th night we were called on to make a night attack. But just before jump off the attacking force did not want a wire team, as there is no way to keep the reels of wire completely quite. Sgt. Horne, Ed Inman, myself and I believe one other wireman was near Col. Paxton as he sent his people in. The engineers along with "I" company went first. The Engineers to clear the mines, "I" company in five man patrols to go up through the mines, wade the river, find each other on the other side of the river, and prepare to attack the dams from their back side. 


 Awarding Veterans Easier

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Susan Scherer Clark
Thanks for all the info you sent.  If you want to update your roster for dad, his new address is 103 Homestead Ln, Watertown, WI  53098.  I know he had been getting "ThunderBolt" but it sounded as if that got confused somewhere.  Anyhow, I will be checking out the archives and am especially grateful to the website for helping me see how these modest men honored our country.
                                                              ********
Susan's father was Tech Sergeant Roger B Scherer-Service company-Ben

Morris McDowell
Ben,
Are there any 517 members going to Toccoa in October for the reunion? I plan to attend, & would like to know if any one of the 517th will be present. Morris McDowell
Entry of Aug 02, 2004 at 22:40 [EST]
Name: Thomas Thornton
Unit:
EMail: tom@thorntoncreative.com
How I found the 517th page: Other
Comments: My uncle, Andrew "Bud" Murphy, was KIA in Italy on June 18, 1944. I don't know much about Uncle Bud except that he was a good boxer, popular among friends, and has the distinction of being the first KIA of the 517th in WWII. I have named a son Andrew in his honor and would like to share some information with him about his great uncle as he gets older. If anyone can pass along any stories, photos, etc. about my uncle it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tom Thornton