Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a wonderful Zippo style flip top lighter that belonged to Louis H. Swan of the 680th Glider Field Artillery in the 17th Airborne Division. We say “Zippo Style” because this is not a zippo, but another flip top lighter that was popular amongst the troops during WWII.
The front of the lighter features a lovely set of paratrooper wings with a small brass 17th Airborne insignia riveted onto the center of the wings. The wings appear to also be riveted to the main body of the lighter, and is still tight without any movement.
The engraving on the front reads as follows:
LOUIS SWAN
680TH GLIDER F.A.
17TH A/B DIV.
We have not been able to locate service information for this soldier, but we did find him listed here on the “17th Airborne in the Bulge” website: Roster - 680th GFAB
This is a wonderful lighter that comes more than ready for research and display!
The 680th Glider Field Artillery Battalion
Unit History
The 680th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (GFAB) was constituted on 10 March 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina (NC). The officers were recent graduates of the Field Artillery School while the enlisted men were transferred from the 321st GFAB of the 101st Airborne, then stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. It was activated 15 April 1943 at Camp Mackall, North Carolina under the command of Lt Colonel Paul F Oswald. The 680th GFAB was immediately assigned to the 17th Airborne Division. Moved to the Tennessee Maneuver Area 7 February 1944 then transferred to Camp Forrest, Tennessee 24 March 1944. The battalion staged at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 14 August 1944. It departed the Boston Port of Embarkation 20 August 1944 aboard the USS Wakefield and arriving in Liverpool, England on 28 August 1944.
When the 680th GFAB arrived in England, the battalion was immediately shuttled to Camp Chiseldon, the 17th Airborne Division staging area, on August 29, 1944. Flight and tactical training continued and night maneuvers were added to the training schedule. When Operation Market Garden was initiated, the 17th Airborne Division was still in training and was held in strategic reserve.
Battle of the Bulge - The Ardennes Offensive
Suddenly, on December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise. The 17th was still in England. But the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were in Sissones, France and were rushed by truck to contain the bulge in the Allied lines. Between December 17 and 23, the Germans were halted near St. Vith by the 82nd Airborne and Bastogne by a roadblock, defended by the U.S. 7th Armored Division and the 101st Airborne Division. To help reinforce the siege at Bastogne the entire 17th Airborne Division was finally committed to combat in the European Theater of Operations.
From 23 to 25 December, elements of the Division were flown to the Reims area in France in spectacular night flights then hastily trucked into Belgium. During this time tragedy struck when a C-47 crashed on takeoff from Dreux Airport killing 6 members of Battery A. A similar accident occurred at Orleans Field wounding 6 men of Battery B. Meanwhile, Patton's Third U.S. Army had finally broken the siege at Bastogne with a marathon thrust from the south. Upon arriving the 17th Airborne Division was attached to Patton's Third U.S. Army and ordered to immediately close in at Mourmelon. The 680th GFAB would fire in support of the 193rd GIR in the defense of the Meuse River sector from Givet to Verdun until 1 January 1945. On 2 January 1945 the 17th Airborne moved to Neufchateau, Belgium. On 3 January the battalion took up combat positions near Sibret, Belgium and fired their first combat rounds the following day.
On 7 January, the 680th GFAB would gain their baptism of fire that would have tested the mettle of the most experienced airborne units. General Patton had ordered the 17th Airborne to seize the town of Flamierge where the 11th Armour and the 87th Infantry Divisions had encountered brutal resistance from the Germans. By the end of that first week of combat the battalion had fired 5560 rounds of ammunition. The casualty count was two killed in action and five wounded.
During the next month, the 680th GFAB moved several times within Belgium firing in support of the 513th PIR until on the 27th when the battalion took up positions near Bockholtz, Luxembourg. On 11 February 1945 the 680th GFAB was relieved by the 212th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and returned to camp at Chalons-sur-Marne in France with the rest of the 17th Airborne Division. The 17th returned to Belgium on 21 March 1945 to prepare for the air assault across the Rhine.
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 British 6th Airborne Division and the 17th Airborne Division.
This would be the last full scale airborne operation of the war and the first combat glider landing for the 680th GFAB. The 680th's mission was to land north of Wesel in Landing Zone (LZ) S, a large flat area where the Issel River and the Issel Canal merge. Then to seize the crossing over the Issel and protect the division's right flank.
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