E Company 2/506th was constituted July 1, 1942 at Camp Toccoa, GA. At the time it was the first parachute infantry regiment that would complete basic training and parachute training as a unit. E company was comprised of 132 enlisted men and eight officers. It had three platoons and a headquarter section. These were subdivided into three 12 man rifle squads as well as a six man mortar squad per platoon. E Company's mortar team carried a 60 mm mortar per mortar team. Each squad also carried a 30 caliber machine gun. Individual weapons consisted of the M1 Garrand for most enlisted, M1 carbine for the officers. Thompson 45 caliber submachine guns were also carried by NCO's.
In December 1942, E Company began its jump training at Fort Benning, GA., because of the extra training E Company received in basic training, the unit passed the A stage of jump school and readily handled B, C and D stages. The only regiment in the airborne to do so.
March 1943 saw E Company at Camp Mackall, NC. Camp Mackall derived its name from Private John Mackall of the 82nd airborne. He was the first American paratrooper killed in combat in WWII. At Mackall, training intensified to a grueling pace. Preparations were being made for the inevitable of the invasion to come. During the time at Camp Mackall, E company and the rest of the 506th officially became members of the 101st Airborne Division on June 10,1943.
E Company landed in England aboard the troop ship Samaria on September 15, 1943. Aldbourne would be their home until the invasion. While in England, E Company and the 101st would train and hone their skills. At the end of May, E Company moved to Uppottery (their marshalling area and their airfield for the invasion of Europe). From this point onward missions were rehearsed to the point of every man from General to Private knew their entire mission forward and back. At 2300 hours on June 5, E Company 2/506th rolled down the runway, formed up with other airborne troops and began its journey to Normandy.
June 6, 1944 at 0110 E Company crossed the French coast. Their formation passed into a cloud bank thus scattering them. Between this and the flack it was a wonder any of them were able to come even close to their DZ's. By morning the best E Company could pull together was nine rifleman, two officers, two light machine guns, one bazooka and a 60 mm mortar. E Company was assigned to take out a battery of 105 mm Howitzers that pointed at the Utah beach sector four to five km to the northeast. Eleven men assaulted and captured an entire battery and scattered their supporting infantry. The battery was being zeroed by forward observer on Utah beach calling the shots onto the Fourth Infantry Division on Utah beach. By seizing the initiative the young paratroopers saved countless lives that day. From June 6 to July 10, E Company and the battalion were in continuous combat. When Carentan was taken, the Company moved to Utah beach to debarkation for England.
The drop zone this time was in Holland. Exactly the objectives were the bridges over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son and the North/ South road that ran from Eindhovan to Veghel, then to the 82nd Airborne's AO at Nijmegen. The name of the operation was "Market-Garden". Market for the airborne portion and Garden for the ground portion. It was a beautiful day September 17 1944 when E Company made their jump. With little resistance the airborne armada placed E Company en mass and on target. Bitter fighting lay ahead for the company. For nearly ten days E company fought not only for their lives but the lives of the other paratroopers up the road from them. The company was outmanned and outgunned from the outset. Although successful in seizing their objectives and keeping the road open, the regiment paid the price. The Company jumped into Holland with 157 men. When they were relieved ten days later they had suffered 22 killed.
For the next two months, the company was to hold a static defensive line in Holland. The regiment filled a gap in the British lines which was once held by a division. E Company's sector was 3 km long and only 130 men to hold it. By the end of this holding campaign E Company could only count 98 officers and men. On November 25, 1944 E Company was pulled off line and sent to France for rest and refit.
Now replacements and wounded started to return to the unit. Boredom started to overtake E Company. For combat veterans, field exercises were not very entertaining nor were they welcomed. The lull in activities allowed division commander, General Taylor to fly home to help reorganized the table of organization and equipment for airborne units. The Deputy Commander was summoned to England to give lectures on Operation Market-Garden. General Anthony McAuliffe, the 101st's artillery commander became the acting division commander.
On December 17, 1944 E Company and the rest of 101st were "truck lifted" in a miracle of logistics into and around a small town called Bastogne. With little of the refit complete, E Company went into action with what they left France with. Few winter uniforms were issued along with ammunition. E Company dug into the woods to the east side of the road that ran from Bastogne to Foy-Noville. They encountered remnants of American units moving blank faced and panic strickened to the rear of the 506th's positions. The Company was in familiar territory, short of ammo, food and completely surrounded. Twelve days of the most bitter fighting in the history of the US Army lie ahead for the men of E Company. As if to mock the surrounded paratroopers on December 21, 1944 it started snowing and stopped only after 12 inches had fallen. The cold and trench foot did as much damage as the Germans. On December 22, the Germans offered to accept the surrender of the 101st. The famous rally cry and moral raising saying of "Nuts" was sent back to the German lines. Finally on December 26 Patton's 3rd Army broke through to the "battered bastards of Bastogne" to effect relief and resupply. Unfortunately for E Company, a manpower shortage befell the US Army and they were put on the offensive. E Company came to Bastogne with 121 men, the company held less than 100 on New Years Day of 1945. E company would fight to regain ground around Bastogne for over two weeks into January of 1945. The 506th would finally be moved to regimental reserves.
From January 18 to February 23, 1945 E co. 2nd Battalion 506th PIR. Was placed in the lines of a town called Hageuenau. They got their first taste of urban combat defensive style. Constant bombardments followed by small arms exchanges were the order of the day.
On 25 February 1945 E Co. and the rest of the 506th were pulled off the line and shipped by rail to Mourmelon France. For the first time since Bastogne, they were able to shower and sleep in cots instead of washing out of their helmets and sleeping in their foxholes. It was during this break Gen. Eisenhower personally awarded the 101st Airborne the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation. It was the first time in Army history that an entire division would be given this award.
From April to V-E day E Co. would be on German soil. It would only be fitting that the Screaming Eagles be allowed to take the Eagles Nest at Berchtesgaden. It would be a fitting ending of the war for the beleaguered regiment.
When E Co. entered the war on June 6, 1944, it had 139 men in its ranks. At wars end 48 E Co. men would have given the ultimate sacrifice and more than 100 would be wounded, some several times. In their honor, we portray these men so their memory and sacrifice can be displayed for all to see. Currahee! Which means, "Stands Alone", Eco. 2nd Bat. 506th PIR definitely stands alone.
