a ww ii airman’s story europe: normandy through ve-day
DESCRIPTION
A WW II Airman’s Story Europe: Normandy through VE-Day Presentation make to Special Friends June 2005. 6Z. Special Friends. Sources: Photos by Anando Kramer Photos & Data from “Into the Valley” Col. Charles H. Young, 1995 Y’s Tales, York High Year Book - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
6Z
A WW II Airman’s StoryEurope: Normandy through VE-Day Presentation make to Special Friends June 2005
Special Friends
Sources:
Photos by Anando Kramer
Photos & Data from “Into the Valley”Col. Charles H. Young, 1995
Y’s Tales, York High Year Book
Tower ’44, Wheaton College year book
Photos from family albums
Anando Kramer, photographer
My Name is Donald Frank Beaumont
Prologue1924 to 1942
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents
I am the oldest of three sons ofFrank Beaumont 1900-1990Beatrice Beaumont 1900-1997
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade1928 - First airplane ride
First Flight:1928 Pittsburg: Dad & Me
Curtis Robin
Most Recent Flight: 2004 Georgetown, Texas
76 Years!!!
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade1928 - First airplane ride1934 – Chose Jesus Christ, Savior & Lord1936 – Joined Villa Park Bible Church1938 – Attended York High School
The High School Years
Teen Years: Family, Church Cars, a Girl Named Frances
Don and the ‘35 Ford Roadster
June 1942I graduated from York High School Elmhurst, Illinois
List of York Servicemen from Classes before 1942! Three more classes were added by war’s end.
Young Men in Villa Park Bible Church Class of 1942
Kenny Goodheart Fred Damerion Killed in France, 1945
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade1928 - First airplane ride1934 – Chose Jesus Christ, Savior & Lord1936 – Joined Villa Park Bible Church1938 – Attended York High School1942 – Attended Wheaton College
September 1942 to January 43I attended Wheaton College, Illinois
Wheaton, Dear old Wheaton live foreverBrave Sons and Daughters trueWe will ever uphold thy colorsThe Orange and the Blue
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade1928 - First airplane ride1934 – Chose Jesus Christ, Savior & Lord1936 – Joined Villa Park Bible Church1938 – Attended York High School1942 – Attended Wheaton College1943 – Drafted into US Army
The War Years 1943 to 1945
1943
February 1943Drafted: 36737213
I served in the Army Air Corps Feb. 27, 1943-Nov. 23, 1945
I served in the Troop Carrier Command 96th TCS 440th TCG
Aircraft Electrical Specialist
Oh, What a difference 61 years makes
96th TCS 440th TCG February 1944 – August 1945European Theater of Operations
Dropped Airborne Infantry Towed GC-4A & Horsa Gliders Dropped parapack re-supplies Hauled gasoline jerry cans Repatriated wounded & POW’s
96th TCS 440th TCG February 1944 – August 1945European Theater of Operations
D-Day Normandy: Op. NeptuneSouthern France: Op. DragoonHolland: Op. MarketBastogne: Battle of the BulgeRhine Crossing: Op. Varsity
February 27, 1943
Chicago, IllinoisInduction Physical
Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois Induction into army
Kessler FieldBiloxi, Mississippi
Basic training
March 1943Assigned to Army Air Corps
March 1943 Kessler FieldBiloxi, Mississippi
Basic training
Amarillo Field Amarillo, Texas
May 1943Aircraft Mechanics School
Chanute Field, Illinois
August 1943Aircraft Electrical Specialist School
Life Changing Events1924 - Born with two wonderful parents1930 - Moved 6 times by end of 1st grade1928 - First airplane ride1934 – Chose Jesus Christ, Savior & Lord1936 – Joined Villa Park Bible Church1938 – Attended York High School1942 – Attended Wheaton College1943 – Drafted into US Army1943 – Flight Crew Physical Exam; Eye Test
August 1943Chanute Field, Illinois
Aircraft Electrical Specialist School headed for B-29 in the Pacific?
E C D AM O F P N
On Furlough, December 1943 with DadWaiting for Notification of Assignment
December 1943Assigned to the Troop Carrier Command
440th Troop Carrier Group 96th Troop Carrier Squadron 6Z
The C-47 transport!
