Down to Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy (Morgan)

[PEB14]

Hi,

Does any bosy own Morgan's book "Down to Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy " (Schiffer)?

As this is quite an expensive book, I would like to know wether it provides original/interesting information regarding the regiment actions around Timmes' orchard and Col. Millet around Amfreville.

Thanks in advance!

[Vacillator]

@WimO Wim, do you have it?  Wim has done a lot of scenarios/campaigns around those actions.

[PEB14]

38 minutes ago, Vacillator said:

@WimO Wim, do you have it?  Wim has done a lot of scenarios/campaigns around those actions.

No, I have asked him, he doesn't.

[Vacillator]

Oh okay, you're one step ahead of me .

[WimO]

"Down to Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy "

I ordered the book today. Hope to have it inside a week. Looking forward to having a read.

[PEB14]

13 hours ago, WimO said:

"Down to Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy "

I ordered the book today. Hope to have it inside a week. Looking forward to having a read.

OK, please let me know what you find inside and if it's worth buying!

I just discovered yesterday in another Nordyke's books that there was a third significant group of 507 PIR men (150 strong) somewhere near Amfreville, which joined Millet the morning before they tried a breakout. With around 600 troopers around Amfreville by June 7th one can really wonder who besieged whom!

[WimO]

6 hours ago, PEB14 said:

I just discovered yesterday in another Nordyke's books that there was a third significant group of 507 PIR men (150 strong) somewhere near Amfreville, which joined Millet the morning before they tried a breakout. With around 600 troopers around Amfreville by June 7th one can really wonder who besieged whom!

Yes, indeed. Millet had the equivalent of a battalion by the time he tried to break out. I wonder why he tried to 'sneak' through the German lines instead of launching an attack simultaneous with 1/325 GIR's attack from the east. He must have had reasons. There is much that we will  never know.

[PEB14]

1 hour ago, WimO said:

Yes, indeed. Millet had the equivalent of a battalion by the time he tried to break out. I wonder why he tried to 'sneak' through the German lines instead of launching an attack simultaneous with 1/325 GIR's attack from the east. He must have had reasons. There is much that we will  never know.

Actually we do.

According to Nordyke (All American, all the way), he was ordered by 82nd Division to break through German forces and join Timmes. We lack a lot of information regarding Millet actions; but in any case he managed to captured more 96 prisoners before the breakout attempt. During the breakout, 70 of these prisoners escaped or were killed, and 26 made it across the Merderet to 505 PIR position with Millet's rearguard.

One tactical issue is that 1/325 action was not directed eastwards, towards Millet, but southwards, towards Cauquigny. So Millet and 1/325 movements were diverging and took no advantage one of the other. In the end III/325 was slaughtered and took no further part in the action, and 2/3 of Millet's force got captured. Not the better performance from 82nd staff.

[WimO]

D'accord. Minor correction. I think you meant I/325 and not III/325?  Some report that about half (200 or so?) of Millet's force were either captured or killed. They were the leading half. The tail end had gotten separated from the front, and reportedly all or some of these broke through to Neuville au Plain.

Edited May 25, 2023 by WimO

[PEB14]

3 hours ago, WimO said:

D'accord. Minor correction. I think you meant I/325 and not III/325?  Some report that about half (200 or so?) of Millet's force were either captured or killed. They were the leading half. The tail end had gotten separated from the front, and reportedly all or some of these broke through to Neuville au Plain.

Yes (I/325) and yes!

At least that's exactly what Nordyke reports in All American, all the way.

[WimO]

The book, "Down to Earth, The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Normandy" just arrived. Had a very quick look. Large size, glossy pages, very heavily illustrated with photographs both black and white and coloured. 283 pages of which less than 50% appears to be text as a result of the heavy illustration. So initial impression is that as far as text goes, I do not expect it to be nearly as detailed as Nordyke's book.

The portion of the book relevant to my 82nd Airborne Normandy campaign game consist of chapters 8 through 14, 83 pages, of which the text equivalent amounts to about 40 pages. Let's see if there's anything new here.

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by WimO
Addition

[Artkin]

I'm feeling that book craze too. I ordered 15 on the eastern front yesterday. 

[WimO]

Comments on those sections of "Down to Earth ... etc" that cover my "Mission Boston - Objective La Fiere", CMBN campaign. To answer the question, "Does this book provide any new information that would cause me to alter any element of my campaign?". The answer is, "Yes, but only for the scenario, 'No Better Place to Die'". In that scenario I would remove the B Coy/505 PIR's reinforcements that arrive late in the scenario. Why? Because in "Down to Earth ..." it states that B Coy/505 PIR was sent in whole across the Merderet towards Cauquigny to reinforce Lt. Levy but got trapped and massacred while retreating from the German attack that was bearing down on  Lt. Levy's group at Cauquigny just as B Coy was arriving and taking up positions. Bad timing and all that.

In my original design this was not included in whole because I had relied on an earlier reference that reported that B Coy was assigned to maintain security on 505 PIR's DZ. The two sources do not conflict. They differ only in time of day. Until today I had no information that B Coy had been ordered away from the DZ to Cauquigny after the capture of the La Fiere manor. It would be a simple correction in my campaign and make that particular scenario even more gut wrenching for the player.

I did learn a few other new bits of information, that while interesting, would not cause me to change the campaign scenarios.  These mostly revolve around Col. Millet. He attacked Amfreville a bit more aggressively than is feasible in my scenario and Millet's force was apparently attacked three times during the next day in their fall-back positions. It is impossible to create a new scenario from the information because there are no details given regarding Millet's location and size of corresponding forces, etc. Also in respect of Col. Millet's group, if I was to accept this books account, I would have to reduce the size of his force by half for the scenario, "Breakout". I decided to stick with my earlier reads on the matter since the outcome has no effect on the progress of th campaign given how I have structured the 'flow'. A few other bits clarified the timelines of elements crossing over from La Fiere to Cauquigny and the weight of American artillery shooting during the storming of the causeway on the 9th of June. Although I was aware of this earlier, I chose to downsize the US arty somewhat in the interest of playability. Artistic license, or as inspector Clouseau would say, "lye sance". This source also states that after 1/325 GIR's failed overnight attack they were ordered to remain on the west side of the Merderet. This agrees with another online source (which might be quoting this book for all I know) and conflicts with others. But it creates an internal conflict when a few pages on it states that it was now impossible to reinforce Timmes' orchard. I say, "How so, if 1/325 PIR stayed on the west side? After all, they crossed the Merderet via the sunken road BEHIND TIMMES orchard."

Lack of detail and maps is one of this book's features. While it is an interesting read, I would never have been able to create any scenarios with this book alone. Just the opposite of Nordyke. The most interesting part for me, was reading the small vignettes provided by individual soldier's brief accounts.

I would classify this book as a great introductory book about the 507 PIR in Normandy. A very good starting point given all the photos and info about training and equipment. But for scenario designers' it is a minor supplement.

This was my opinion, not a serious review, and should be taken as such, yours may well differ.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by WimO

[WimO]

History could have been different.

IF Capt. Schwartzwalder had remained at Cauquigny, and or

IF B Coy 505 PIR had arrived and  dug-in at Cauquigny before the German counter-attack arrived, then

1. Cauquigny would not have fallen into German hands

2. Two days of repulsing bloody German assaults at La Fiere would not have been necessary

3. 1/325 GIR's night crossing and attack would not have been necessary

4. 3/325 GIR's assault across the causeway would not have been necessary

Decisions and timing - a roll of the dice