The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village

265 Pages·2022·8.144 MB·English

by  Stephen G. Rabe

The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy
Thefatefuldaysandweekssurrounding6June1944havebeenextensively
documented in histories of the Second World War, but less attention has
been paid to the tremendous impact of these events on the populations
nearby. The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy tells the inspiring yet heart-
breakingstoryofordinarypeoplewhodidextraordinarythingsindefense
of liberty and freedom. On D-Day, when transport planes dropped para-
troopersfromthe82ndand101stAirborneDivisionshopelesslyoff-target
into marshy waters in northwestern France, the 900 villagers of Graignes
welcomedthemwithopenarms.Thesevillagers–predominantlywomen–
provided food, gathered intelligence, and navigated the floods to retrieve
theparatroopers’equipmentatgreatrisktothemselves.Whentheattackby
German forces on 11 June forced the overwhelmed paratroopers to with-
draw, many made it to safety thanks to the help and resistance of the
villagers. In this moving book, historian Stephen G. Rabe, son of one of
theparatroopers,meticulouslydocumentstheforgottenlivesofthosewho
participatedinthisintegralpartofD-Dayhistory.
StephenG.RabeistheAshbelSmithProfessorinHistory(emeritus)atthe
UniversityofTexasatDallas.HeisaveteranoftheUSMarineCorps.The
LostParatroopersofNormandyishisthirteenthbook.
Published online by Cambridge University Press
Published online by Cambridge University Press
The Lost Paratroopers
of Normandy
A Story of Resistance, Courage,
and Solidarity in a French Village
Stephen G. Rabe
Published online by Cambridge University Press
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781009206372
DOI:10.1017/9781009206389
©StephenG.Rabe2023
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Firstpublished2023
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ISBN978-1-009-20637-2Hardback
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Published online by Cambridge University Press
Grandson Ethan Emil
Born 12 February 2021
Named after his great-grandfather, S/Sgt. Rene Emil Rabe
The heroic collaboration of US paratroopers and the people of
Graignes, Normandy in June 1944 made Ethan’s life possible.
Published online by Cambridge University Press
Published online by Cambridge University Press
CONTENTS
ListofFigures pageviii
ListofMaps x
Introduction 1
1 Paratrooper 14
2 Overseas 40
3 OccupiedFrance 65
4 LiberatorsandFriends 91
5 DaysofFriendship,Hope,andWaiting 113
6 TheLongestDayinGraignes 137
7 Escape,Exile,andAnnihilation 163
8 GraignesinHistoricalMemory 188
Afterword 214
Acknowledgments 218
Notes 220
UnpublishedPrimarySources 242
Index 244
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FIGURES
I.1 MartheRigaultHisandOdetteRigaultLelavechef
andtheiryoungerbrother,JeanClaudeRigault,in
2017 page4
I.2 The“silkfromthesky”weddingofsistersOdette
RigaultandMarieJeanRigaultin1945 5
1.1 AparatrooperdroppingfromaC-47transportairplane 21
1.2 MajorGeneralJamesM.Gavinonpatrol 27
1.3 ParatroopersofthemortarplatooninEnglandbefore
D-Day 35
2.1 ThetransportshipStrathnaver 46
2.2 FirstLieutenantOlgaLouiseCampbellPenchard 54
2.3 GeneralDwightEisenhowerspeakstoparatroopersbefore
D-Day 59
3.1 TherenownedcowsofNormandy 73
3.2 GustaveandMartheRigault,holdingtheirsonJean
Claude 76
3.3 Thetwelfth-centuryRomanesquechurchofGraignes 78
3.4 MartheRigaultandJeanClaudeRigaultinthemarais 80
3.5 AlbertMauger,thelocalleaderoftheResistancein
Graignes 82
4.1 Paratrooperswithjumpequipment 92
4.2 AparatrooperwhodrownedonD-Day 101
4.3 MayorAlphonseVoydieofGraignes 111
5.1 CaptainLeroyDavidBrummitt 115
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ix / ListofFigures
5.2 ColonelFrankNaughtononthebridgethathisteam
destroyed 118
5.3 TheRigaultfamilyhorseandcart 123
5.4 MadameGermaineBoursier,aleaderoftheResistance
inGraignes 124
5.5 Germancommandersmeetingtodiscusstheassaulton
CarentaninJune1944 135
6.1 SergeantJohnHinchliff 143
6.2 TheruinsofthechurchinGraignes 147
6.3 SergeantFredricBoyleandStaffSergeantReneE.Rabe 150
6.4 PrivateFirst-ClassRichardJ.Hoffman 157
6.5 AbbéAlbertLeBlastierofGraignes 159
7.1 TheRigaultfamilybarn 168
7.2 TechnicianFifth-ClassEdward“Eddie”Page 169
7.3 Oneofthestained-glasswindowsinthechurch
atSainte-Mère-Église 177
7.4 TheRigaultfamilyinaboataftertheLiberation 181
7.5 EmmanuelleBarbeymodelsadressmadeofparachute
silk 182
7.6 TemporarybuildingsinGraignesafterWorldWarII 183
8.1 PolishworkersliberatedinGermanybyparatroopers 195
8.2 MarshalGeorgyZhukovandGeneralGeorgeS.Patton
inBerlininSeptember1945 196
8.3 TheburialplaceofPrivateArnoldJ.Martinezinthe
AmericanCemeteryinNormandy 203
8.4 TheWarMemorialatGraignes 207
8.5 TheDistinguishedServiceMedalawardedtoMarthe
RigaultHis 210
8.6 TheGermancemeteryinNormandy 211
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