Douglas DC-3
Cockpit of a C-47 Dakota
December 1943Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri
440th Troop Carrier Group96th Troop Carrier Squadron 6Z
December 1943Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri
440th Troop Carrier Group96th Troop Carrier Squadron 6Z
January 1, 1944Pope Field, Fort Bragg
North Carolina
Training with Airborne Infantry
January 1, 1944Pope Field, Fort Bragg
North Carolina
Training with Airborne Infantry
GC - 4A glider
Vs of Vs in Trail
February 1944Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Ground Echelon leaves for EnglandVia Camp Shanks, Orangeburg, NY
February 1944Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Air Echelon leaves for EnglandVia South America & North Africa
C-47 cargo area with ferry tanks
The War Years 1943 to 1945
1944
England, France, & Holland
February 1944Camp Shanks, Orangeburg
New York
Ground Echelon Sails for England
Troop Ship Louis PasteurFormer French Luxury Liner
Ground Echelon’s carrier: New York to Liverpool
No convoy: 3rd fastest ship at that time!
E7Port
March 1944 Landed in Liverpool Bottesford Air BaseNottinghamshire, England
March 1944 Bottesford Air BaseNottinghamshire, England
Training with Airborneand British Horsa Gliders
Horsa Glider Tow
England from the Air
April 1944 Exeter Air Base Devonshire, England
Getting Ready for Normandy
Loading a jeep enroute to Exeter
Where do we sit?
Enroute to Exeter
April 1944 Exeter Air BaseDevonshire, England
Getting Ready for Normandy
May 1944Exeter, Devonshire Group Review
Note: No D-Day black and White Paint yet
June, 1944 Exeter, Devonshire Colonel Krebs radar shippainted for Operation Neptune
Pathfinder guides to DZ’s and LZ’s
Specially trained:Troop Carrier flight crewsParatroopers
Mission:15 to 30 minutes before 1st serialSet up:
Eureka (Rebecca) nav aidLighted or florescent “T” panels
Pathfinders: A brief history
1st used in the invasion of Italy (deemed essential after the bad drop scattering
during the invasion of Sicily).Success in Italy=use on D-Day Normandy.
Day-Day Normandy: 20 C-47 pathfinders30 minutes before the 1st SerialsOnly marginally successful
Night landing errorsEquipment failures
From: C H Young1995
D-Day NormandyOperation Neptune
UtahOmaha
Exeter
Barracks & Air Raid Shelters Exeter, Devonshire
May 1944Exeter, Devonshire Group Review
Note: No D-Day black and White Paint yet
From: C H Young1995
D-Day NormandyOperation Neptune
June 5-6: Only ETO night dropPlanes Gliders Troops Air Fields
1038 103 17,000 15 England
D-Day Normandy American Part
801 C-47’s 13,000 paratroopers Formations formed with red & green fm lightsOff Normandy: red & green off, blue fm on dim20 minutes from drop: remove jump door 4 minutes from drop: red cabin light Stand & hook up to static cabin line Descend to 700 feet reduce 140 to 110 mph Green light = kick out parapacks & JUMP
440th TCG Op Neptune June 5-6, 1944
440th TCG45 C-47’s, lost 23rd Bat, 506th Para InfCo C 326th air eng bat101st Airborne Division
D-Day black & white paint job
Flight Line: June 5, 1944 439th TCG
D-Day Normandy, June 5th-6th
101st Airborne
Never Forget What They Did!
Omaha Beach D-Day!
From Where They Fell
DZ’s around Ste-Mere-Eglise
UtahBeach
Ste MereEglise
Ste Mere Eglise in 1999
Ste Mere Eglise Church Airborne Image 1999
ParatrooperFigure
Parachute Museum, Ste Mere Eglise
Col C H Young’s C-47
ArgonneLead the 339th TCG June 5-6,
1944
Omaha Beach, May 199955th Anniversary of Normandy
D-Day plus one
Airborne Infantry on GC-4A Glider Enroute to Normandy
Tug C-47Glider
Horsa & CG-4A Gliders in Normandy
Horsa glider & casualties
Jeep off loaded from GC-4A Glider
Waco CG-4A Glider &Rommel’s Asparagus
Fought with infantry until repatriated
Ready-made Runway
Southern FranceOperation Dragoon Take-off: Italy
Invasion of Southern France Operation Dragoon August 15, 1944
Italy
France
August 1944Move from Exeter, England to Reims, France
August 1944 Reims, FranceBombed Hangers
Here by accident!We’re C-47’s not P-47’s!!!
