doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The Longest Day

I'll repost this line:
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=547740&page=1

As previously posted my Father was Pathfinder stick commander for 3 Bn, 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne Div, and jumped into Normandy, landing west of the Merderet River near Picauville at 0130 hrs, 06 June. KIA at Prétot-Sainte-Suzanne on 20 June.

In addition his brother Jack B. Williams (my uncle) flew a B-24 with the 389th Bombardment Group (BF), 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force out of Herthel, England. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 7 June 1944. He completed 30 missions, was sent back to the USA. Supposedly his bomber was shot down on the next mission. He would never talk about it with me. He did tell twin-brother that he was on his way home when the bomber was shot down the day his brother was killed. There were 7 B-24's from 389th shot down on 20 June 1944 and 8 on 21 June 1944.

Looking at this web site, it looks like 90% of the 389th bombers were shot down.
https://389thbg.com/aircraft_list.htm

The bomber losses were incredible. I was on Active Duty at RAF Molesworth UK in the early 90's. 50th anniversary years of WWII. Molesworth is where the European Command's Joint Analysis Center was located at that time. But it had been a bomber base during the war. Classified installation, so we all had to enter through the same door, badge checks, etc. Every day we were there that summer, they posted the mission flown by the bombers stationed at Molesworth. What their target was, how many planes took off and how many came back. It was the same thing day after day with heavy losses.

Double post deleted.

At 74, I find that I am increasingly telling the stories that I believe are too important for our nation and our future to let disappear. This came to my hand yesterday and after sleeping on it I believe there is benefit in its repeating.

Seven years after the end of WWII a still grieving Kansas mother found a small package in her mail box. Inside was this letter written by a former German soldier.
(I’ve made no corrections to the writing of this gentleman for whom clearly English was not his first language.)


“A few days ago, children brought a little book to me, told me, they found in a little forrest on the hills behind my house. That booklett had been hidden under a lot of food cans disposed by American forces during the war.

For I don’t know if Walter D. Ehlers came safely back to you or not. I feel to be obliged to send the New Testament to you. I hope it shall not be a last souvenir. I wish Mr. Ehlers is as health as ever.

So I send this book back across the Atlantic ocean. With me best wishes.”


Because her son had written his mother’s name and address inside the cover of his government issued New Testament its return was possible. He had indeed “came safely back”. He landed on Omaha and fought across Europe being wounded multiple times. His little New Testament had somehow been lost during his last combat injuries. For his actions on and following D Day he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

But Mrs. Ehlers had also sent another son, Roland, to Europe with the same exhortation she’d given Walter. Be a “Christian soldier.” He, too, was part of the D Day invasion but his landing craft took a mortar round and he did not reach Omaha beach. We can hope, as no doubt she did, that instead he reached “that bright and shining shore.”


May the duty bound service of every one of these mother’s sons (and daughters) in uniform forever be remembered to the strengthening of our own national character.

Such stories need to be told and remembered.