General Stanislaw Franciszek Sosabowsk was the commander of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade which fought valiantly in Operation Market Garden, a battle which ended with disastrous casualties of allied troops including the Polish division. The Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade was among the Allied forces taking part in Operation Market Garden. Due to […]
stoessi’s heroes
Meet the Heroes: German Brigadeführer & Generalmajor – Heinz Harmel
Born in 1906, Harmel volunteered for the SS-Verfügungstruppe (later known as the Waffen-SS) in 1935 and served as a company commander in the SS-Regiment “Der Führer”, with which he took part in the Battle of France in 1940. In 1941, he took part in the Balkans Campaign and Operation Barbarossa. In December 1941, he took […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne T/4 George Luz Sr. & 1st Lt. Harry F. Welsh
Technician Fourth Grade George Luz, Sr. was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. George Luz had a knack for causing trouble with his sense of humor, and his ability to imitate just about anyone. During a training exercise in England, […]
Meet the Heroes: US Combat Medic Desmond Doss & Sgt. Howell
On April 1, 1942, Desmond Doss joined the United States Army. Little did he realize that three and a half years later, he would be standing on the White House lawn, receiving the nation’s highest award for his bravery and courage under fire. Of the 16 million men in uniform during World War II, only […]
Meet the Heroes: US Novelist & War Reporter – Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway was in Europe from May 1944 to March 1945. He had come to the front to show the “Great American Public” how the war should really be reported. He would show them what war was really like—brutal, unsentimental, red-blooded macho. And his chosen vehicle for this reporting was the unsuspecting 22nd Regiment of […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne Staff Sergeant “Wild Bill” Guarnere
Guarnere enlisted in the U.S. Army on 31 August 1942 and was placed in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in the Mortar Squad of 2nd Platoon. He went through rough training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia under Captain Herbert Sobel. After training at Camp Mackall, he and the 101st went […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne Lieutenant Ronald C. Speirs
Speirs joined the Paratroopers and was assigned to Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, at Camp Toccoa. He was later transferred to Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, and made 1st Lieutenant. After training, he headed to England to await their next mission. At Aldbourne, he married a British widow and together they had a […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne Staff Sergeant – Denver “Bull” Randleman
Randleman enlisted in the US Airborne Infantry in August 1942 and was assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as a rifleman in 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon. He went through Basic Training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia under the harsh leadership of Captain Herbert Sobel. After training, Randleman became a […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne First Lieutenant – Lynn “Buck” Compton
In December 1943, Lynn Compton joined the Army and was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division prior to Operation Overlord. During the company’s action at Brécourt Manor, Compton and others, under the leadership of Lieutenant Richard Winters, assaulted a German battery of four 105 mm howitzers firing […]
Meet the Heroes: US Airborne First Lieutenant – Clifford Carwood Lipton
Carwood Lipton was the jumpmaster of one of the C-47 Skytrains that the paratroopers used to jump into Normandy. Lipton dived into Normandy and was able to rendezvous with then First Lieutenant Richard Winters, Easy’s executive officer, and several other men from the 101st, and two more from the 82nd Airborne Division. They were later […]