Study Title: Footsteps of
Private Reese
Subject: Battle Detective
Assignment to create maps
plotting the actions of Private
Grady R. Reese of "Dog" Company
of the 502nd Parachute Infantry
Regiment in World War Two
Date: June, July,
September 1944
Location: France, Holland
Introduction: Through the
contact form on this
website, we received this
request from the son of a
veteran of “D”-Co./502nd
Parachute Infantry Regiment:
“I am trying to trace my
father's steps on d-day & market
garden. Pvt Grady R. Reese
(junior) serial # 34822101 -
101st-2nd bn - co.d - 3rd pl.
wounded 9-18-44 near Best.
Please e-mail.
Thanks - Stanley"
Private Grady R. Reese
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The 'assignment': After an
e-mail correspondence was
established, we accepted Stanley’s
assignment and explained our
conditions (publication on this
website as a reward for our
efforts).
Stanley explained his whishes in
more detail:
“For the past two years I have
been trying to put together a
tribute to honor my father's
military service. He was a member of
the 101st airborne, 502nd pir, 2n bn,
co d, 3rd pl.
I would like to have a copy of an
invasion map showing his drop zone
and where he landed & traveled from
the time he landed in France on
D-Day about 12:48 AM until he
returned to England around July
28th(?). What battles he fought in,
towns he would have likely traveled
through or fought for. I would like
to have his course plotted on a map
with the rest of his unit. […]If
possible I would like to have them
in a 11x14 or 16x22 or even poster
size suitable for professional
framing to add to this tribute. […]
This is the information I have from
him in a taped interview done by my
brother about 10 years
before he passed in 1996:
He boarded his plane (no. 18) and
jumped in France about 0048AM on
June 6th. He landed in a field
by himself but saw 5 of his buddies
land across the road from him were
he joined them. He talked about them
finding three of his fellow troopers
hanging in a barn.
He spoke of encountering a group of
Russian mercenaries. He said they
knew they were Russian
because they could hear their
officers barking out orders in
Russian. He also brought back some
Russian coins. He also obtained a
map case from a German SS courier on
the 18th of June, 1944 because he
signed and dated the map case & I
have it today with the German SS
soldiers name & number in it.
I believe he fought for the town of
Carentan but I am not completely
sure. […] In France […]he went with
the 101st/2nd 502 all the way from
where he jumped on the 6th June till
he returned to England, I think by
Boat/Ship. I don't know what date
that would be.
I would also like a map of the
Holland drop zones and were he
landed there on the 17th, Sept.44.
He
was sent on a scouting assignment on
the 18th. His sergeant told him a
group of Germans had a
company of men pinned down and he
was to go as second scout to check
it out. He stated that mortar shells
started to fall and he became
injured. […] When he jumped in
Holland he did not mention his plane
(chalk) number or serial. I know his
travels in Holland were limited as
he jumped on the 17th, was wounded
on the 18th, sent to an aid station
that came under fire and evacuated
to
another aid station/field hospital
near Best and then to another
Hospital in Belgium, then evacuated
back to England. […] I remember my
father told me that the last thing
he did before he left Holland was
that he gave his rifle to a member
of the Dutch underground. They too
sacrificed greatly during the war.
[…]If you go back to
Chip Cifone’s web site and check
his web museum you will find photos
of his helmet & liner that shows the
damage caused by an inconsiderate
German.”
These are pictures of both the liner
as the outer paratrooper helmet
shell. Note damage to left top of
both liner and steel shell and the
unit markings of 2nd Battalion of
the 502nd Regiment.
(click on images to
enlarge)
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steel helmet
left side (damage) |
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helmet liner
left side (damage) |
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steel helmet
right side |
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helmet liner
right side |
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We agreed on
creating the map of Holland
first.
By analyzing books, after Unit
Action Reports and information
provided by Stanley, we were able to
retrace the steps of Private Reese
during D-Day and D+1 of Operation
“Market Garden”.
We
created a map detailing his
locations and incidents.
This is the map:
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Our ‘client’ was pleased with the
result, judging from his post on a
popular World War Two internet
forum:
“"Battle Detective" […] was able
to construct a map showing my
father's steps in Holland from the
moment he landed on Dutch soil, hour
by hour until he was wounded &
returned to England. Not only did he
create this at great expense of time
and personal resources but he would
not allow me to buy him a meal to
show appreciation. I now realize
that he did this to honor what my
father did there and as a personal
tribute to him. Tom...I am grateful
to you.”
The map of Pvt Reese’s footsteps in
France during the 101st Division’s
baptism of fire, is a work in
progress at this time.
To be continued… |
