PLANE CRASH OF CO. H PLANE DURING SOUTHERN FRANCE INVASION

August 15, 1944 at 0220 hours Orbetello Field (130km NW OF Rome). The airfield was very dry clay.

Lt. Edward Athey, S/Sgt Fred Harmon and sixteen men comprised the stick in the third C-47 in the line of take off, which by now was being done in a solid dust storm from the prop blasts. The plane broke out of the dust and the pilot, seeing a parked C-47 ahead, pulled the plane up too sharply and stalled out at 150 feet above the ground. The plane crashed on the left wing and motor and burst into flames. The jump door was about thirty five feet above the ground.

Lt. Athey and S/Sgt Harmon, whose front teeth had been badly broken, formed a human chain up to the door and the men were pulled up through heavy smoke and helped out the door. When all the men were thought to be out, Lt. Athey and S/Sgt Harmon left the burning plane. Someone shouted that a man was at the door. It was Pvt. Pippin and he was cutting the drop bundles and throwing out the bazooka rounds ammunition. In the process, he deeply slashed his thigh with his jump knife. Then at Lt. Athey's order, he jumped to the ground. (He was awarded the Soldier's Medal.)

The following men went to the hospital with injuries: S/Sgt Fred Harmon, Cpl Arthur Graham, Pvts Domingo Villalba, Walter Ostashen, Claude Bynum, Richard Denning, Layton Pippin, George Hamilton, John Kaudy, Donald Avery, Herbert Downs, and Fred Hellmer. They had broken arms, legs, ribs, and extensive dental damage.

Lt. Athey took five men who had minor injuries and arranged with the 442nd Anti-Tank Company Commander (the Nisei Americans) to go into combat with them in the gliders. They were towed in by the C-47s which had returned to the field after the jump at about 0700.

The gliders landed at the drop zone Les Arcs, France at about 1000. One glider pilot was killed and Lt. Athey's glider lost both wings on the ground when it went between rows of grape vines set on steel wires and stakes.

The following men went into combat with Lt. Athey, in the gliders: Cpl. William Frucht, Sgt. Reynold Laeben, Cpl. Harold Bischoff, Pvt. Elza Watkins and Pvt. Calvin Schroeder.

I think that we were the only Paratroopers in WWII that went into combat in gliders.

Edward M. Athey

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