a ww ii airman’s story europe: normandy through ve-day

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