Item Description
Original Items: One-of-a-kind grouping. George J. Melrose Jr. ASN 31104585 enlisted on April 6th, 1942 and was a T/4 in the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment who spent more than two years overseas and in combat as a member first of the 82nd Airborne Division then in the 17th Airborne Division. He participated in the D-Day Invasion as part of Operation Neptune and jumped into occupied France on June 6th, 1944. He fought in Arnhem at the Battle of the Bulge, and in Operation Varsity the invasion of German in March 1945.
He is named on two Jump rosters, one from June 6th 1944 and the second from Market Garden.
Included in this named grouping are the following items:
- Ike Jacket offered in very good condition in size 38R. Named on the interior to MELROSE. Features sterling Parachute Jump Wings backed with an oval of blue felt with a red embroidered surround. 82nd Airborne patch on left shoulder, 17th Airborne patch on right shoulder. Army Good Conduct Medal Ribbon, European-African-Middle East Campaign Ribbon with One Invasion Arrowhead and 4 campaign stars, American Campaign Medal ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation. Sterling Silver Combat Infantryman Badge (CBI). The "Belgian Fourragère 1940"- composed of one round smooth cord, partially braided, and of TWO other cords, of which one is terminated by a knot and a brass ferret - it is made of wool and cotton for NCOs and EM, and of silk for Officers - all threads are tinted in colors resembling the ribbon of the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 (i.e. basic red, dotted with green threads) - the Fourragère encircles the LEFT shoulder and passes under the armpit, and is fixed by 2 tiny loops onto the button of the shoulder loop. Right should has the French Fourragère.
Approximate Measurements"
Collar to shoulder: 10”
Shoulder to sleeve: 24”
Shoulder to shoulder: 19”
Chest width: 20”
Waist width: 17”
Hip width: 18”
Front length: 25”
- Copy of jump roster for June 6th, 1944.
- Copy of jump roster for Market Garden.
- Original Photo.
- Original European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal with One Invasion Arrowhead and 4 campaign stars.
- Original American Campaign Medal.
- Original American Defense Medal.
- Overseas Garrison cap with parachute/glider patch.
- Army issue shirt and tie.
- Research binder with historical information about George J. Melrose Jr.
Overall a fantastic group from a named D-Day invasion glider infantryman who fought through to the end of the war with Germany.
The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was activated on July 20, 1942 at Fort Benning, GA. Lieutenant Colonel George V Millett Jr was given the command. After jump-training at Fort Benning the regiment deployed to the Army air base at Alliance, Nebraska and became part of the 1st Airborne Brigade.After arriving in North Ireland in December, 1943, the 507th was attached to the 82nd Airborne along with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Still under the command of Colonel George V. Millett Jr, the 507th moved to Nottingham, England in March, 1944 to prepare for the Allied invasion of Europe.
D-Day - Operation Neptune
The 507th PIR first saw combat during the Normandy invasion - 6 June 1944. The 507th and the 508th PIRs were to be dropped near the west bank of the Merderet River. The objectives of both regiments was to establish defensive positions in those areas and prepare to attack westward sealing off the Cotentin Peninsula.
In the predawn hours of D-Day the sporadic jump patterns of the 507th and 508th PIRs left troopersLt Colonel Charles J Timmes(Picture Courtesy of Rian) spread out over a twenty mile area. Some who overshot the Drop Zone (DZ) dropped into the Merderet River and its adjoining marshes. Many troopers who jumped with heavy equipment were unable to swim free and drowned. Others roamed the countryside until they encountered other units and joined their effort. Even Colonel Millett, the commanding officer of the 507th was unable to muster his troops and was captured three days after the drop in the vicinity of Amfreville. Only the 2nd Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles J Timmes (pictured left) was able to function as a team and began digging in around Cauquigny on the west bank of the Merderet River.
507th PIR Regimental Pocket Patch Upon verification of Colonel Millett's capture, General Ridgway transferred the command of the 507th to Colonel Edson Raff, a veteran of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during Operation Torch. Colonel Raff received this command after fighting his way through to General Ridgway at Les Forges. Colonel Raff would lead the 507th, "Raff's Ruffians" as they would become known, until the end of World War II.
Throughout the confusion the indomitable spirit of the paratroopers in the days and weeks following D-Day enabled the 82nd Airborne to seize La Fiere bridge and push westward to cut off the Cotentin Penninsula. After 33 days of continuous combat the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions returned to England aboard LSTs.
In August, 1944 General Matthew Ridgway the 82nd Airborne Commanding General was promoted and took command of the newly formed XVIII Airborne Corps which included the 17th, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. The 504th PIR which sat out the Normandy drop because of depleted ranks suffered at Anzio was now at full strength. Since the 17th Airborne Division was now training in England and in need of another parachute regiment to full out its ranks, it was determined that the battle-tested 507th PIR would be permanently assigned to it. The 17th Airborne Division under General Miley's command would not participate in Operation Market Garden. Instead, it was held in strategic reserve while completing their training.
Battle of the Bulge - The Ardennes Offensive
The Germans launched their last great offensive in Belgium on 16 December, driving west through thinly held positions, and catching the Allies unprepared. Maj. Gen. Troy Middleton's VIII Corps was giving way, and he desperately needed reinforcements.
The 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions had recently disengaged from operations in Holland and were training and refitting in base camps in the Reims-Suippes-Sissonne area of France. The 17th Airborne Division was in training at base camps in Wiltshire and Surrey, England. Corps Headquarters and Corps troops were split between Epernay, France and Ogbourne St. George, England.
The initial success of the enemy counter-offensive resulted in a decision by General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, SHAEF to detach the XVIII Airborne Corps from the FAAA and attach it to the Twelfth Army Group. Meanwhile, concurrent action had been taken to move the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions by truck to the vicinity of Bastogne, Belgium which was the contingent area assigned by the First U.S. Army. Poor weather conditions initially kept the 17th Airborne Division in England. However, they were later able to fly into action from England and fought under the Third U.S. Army.
From 23 to 25 December, elements of the Division were flown to the Reims area in France in spectacular night flights. These elements closed in at Mourmelon. After taking over the defense of the Meuse River sector from Givet to Verdun, 25 December, the 17th moved to Neufchateau, Belgium, then marched through the snow to Morhet, relieving the 28th Infantry Division, 3 January 1945.
Initially, the 507th PIR and the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) were kept in reserve in anticipation of a German counter attack. However, once the 17th Airborne Division cleared the western side of Bastogne of all German units, the 507th PIR and the 193rd GIR turned eastward and led an attack across Luxembourg to the Our River. On February 10, 1945 the 507th PIR was relieved and returned to its base camp at Chalons-sur-Marne in France.
Operation Varsity - The Airborne Assault on the Rhine
In early February 1945, the tide of battle was such as to enable an accurate estimate as to when and where the 2nd British Army would be ready to force a crossing of the Rhine River. It was determined that the crossing would be in conjunction with an airborne operation by XVIII Airborne Corps.
The sector selected for the assault was in the vicinity of Wesel, just north of the Ruhr, on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity would be the last full scale airborne drop of World War II and the assignment went to the 17th Airborne Division with the 507th spearheading the assault dropping at the southern edge of the Diersfordter Forest, three mile northwest of Wesel.
It was during this operation that Pfc George J Peters of the 507th was awarded the Medal of Honor. Pfc Peters and a group of 10 other troopers landed in an open field near the town of Fluren. Raked by enemy machine gun fire the troopers laid there helplessly. Peters, armed with only his rifle and a few grenades took it upon himself to charge the German machine gun nest. After receiving several wounds and bleeding profusely Peters crawled to within 15 feet of the gun emplacement and pitched two grenades into the enemy stronghold. The ensuing explosion silenced the machine gun and its crew.
Operation Varsity was a text book success. All of the units had performed in an amazing fashion shattering the German defenses in four and a half hours. In the ensuing days the 17th Airborne would lead the thrust into the heartland of Germany. On April 10th the 507th captured Essen, the home of the Krupps Steelworks.
On May 7, 1945, General Alfred Jodl signed the instrument of surrender in Rheims, France. The ceremony was repeated the next day in Berlin for the benefit of the Russians and President Truman declared May 8 as V-E Day. In September, 1945 the 17th Airborne Division was shipped home and deactivated.
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