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This is a breakdown by
paragraph about
GRAIGNES,
OKEFENOKEE AND THE ALAMO
Here is the link to the
story that was published on the American
Legion.
http://www.legion.org/magazine/215651/battle-graignes
The title itself is
wrong. The Okefenokee swamps looks nothing
like the area of Graignes. The American
Legion was contacted repeatedly to let them
know that the story was wrong and they
refused to even respond.
This is not the
Southern Swamp, it isn’t Florida or
Mississippi either. The town is pronounced
(Grain) not gren yea. This sounds more like
a Lynyrd Skynryd show than a historical talk
of Graignes. There is nothing rare about
what happened in Graignes, France. There is
even a TV special on the History Channel
about 8 years ago titled The Hidden
Massacre. Soldier-liberator what does that
even mean?
Graignes is not west of
Carentan but southeast and that is a strange
mistake to be made by a Retired Military
Officer. Please see above concerning the
Okefenokee Swamp reference.
Please look at Google
to see what the area of Graignes as it is
not at all like the next paragraph. There
was no significance until 13 July 1944 when
Graignes was liberated. In the history of
American it falls well below Normandy
fighting let alone all of US History. It
was important for the men there and the
villagers but in the overall picture it
actually hurt the Normandy Campaign as
blowing the bridged actually let the Germans
hang on weeks longer than they should have
due to the bridge being blown on 10 June
1944.
“Inhabited since the
days of the Vikings”
I didn’t know that
Minnesota was in France (yes a bad pun, but
oh well). Normandy and Wales is actually
the two locations in the 500 AD time period
that the original Britons moved to after the
Anglo Saxons pushed them out of England. In
fact in 1066 is when the original Britton’s
came back from Normandy and took back
England.
Saying that the few 507th Prcht
Inf sticks that did hit the DZ are also
wrong. 83 sticks actually hit on or near
the DZ. The ones that landed on the eastern
part of the DZ did land in water and the
ones that landed even farther east landed up
to their heads at times. No 507th
Prcht Inf Stick landed at Omaha Beach. In
the Graignes area there were 9 Sticks, not
12, the time of the jump was 0232 not 0200.
It seems like a Retired Officer would know
the difference between 0200 and 0232. There
was not an unusually large amount of Mortar
and Machinegun Ammunition. A Hq Co had a
Mortar Platoon and a Machinegun Platoon with
that much Ammunition. Also there were
between 16-18 sticks not 20-23.
Graignes was not an
Alamo as there were survivors of course.
There were no survivors in the Alamo. For
the first 4 days nothing happened at all.
Not all of the Paratroopers came in on the 6th,
as some came in as late as 11 June.
A re-occupation of the
Germans? Graignes had never been occupied
ever.
Suspected supporters
would be put to instant death was not true
either.
Mid-morning of 10 June
did not have the Germans located by the
tower of the Church. It was discovered by
an outpost. There was no attack until the
next day 11 June 1944.
Saying there was few
medics were incorrect as well. They had a
full Aid Station there minus one Doctor.
3-507th is not the correct way to
list it. Hq Co 3rd Bn of the 507th
Prcht Inf is correct. Also, PIR is not an
official terminology. The dates should be
listed 11 June 1944 not June 11, 1944 as 11
June would be the Official Military
terminology. The term FO was for Field
Artillery, not for Mortars. Mortars
are called a Spotter.
I can’t correct anymore
errors as it would like writing my article
again about Graignes.
Brian Siddall
March 14, 2014
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