D Day

June 6-7

STAND UP! HOOK UP STAND IN THE DOOR!
View attachment 362428
In Memorium: Cpl Tommy Wolford, Fox Co. 101st Airborne, 13-June-1944;
TWolford.png
I was fortunate enough to find this account of my great uncle's death in a book being written about 101st actions at D-Day, and spoke with Mario Patruno in his home in Fla, few years ago, about a year before Mr Patuno's passing. In speaking with Mr Patruno I could see and feel the deep brotherhood between him and my great uncle and all the members of Fox Co, 101st. I share it as it seems to capture the realities of D-Day and how it affected those that participated.

Fox Co, 101st Airborne, 13-June-1944

Tommy Wolford and Mario Patruno were on a hedgerow facing west, when a French-made German tank of the 100th Pz Bn came straight toward their position. Wolford had a rifle with a grenade launcher and when the German tank fired its small main battery, the blast blew Wolford off the hedgerow and killed him. Mario fell backwards into a foxhole, lying on his back.

Soon thereafter, SS troopers overran the position as F Co. members fell back. A German was suddenly standing right above Mario's hole. Mario shot him in the head and he fell mortally-wounded, face-down, right on top of Mario, with blood running onto his face and into his mouth. Mario kept pushing-up on the German, trying to get his body off of him. The Germans had taken control of the area and were spraying bullets everywhere. Two German litter-bearing medics paused above Mario's hole and saw a German lying face-down, with his body moving up and down, as Mario was struggling to emerge from underneath.

When they lifted the wounded German off Mario, he pointed his weapon at them and sat on their stretcher. He laid down on it and motioned for them to take him to a hedge gap at the right (north) side of the field. This saved him from being killed or captured. They ran him over to a gap in the right hedgerow and he rolled off the stretcher and exited the field, heading to the right (east), in the general direction of the withdrawal.

The German's blood tasted salty in his mouth and Mario paused at a cattle watering pit, to wash the blood off his face. Falling back further, he encountered Bob Noody, who had a bazooka and who he saw fire at a German tank and miss with it. He also encounterd his Sgt, Russell Schwenk.

Later, when elements of G/41st AIR, 2nd Armored Division arrived, the Germans were withdrawing and Mario went back and examined Wolford's body with a 2nd AD soldier, who was a green replacement and who was seeing action for the first time. Wolford's body seemed to not have any marks or wounds on it and he was evidently killed by concussion from the tank round. When bullets started hitting the leaves of the hedgerow Mario yelled at the green 2nd AD armored infantryman to duck. The rookie soldier said "Whaat?" and bullets struck and killed him, as he had remained standing, oblivious to the danger. As intense as the above sounds, Mario's worst experience in Normandy came later, on a night outpost, where he was put one night for 2 hrs, 50 yards ahead of the MLR. After staring intently in the darkness at a bush, the bush suddenly looked like it had a German helmet atop it. With pounding heart ("so loud, I thought the kraut could HEAR it",) he crawled out with a length of leather rawhide, to strangle the German. He pounced on the dark object, only to discover it was just a bush. Quivering all over with nerves and adrenalin, he was a mess when the next trooper came out to relieve him. Mario had to see the medics, who gave him a shot of something, to calm him down. Later in the war, two men at a time were assigned to outpost duty. Mario still remembers this as the most intense experience he had in Normandy and ironically, there was actually no real enemy or killing involved. Yet the experience and all the physical and mental stress involved were very real.
 
Spent some time in Normandy a few years back. It's a most humbling experience viewing what those poor bastards had to do. Walking on the sands of Omaha Beach and looking up to the fortified positions that weren't even knocked out by both Naval gunfire and bombing. To cap it off, walking through the many acres of graves, row upon row, is enough to bring you to your knees. May they all rest in peace. So many brave men to which we owe an unceasing debt of gratitude.
 
I was thinking the same thing. I wasn't in the 101st, but if I had been, that map might make me SMH...
 
I had the pleasure to meet a gentleman who stormed Omaha Beach. He started by telling me he was a WW2 veteran and after some back in forth he opened up more about it after he saw my genuine interest in his stories. Just being in the presence of someone who went through something like that was powerful.

