Richard Winters
Date: 09-10-1944
Richard Winters was a true World War II hero. In 1942, Winters was a young luitenant who joined the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Paratroopers were a new branch in the U.S. army. The first extensive use of paratroopers were only a couple of years earlier by the German Army, called Fallschirmjäger. Winters was the 2nd luitenant of E-Company. Later referred to as the "Easy Company".
Richard Winters was a true World War II hero. In 1942, Winters was a young luitenant who joined the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Paratroopers were a new branch in the U.S. army. The first extensive use of paratroopers were only a couple of years earlier by the German Army, called Fallschirmjäger. Winters was the 2nd luitenant of E-Company. Later referred to as the "Easy Company".
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On D-Day (June 6th, 1944), Easy Company jumped out of an airplane above Normandy, and were dropped behind enemy lines. A lot of the men were scattered across Normandy because of the chaos during the invasion. Nevertheless, Richard Winters was accompanied by a few men and together they managed to destroy a battery of German 105 mm guns and take 50 German soldiers in the process with them. In addition to destroying the battery of guns, Winters also found a map that showed almost every German gun near Utah Beach.
For this action, Winters was rewarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest decoration of the U.S. Army. During the war The Easy Company showed many acts of heroism and Winter was promoted to the rank of Captain. On 09-10-1944, Winters became the commander of the entire 101st Airborne Division, right after operation Market Garden. This position was usually held by the rank of a Major, which he got promoted to in March 1945. Richard Winters and his Easy Company fought their way through France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria. These adventures are described in the book "Band of Brothers" by Stephen E. Ambrose and shown in a HBO series with the same title. Richard Winters died in 2011 at the age of 92. |
Richard Winters at Toccoa Training Camp, Georgia, in 1942
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Did you know?
Winters's action on D-Day, is now known as the Brécourt Manor Assault and is that at the military academy at West Point until this day as a textbook assault on a fixed position.
Winters's action on D-Day, is now known as the Brécourt Manor Assault and is that at the military academy at West Point until this day as a textbook assault on a fixed position.
Location:
On D-Day Winters jumped out of an airplane and landed near a town called Sainte-Mere-Église, France.
On D-Day Winters jumped out of an airplane and landed near a town called Sainte-Mere-Église, France.