August 1944Reims, France Barracks
Air Echelon moved back to EnglandGround Echelon moved to Mets, France
Ground Echelon moved to Le MansAir Echelon moved back to England for Operation Market (Holland)
Invasion of HollandSeptember 17, 1944
Summary: Daytime Operation1532 planes 478 gliders20,000 Troops 18 Pathfinder C-47s
20 minutes ahead
Sept. 17th Op. MarketHolland
Sept. 17th: Op. Market440th dropped 82nd
Col Krebs plane lost
Group CO Krebs’ C-47 Collided with another C-47Returning from Holland Drop
Freddy Broga & Company 2 Weeks with the Underground
Re-living the underground experienceThe Elevator hiding place
Sept.18th:440th towed 82 gliders:
82nd Airborne
Sept.23rd:440th towed 96 gliders:
82nd Airborne
Meanwhile back in Le Mans, France
October 1944 Le Mans, France
November 1944Move to Orleans Air Field
Ground and Air Echelons reunited
November 1944 Orleans, France
December 1944 Orleans, FranceOperation Bastogne
Orleans Air Base OperationsArdennes: Battle of the Bulge
Dec. 16th 1944Nazis Attach with
250,000 troops 1,000 tanks
Bastone
Meuse River
Bastogne: Dec. 26th
AM: 96th TCS flew one C-47 & glidersurgical team and supplies
PM: 10 C-47’s & gliders (3 from 96th)
Bastogne: Dec. 27th
439th TCG: 50 plane serial (13 440th)95th TCS lost 5 of 896th TCS lost 3 of 5
OUR WORST DAY of the WAR!!
The War Years 1943 to 1945
1945
Germany, V-E Day!
Orleans?, France Orleans, FranceBombed out German Barracks
Orleans Air Base hangers
Winter at Orleans Air Base
Where are the heated hangers?
Orleans Air Base, France
Rhine Crossing Op VarsityMarch 24, 1945
Op Varsity: Crossing the Rhine Summary: biggest airborne ever!
1836 planes1348 gliders (592 double tow)17,000 troops
Flew in four lanes: three 1 ½ miles apartfourth 200 feet above
Took 3 hours and 12 minutes to pass given point!!!!
Rhine Crossing
Rhine R
iver
Rhine Crossing DZ’s & LZ’s
Wesel
Flight Path
City of Wesel
Drop and Landing Zones
Rhine River
Dick Erdenberger Sun CityNeighbor was right here
Rhine Return Flight
Rhine River
Wesel Bridge
Dick ErdenbergerSun City neighborWas right Here!
Op. Varsity: Crossing the Rhine A glider operation
GC-4A gliders
Operation VarsityRhine CrossingDouble Glider Tow
Two Columns of C-47’s each with Two gliders
C-47sC-47s
Rhine Crossing Runway Lineup
C-47s
C-47s
Rhine Crossing Runway Closeup
Some other operations for Troop Carrier
C-47
GC-4A glider
Air evacuation
Stretchers for wounded
Air Evacuation Nurses: 440th TCG
Loading Wounded
Prop change: lots of help
Not much fun in the winter
Glider Pickup
Glider
Some personal recollections
Freddie Broga and Friends
Roland Dahlberg best friend
Roland Dahlberg
Unloading 5 gallon Jerry Gas Cans
Metz, France May 1945 V-E Day!!!!!
Gasoline to Patton’s Tanks
More Gas for Patton’s Tanks
Our C-46Getting ready to go to Japan
440th TCG Prepares for Japan
J-Day!! 440th Reorganized
Ground Echelon Sails Home!! August 1945
Camp Grant, Illinois November 1945 Discharged!!
Home again!!!
Mom, I’m home!
96th TCS, 440th TCG
Gone but not forgotten!Gone but not forgotten!
Epilogue1945 to 2005
Wheaton College Columbia University Middlebury College Texaco American Red Cross Knowledge Systems
Sun City, Texas