Memories of 82nd Airborne Veterans from Normandy June 2004
Julius Eisner, D/505 Pathfinder
The very first veteran we met on the tour was Julius Eisner, a D Company 505 Pathfinder, who bumped into us as soon as we boarded the ferry on the evening of the 2nd. We spent a good time talking with Julius in the bar on the way across before sending him to bed to get some sleep! Julius was also kind enough to autograph some of our books and hats and provide us with signed copies of the 2/505 Pathfinder stick photo (below).
Julius trained with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Benning, but the whole 2nd Battalion of his regiment was sent across to the 82nd Airborne Division to complete their TOE and to go overseas with them. He jumped into Salerno, but hadn’t jumped in Sicily as there weren’t enough C-47’s available.
For Normandy, he was part of one of the 2nd Battalion 505th Eureka Beacon Teams (as opposed to one of the Security Teams), and including the M1 Rifle he jumped with he weighed in at 230 lb for the jump, twice his body weight!
The 2nd Battalion Pathfinder stick jumped at 350 ft, landing all together except for 3 504 PIR guys who had volunteered for the Pathfinders just prior to Normandy and who were providing a BAR Team as part of the Security Teams– Julius says that they never saw them again after the jump.
After setting up the PPN1 Eureka Beacons and Halophane Lights at DZ-0 (the 2/505 jump was the most accurate of all of the units in the 82nd and 101st), the Pathfinders remained together as a unit at Divisional HQ, subsequently putting out the marker panels at the Les Forge LZ-W for the glider mission on D+1. On D+2 the Pathfinder Teams were broken up and the men returned to their own units.
Julius received the Bronze Star for the Pathfinder mission and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded later in the Normandy campaign.
For Holland, Julius was part of one of the Pathfinder Security Teams, carrying a BAR. After the Pathfinder mission was completed, the men were again released back to their own units.
Julius found himself carrying the BAR and 400 rounds (and a pair of captured German binoculars) during the 20th September D Company attack on the Railroad Bridge in Nijmegen (2/505 had been tasked to take the Railroad (D Company) and Road (E&F Companies) Bridges with the Grenadier Guards to link up with the 504th PIR who were carrying out their famous assault crossing of the Waal River to capture the other ends of the same bridges).
He was hit from behind by MG fire, with a round entering in the rear of his right leg and then exiting to knock the top off a Gammon Grenade he was carrying in the right leg cargo pocket of his M43 trousers! Julius carefully removed the two pieces of the Gammon Grenade and laid them down to one side, whilst wondering how to get out the predicament he was in. At this point a Dutch civilian cycled up to him and asked if he could borrow Julius’s helmet. Slightly confused at this, Julius gave the man his helmet, but all became clear when the man then put Julius on the back of his bike and cycled him to a hospital. Unfortunately, it was a German hospital, but thankfully the German doctors treated Julius and he was liberated 2 days later when the hospital was captured by friendly troops.
Because of the fact that he was initially treated in a German hospital, the paperwork for the wound was never completed properly and Julius did not receive a second Purple Heart! He subsequently went AWOL from the Field Hospital he was then moved to and ended up getting back to Reims and the 505th just before the Battle of the Bulge.
Julius did mention another incidence of being AWOL after the Bulge fighting was over for a visit to Paris, but didn’t go into details!
We were very grateful to have the opportunity to meet Julius and were glad to see him again at the foxhole display in Sainte Mere Eglise, where we were able to introduce him to the 2/505 Pathfinder guys who had travelled over separately. A chance meeting but a very important one to us!
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