I also meet a women who was from Germany and was a nurse during WW2. She told me a little about it and how she left Germany. She said "I lived under Hitler and Obama is like Hitler". I laughed, this was during Obama's presidency.
 
blat.jpg

This is from photographer Doug Dunbar "I took this photo of Sgt Major Robert Blatnik 5 years ago. This was the stretch of Omaha beach in Normandy where he came ashore on #DDay. He commanded 901 men. Head count 24 hours later and about 500 yards inland, they had 387. 500 yards. Let that soak in.

That is a little more than a man a yard.
 
I stood on Omaha Beach two years ago. It was less than a month before the 75th anniversary and the area was heavily decorated for the celebration. The number of American flags flying around the entire area was astounding. Even now, the people in Normandy appreciate the sacrifices of our soldiers in regaining their freedom. More than we do it seems.

Both standing on that beach, thinking about how far they had to go to get to a “safe” area, and then visiting the Normandy American Cemetery, were very incredible and emotional experiences. If you can do it, I highly recommend visiting the area.
 
My Grandfather landed DDay +2. He died in 2000 and didn’t talk a lot about the war. My mother said he carried a deep sadness the rest of his life.
It’s so important to remember the sacrifices these men made.
 
I stood on Omaha Beach two years ago. It was less than a month before the 75th anniversary and the area was heavily decorated for the celebration. The number of American flags flying around the entire area was astounding. Even now, the people in Normandy appreciate the sacrifices of our soldiers in regaining their freedom. More than we do it seems.

Both standing on that beach, thinking about how far they had to go to get to a “safe” area, and then visiting the Normandy American Cemetery, were very incredible and emotional experiences. If you can do it, I highly recommend visiting the area.

Going to Normandy is my #1 bucket list item. Hope to get there in a year or two.
 
View attachment 363109

This is from photographer Doug Dunbar "I took this photo of Sgt Major Robert Blatnik 5 years ago. This was the stretch of Omaha beach in Normandy where he came ashore on #DDay. He commanded 901 men. Head count 24 hours later and about 500 yards inland, they had 387. 500 yards. Let that soak in.

That is a little more than a man a yard.
God, that brings a tear to my eye. I had two Uncles in WWII. Both dropped out of College to enlist. They were both in the Pacific Theater.
My Mom's half brother ( he was 22 years her senior ) dropped out of Rutgers and joined the Air Force. He was a Bomber Pilot in WWII and the Korean Conflict. He made career of it and when he retired he became a golf pro. My Grandmother told me after Korea he came home for a little while. My Grandfather and he were avid Duck Hunters. My Grandfather asked if he wanted to go "Duckin". He said he would never Duck Hunt again. He said after flying the "Hump", he knows what it's like to be a Duck. He was a life long Dem, except for the fact that he voted for Ross Perot. He wasn't a rabid leftie, he was always civil with his brother-in-law. My Dad was/is a rabid rightie.
My Dad's Sisters husband was a Geology major somewhere and dropped out when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was on the USS Strong and was the highest ranking person to survive when the Destroyer was sank. He too, made a career of it and after his 20 years, went back to school and got his degree in Geology. He joined the USGS and retired with two Govt Pensions. Between the Navy & USGS the moved all around the country. His last 15 years with the Survey were spent in Arlington VA. I always thought that was funny as my Dad's family was from Arlington Mass. The DC area is wicked rabid leftie and so was my Uncle. He and my Dad would get into it all the time. Regardless, he was a war hero. I guess back then everything was cut and dry. You knew who your enemy was and they knew you. My Aunt was in the USO, that's how they met. I flew with my Dad down to DC about ten years ago for the Funeral. They had died a few months apart. My Aunt was 89, my Uncle was 91. They're buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It was raining and there was a chance of lightning so no horses. There was an awesome 21 gun salute.
Back in 2005 or 2006, my oldest Daughter was playing on the still Nationally ranked U-Mass Softball team. When she was there, her team always made it to the 64 team College World Series. But one year they made it to the sweet 16. If they won the best of three at Northwestern, it was off to the World Series. All of the U-Mass parents were talking about flights and hotels and they couldn't believe I wasn't going. I told them I was going to my Aunt and Uncle's 60th wedding anniversary at some hotel off of 128 in Waltham. What a time. The entire bridal party was still alive. Most of the men were on the USS Strong with my Uncle. There must've been 75 people there. After the meal, most of the groomsmen and my Uncle would take turns speaking about the war. Everyone was dead silent. This went on for hours. At some points my Uncle and or the groomsmen were crying while they spoke. The horrors of war. Listening to those stories, it was the first time I cried as an adult.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom