Item: ON10783
Original U.S WWII 508th PIR Named D-Day Pathfinder Operation Market Garden Grouping
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Original Items: One-of-a-kind. This incredible grouping belonged to a Sergeant William H. Savage who was assigned to the the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Company C who jumped on D-Day into Normandy and then as a Pathfinder in advance of the other airborne troops during Operation Market Garden. William enlisted at Camp Grant, IL on 1 October 1942 and volunteered for parachutist duty. He was assigned to Company C, 508th PIR. Cpl. Savage was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for his participation in action during Normandy, France Campaign, from June 6th, 1944 through July 9th 1944. He was promoted to Sergeant shortly thereafter. He can be found on the 508th PIR accusation website at this link. A wartime photo of Savage can be found on a 1943 roster for COMPANY C at CAMP MACKALL at this link.
In military organizations, a pathfinder is a specialized soldier inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander. Pathfinders first appeared in World War II, where they served with distinction.
Operation Market Garden, the brainchild of British Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, which took place on September 17, 1944, was a major airborne operation into the Netherlands, the largest to date when it occurred. The mission of the airborne troops was to capture a series of bridges from Best in the south, to Arnhem (by the British 1st Airborne Division) in the north. This would then allow the ground element to cross the bridges in a rapid maneuvre. While the operation ultimately failed due to delays among the ground forces, the airborne divisions accomplished most of their missions; this was due in large part to the efforts of the pathfinder forces. A combination of the drop taking place in broad daylight and that the Germans were not expecting an airborne attack allowed the pathfinders to land on target and guide in the rest of the paratroopers to the proper locations. This is especially remarkable considering that the number of pathfinder sticks and the number of men in each stick were reduced to the bare minimum (one per drop zone) for this drop.
Included in this wonderful grouping are the following pieces:
- Technical Sergeant's Savage Ike jacket in size 36R. The interior is ink stamped S-8814 which represents the first letter of his last name (Savage) and the final four digits of his Army Serial Number. The patches, ribbons, awards are as follows: Paratrooper Sterling Silver Wings with English made twill black with white border 508th PIR Jump Oval, Bronze Star Medal Ribbon with oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart Medal Ribbon with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Medal Ribbon with Invasion Arrowhead (Operation Market Garden) and 3 Battle Campaign Stars. 82nd Airborne Patch to left shoulder, Sterling Silver Combat Infantry Man's Badge, Presidential Unit Citation with two oak leaf clusters, Pathfinder patch on left cuff, five overseas combat service bars (on left sleeve cuff) meaning 30+ months of combat service. The "Belgian Fourragère 1940" which is comprised 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 - 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. "Order of the Orange" shoulder cord awarded by the Dutch government for surviving Operation Market Garden.
- Infantry overseas garrison cap with Parachute Glider patch.
- Original airborne scarf constructed from a WWII paratrooper parachute with 508th PIR embroidered patch, 82nd Airborne Patch, Glider Parachute Cap badge, and Airborne Command Patch all stitched to the ends of the scarf. Scarf is camouflage on one side and white on the other. The section of parachute includes the manufacturer stamping which is dated December 1943!
- Army issue wool shirt with 82nd Airborne Division patch to left shoulder and Technical Sergeant Chevrons, all patches stitched with attractive white cross stitching.
- Size 32 x 29 trousers marked with laundry number S-8814 (same as Ike Jacket).
- Purple Heart Medal in original box.
- Bronze Star Medal.
- "U.S. Paratroops Fort Benning, GA" pillow sham.
- Six 1944 Dated Two French Franc Notes
- Wool MP armband which was his assignment after the war or at the end of the war.
- Original wartime photos of Savage and other paratroops, most wear M42 Jump Uniforms, with the reverse Marked "Savage, 508, C/co in pencil.
- Research binder with copies of wartime and post war 508th PIR veteran association photos featuring Savage and his fellow Paratroopers.
Overall an exceptional Airborne Named Pathfinder grouping from a soldier that jumped on D-day and again as a Pathfinder in advance at Operation Market Garden.
The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated during World War II on 20 October 1942 at Camp Blanding, Florida. Lieutenant Colonel Roy E. Lindquist formed the unit and remained its commander throughout the war.
After extensive training and maneuvers the 508th embarked on 19 December 1943 in New York City, New York and sailed on 28 December 1943 for Belfast, Northern Ireland, arriving there on 8 January 1944. After additional training at Cromore Estate in Portstewart, the regiment was moved by ship to Glasgow in Scotland and by train on 13 March 1944 to Wollaton Park in Nottinghamshire, England, where they became part of the veteran 82nd "All American" Airborne Division, commanded by Major General Matthew Ridgway, which had seen distinguished service in Sicily and Italy. A sister unit, the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (later to become attached to the 17th Airborne Division), who were part of the 2nd Airborne Brigade with the 508th, were camped less than ten miles away at a former country hotel called Tollerton Hall, Nottinghamshire.[2] During training in England Brigadier General James M. Gavin, the Assistant Division Commander (ADC), was particularly impressed with the regiment, noting that the 508th "looks as good as any new outfit that I have ever seen, if they cannot do it it cannot be done by green troops."
Memorial to fallen members of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Wollaton Park, Nottingham, England, where the regiment was based in 1944–1945.
The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in Operation Overlord, jumping into Normandy at 2:15 a.m. on 6 June 1944. Their immediate objectives were to capture Sainte-Mère-Église, secure crossings at the Merderet River near La Fiere and Chef-du-Pont, and establish a defensive line north from Neuville-au-Plain to Breuzeville-au-Plain. There they were to tie in with the 502nd Parachute Infantry, of Major General Maxwell Taylor's 101st Airborne Division. Like most paratroop units involved in Overlord, the 508th were dropped in the wrong locations and had extraordinary difficulty linking up with each other. During the assault on June 6, a platoon leader of the 508th, First Lieutenant Robert Mathias, of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, was the first American officer killed by German fire on D-Day.
Portions of the 508th regrouped and remained in contact with German forces until relieved on 7 July when they became the divisional reserve force. On 13 July, they were transported back to England in two LSTs and returned to their station at Wollaton Park. Of the 2,056 paratroopers of the regiment who participated in the D-Day landings, only 995 returned. The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment had, by this time, suffered 1,061 casualties, out of an initial strength on D-Day of 2,056. 307 had paid the ultimate price, including the Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Herbert F. Batchellor, the highest-ranking officer to lose his life in the regiment.
For its gallantry and combat action during the first three days of fighting, the unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (later re-designated as the Presidential Unit Citation), quoted in part below:
The 508th Parachute Infantry is cited for outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy between 6 and 9 June 1944, during the invasion of France. The Regiment landed by parachute shortly after 0200 hours, 6 June 1944. Intense antiaircraft and machine-gun fire was directed against the approaching planes and parachutist drops. Enemy mobile antiairborne landing groups immediately engaged assembled elements of the Regiment and reinforced their opposition with heavily supported reserve units. Elements of the Regiment seized Hill 30, in the wedge between the Merderet and Douve Rivers, and fought vastly superior enemy forces for three days. From this position, they continually threatened German units moving in from the west, as well as the enemy forces opposing the crossing of our troops over the Merderet near La Fiere and Chef-du-Pont.
They likewise denied the enemy opportunity to throw reinforcements to the east where they could oppose the beach landings. The troops on Hill 30 finally broke through to join the airborne troops at the bridgehead west of La Fiere on 9 June 1944. They had repelled continuous attacks from infantry, tanks, mortars, and artillery for more than 60 hours without resupply. Other elements of the 508th Parachute Infantry fought courageously in the bitter fighting west of the Merderet River and in winning the bridgeheads across that river at La Fiere and Chef-du- Pont. The regiment secured its objectives through heroic determination and initiative. Every member performed his duties with exemplary aggressiveness and superior skill. The courage and devotion to duty shown by members of the 508th Parachute Infantry are worthy of emulation and reflect the highest traditions of the Army of the United States.
After their success in Normandy, the 508th PIR returned to its billet at Wollaton Park and prepared for its part in Operation Market Garden, jumping on 17 September 1944. The regiment established and maintained a defensive position over 12,000 yards (11,000 m) in length, with German troops on three sides of their position. They seized a key bridge and prevented its destruction. Other units prevented the demolition of the Waal river Bridge at Nijmegen. The regiment additionally seized, occupied, organized and defended the Berg en Dal hill mass, terrain which controlled the Groesbeek-Nijmegen area. They cut Highway K, preventing the movement of enemy reserves, or escape of enemy along this important international route. After being relieved in the Netherlands, they continued fighting the Germans in the longest-running battle on German soil ever fought by the U.S. Army, then crossing the border into Belgium.
The 508th later played a major part in the Battle of the Bulge in late December 1944, during which they screened the withdrawal of some 20,000 troops from St. Vith and defended their positions against the German Panzer divisions. They also participated in the assault led by the 2nd Ranger Battalion to capture (successfully) Hill 400. The regiment saw little further service in the war and in April 1945 were detached from command of the 82nd Airborne Division, coming under direct control of the First Allied Airborne Army. Lindquist, now a full colonel, relinquished command of the regiment to Lieutenant Colonel Otho Holmes in December, 1945. The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment returned to the United States soon after, settling at Camp Milner, New Jersey and was inactivated on 25 November 1946.
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