Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The village was once home to members of 'Easy Company', 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The exploits of the soldiers who stayed in the village from Sept. 1943 until May 1944, were dramatized in the film Band of Brothers.

101st Airborne Division.

506th PIR, 2nd Bat. Hq, D, E & F co's.

Robert Burr Smith at Aldbourne.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Aldbourne - A Gathering of Eagles
We arrived at Aldbourne on the day of the 'Aldbourne - A Gathering of Eagles 2006'. More a gathering of rain coats.
The 101st Airborne came to Britain aboard the RMS Samaria, a converted Royal Mail Liner.
The 506th HQ was at Littlecote, and the Divisional HQ at Greenham Lodge just south of Newbury. Aldbourne hosted companies 'A' & 'B' of the 1st Btn and the entire 2nd Btn – the majority of the 506th. Most of Company A were in Hightown Stables, with four men to a stable in 2 sets of bunk beds, NCO's were billeted in private homes in Lottage Road. The rest of the enlisted men including the 2nd Btn were at Farm Lane Camp, in a mix of Quonset huts (similar to Nissen Huts) and bell tents. Farm Lane Camp also included a Cook House (the only building which now remains), shower blocks, latrines and medical building. The more senior officers were quartered in the Old Rectory, with some also billeted in other private houses.  One of the Platoon Headquarters was Stone Cottage (now Kays Cottage). The Officers Mess was at Hightown.  A company command post was in the half basement of The Crown public house.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Paratroops Marching
101st Airborne marching by.

101st Airborne marching by.

Paratroops in the village.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The Aldbourne Village Green
Laid out on the Green are numerous WW2 vehicles of the period.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

A Jeep warning us that its left hand drive.

 

Loading a Horsa Glider.

Loading a Waco Glider.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Easy in America
In training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.

506th PIR 'E' Company.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Crossing the Atlantic
RMS Samaria was converted into a troop transport and brought over members of the 101st Airborne. .

Leaving America.

Conditions inside the ship.

Leave pass to London.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The last stable
There were many stables like this here and four soldiers were billeted in each one. This is the very last one and you could buy a genuine nail from this very stable, from the owners for just £1.

Its now been moved to the grounds of Littlecote House.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

A Real 101st Soldier
Too much beer and on his way to the latrines.

Easy Company.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Assault Gun 'Hetzer'
German WW2 Sturmgeschutz (STUG) assault gun "Hetzer" PzKpfW 38(t) Jagdpanzer. A 7.5cm PaK 39 L/40 gun with 41 rounds stored inside. About 2584 were built from 1944 to the end of the war. Easy Company will encounter this type of tank when they are counter attacked north of Carentan.

STUG.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Littlecote House, Hungerford, Berkshire a Warner Leisure Hotel.
506th HQ at Littlecote House. Its now a Hotel and has a small museum. Well worth a visit.
'Built in the mid-1500s, this beautiful Grade I listed Tudor manor has a truly unique story. History is literally on your doorstep: the stunning location has played host to occupying Romans, a Tudor tryst and even a Civil War army. The grounds contain an ornate Roman mosaic floor and settlement remains. Henry VIII courted Jane Seymour here, and the D-Day landings were planned within the house. England’s last remaining Cromwellian Chapel in a private house is also here, and the property offers many more historical jewels for you to explore at your leisure'.

The museum at Littlecote House 2017.

Marching to War.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

RAF Upottery
RAF Upottery is where Easy Company came prior to their drop into Normandy. The airfield is in the S/W of England. You can see the planes lined up behind the watch Office ready to take off..

Loading on the planes..

 

 

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Plan of the airborne on D-Day..

Marching to War.

 

s

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Mr Winters
A link to Lt Winters own story of his time with Easy Company.

 

 

 

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Parachuting over Holland ( I don't have a picture of the Normandy drop)
The picture gives an idea of what a parachute drop into Normandy would look like. This picture is of Market Garden, Holland. Normandy was at night.

 

 

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Parachuting into Normandy
Dick Winters landed in this field, miles from where he should have should have been on the outskirts of Sante-Mère-Église.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Bocage Country
The main highway from Cherbourg to Carentan with the small fields of the Bocage country. This is the sort of country that Easy Company landed in.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Utah Beach
This is the area that Easy company had to fight for Brécourt Manor and the four 105mm guns. The yellow circle is roughly where they landed and the arrows the route taken to Brécourt Manor (red circle). The beach is Utah Beachhead and you can see the large LST's landing troops and vehicles.

A map showing the German batteries in the area. All in field positions there were three batteries of the 191st Reg. An army unit with four 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzers, all horse drawn. The 1st Brecourt & 6th Holdy, but I know nothing about 3rd, west of Ste-Marie-du-Mont. .

10.5cm gun,

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The Field
We are looking west at the hedge row where the guns were placed on the other side.

10.5cm gun.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The Field
Now looking into the field from the east side, the guns were placed roughly between the two X's. There are NO remains left in the field as they were just earthworks and not concrete as in other batteries.

A well used plan of the batterie.

 

Ammunition field storage.

 

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

10.5cm leFH 18 howitzers
One of the guns still in place after the battle. I do not have any pictures of Brecourt's guns.
Ref: Holdy Batterie.
'At dawn the 506th led by Captain Lloyd E. Patch and Charley Company commanded by Captain Knut H. Raudstein of the 1st Battalion of the 506th PIR, reinforced by a dozen Paratroopers of the 502nd PIR, stormed the Holdy Battery'.

 

 

Plan.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Ste-Marie-du-Mont
Airborne troop relaxing in the town after the initial battles.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Ste-Marie-du-Mont
Soldiers resting at Ste-Marie-du-Mont, getting ready to assault Carentan.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The Attack on Carentan
The attack on Carentan came in from the north to link up with gliderborn infantry coming into the south of Carentan and tanks from Omaha Beach. The fight for the town was a very bitter one.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Counter Attack on Carentan by Fallschirmjäger.
This battle created the name "Bloody Gulch" where a sunken lane filled with American casualties. Easy Company stuck it s ground and with the aid of tanks from the beach head. They managed to defeat the Fallschirmjäger and its armoured support.

Fallschirmjäger.

Fallschirmjäger.  

Fallschirmjäger.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

The Attack on Carentan
After the capture of Carentan, the German counter attack. There was a presentation of medals to 101st in the centre of the town.

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Information

Aldbourne, Wiltshire.
101st Airborne

Details

Not Brecourt but Holdy Batt.

© 2013 Richard Drew