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A man of high character. Defines "respectable".

Notice, everyone, how effective real riflemen are in war.

Appears they were up against Fallschirmyaeger, and early war ones, the sort of lads who defended Monte Cassino town. Brings a feeling of quiet satisfaction.

Good morning Iris7. These guys do make you feel pride don't they.

Morning Iris7. The 101st was fighting the German Fallshirmjager in the Carentan area. Don't remember the Unit number off hand.

Looked it up, there were units of the 3rd Fallschirmjager Division opposing the 101st in Normandy.

On 6 June 1944 the II Parachute Corps, including the 3rd Parachute Division, was ordered to Normandy to counterattack a reported Allied air landing near Coutances. As soon as this report proved false, the II Parachute Corps was ordered to counterattack in the area of Saint-Lô with 3rd Parachute Division, along with the 352nd Infantry Division and the still absent 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division, and push the invaders back to the Channel. With its headquarters at Les Cheris, 10 kilometres (6 miles) southeast of Avranches, the II Parachute Corps was under the tactical control of LXXXIV Army Corps.

The Allied objectives were the ports of Cherbourg and Brest which were vital to their supply lines and these lay in the operational area of General Eugen Mendl's II Para Corps. On the 7th June elements from 3rd Para were sent to the beachhead and the rest to St-Lo where the 5th Para Division were already positioned to the west. 2nd Para Division were transferred from the Eastern Front to Brittany where they were joined with 6th Para Regiment who were already stationed there. The first objective of these units was to seize strategic points which had not yet been taken by the Americans. von der Heydte ordered 2nd battalion to take St. Marie-Eglise and the 1st Battalion to take St Marie du Mont and the 3rd Battalion to seize Carantan.

During the first week of the Allied invasion 1st Battalion was almost wiped out and the other two battalions were forced to fight rearguard actions to hold Carentan. All roads to Carantan were under the control of the Americans and no supplies could reach the beleaguered Fallschirmjäger who were supplied by a single air drop of ammunition which allowed them to continue fight their way out of the encirclement at Carantan. They were then encircled at St Lo where again they escaped only to eventually eventually caught up in the Falaise Pocket. Only 40 Fallschirmjäger survived.

General Bernard Ramcke commanding 2nd Parachute Division was ordered to hold Brittany against allied airborne and seaborne assaults. From their base in Cologne the trek to France had been a lengthy and hazardous affair with allied air strikes causing much delay and damage. Partisan activity in France was also a problem with rail links being constantly disrupted. They did not arrive until 19th June with some other units of the division not arriving until July thus depriving valuable reinforcements to the battle area. During this time the American 1st and 3rd armies were threatening to break out from their beachheads and rupture the German front-line where it was at its weakest. This area was at Cotentin which was held by 3rd and 5th Para Divisions.