Dick Winter's Fallschirmschutzen-Handschuhe

[Larry F.]

I think the gloves are amazing! Even though they are not a matched pair, who care's. Congrats to the new owner.

Best,
Larry

[prussian.guard]

every single soldier from every nation is a hero you cannot pick out specific individuals.mr winters would be a nobody if he didn't have all his comrades behind him.

[Homer Hodge]

While every soldier may be a hero in the sense that he carries out his duty while enduring the threat of death or serious injury, there are some who do more than the average soldier, make greater sacrifices, accomplish more difficult deeds and display greater valor. I know this because I've seen it first hand.

[SMP]

While every soldier may be a hero in the sense that he carries out his duty while enduring the threat of death or serious injury, there are some who do more than the average soldier, make greater sacrifices, accomplish more difficult deeds and display greater valor. .

The perfect reply.

[Jeff V]

Despite all the claims about how incredibly valuable these gloves are I just checked the auction and the final bid was around $2500.00. Forget about the number of $7500.00. Reserve not met. So there is no new owner of the gloves, no new owner of the pistol, just a lot of hot air about the tremendous value of these items.
best wishes,
jeff

[Willi Z.]

The perfect reply.

Indeed.

[DKNYC71]

[QUOTE=Generally, those who live to judge others lives, are missing something in their own.

John[/QUOTE]

Very well said John, I completely agree!

[Homer Hodge]

I agree with that 100%. So do all the 505th PIR veterans of the 82nd Airborne that I have met in Normandy and in the Ardennes. Or FJs on Kreta. Could go on and on.

Not to take anything away from the veterans of the PIRs (and the 327th GIR) of the 101st but they were entering combat for the first time at Normandy; the 505th PIR had already made combat jumps into Sicily and Italy. Even in the Ardennes, the 82d fought as hard, suffered as much and performed as well as the 101st and yet the 101st defense of Bastogne has gotten far more publicity and is remembered today far more than the actions of the 82d.

[DKNYC71]

Not to take anything away from the veterans of the PIRs (and the 327th GIR) of the 101st but they were entering combat for the first time at Normandy; the 505th PIR had already made combat jumps into Sicily and Italy. Even in the Ardennes, the 82d fought as hard, suffered as much and performed as well as the 101st and yet the 101st defense of Bastogne has gotten far more publicity and is remembered today far more than the actions of the 82d.

Absolutely right. Not to say that Dick Winters and the 506PIR are not brave combat veterans. But if the 'Pop Culture Historian' Steve Ambrose got hooked up with veterans of a PIR unit of any other division (82nd, 17th, 11th) the mass public out there would be hailing them, and assuming they won the war single handed. On the topic of steve Ambrose, there are some very mixed feelings about him out there, especialy among WWII vets. Although I have to say that his books are a very interesting read.

[prussian.guard]

Not to take anything away from the veterans of the PIRs (and the 327th GIR) of the 101st but they were entering combat for the first time at Normandy; the 505th PIR had already made combat jumps into Sicily and Italy. Even in the Ardennes, the 82d fought as hard, suffered as much and performed as well as the 101st and yet the 101st defense of Bastogne has gotten far more publicity and is remembered today far more than the actions of the 82d.

you can thank Hollywood for that.as i said every soldier was a hero no matter what role they took.one man did not win the war.

[Beersheba4thLH]

While every soldier may be a hero in the sense that he carries out his duty while enduring the threat of death or serious injury, there are some who do more than the average soldier, make greater sacrifices, accomplish more difficult deeds and display greater valor. I know this because I've seen it first hand.

Well said Homer.

Many units and soldiers have not received the same public recognition as Dick Winter's and the 101st Airborne. Besides the 505th PIR, many other units had seen extensive combat long before the 101st received their baptism of fire on D-Day. The 509th PIB made combat jumps in North Africa, Sicily and Italy; Darby's Rangers fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy; the Marine Raiders went through Makin and Guadalcanal; and the bombing mission to Ploesti on 1 August 1943 wasn't a walk in the park for the B-24 crews.

There are many heros from WW II who have long since been forgotten. As a young LTC in WW II, (later General) Creighton Abrams was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Silver Stars and he led the forces that punched through the German lines to relieve the 101st at Bastogne.

On 14 September 1944 the Sherman tank commanded by Sgt. Joseph Sadowski (Company A, 37th Tank Battalion) was the second tank to enter Valhey. A German antitank gun scored a direct hit on his Sherman, hitting it in the flank and setting it a fire. After getting his crew to safety, Sadowki noticed his bow gunner was missing. Looking at the crippled tank, he saw the man's hatch was still shut tight. "The Sergeant ran back to his tank, clambered up the smoking front slope and tried to pry open the bow gunner's hatch with his bare hands. He stood on the smoking tank and strained at the hatch until he had been hit so many times he could no longer stand. He slid from his medium and died in the mud beside it's tracks." For his selfless actions, Sadowski was awarded the Medal of Honor.

On 27 May 1863 463 soldiers of Birney's Division were awarded the KEARNEY CROSS. To be eligible for the cross, a soldier need not have performed a particular noticeable act - though many did - but needed only to have been present at all the division's battles and performed his duties honorably. Though the soldiers who had not been awarded the medal were generally happy to see others from their regiment received the recognition, those who wore the new cross felt a little embarrassed by the whole presentation. Many believed the award cast a "reflection upon the men who stood shoulder to shoulder with them, and were worthy of the same mark of heroism." Many of the recipients never wore their medals again.

[Homer Hodge]

Absolutely right. Not to say that Dick Winters and the 506PIR are not brave combat veterans. But if the 'Pop Culture Historian' Steve Ambrose got hooked up with veterans of a PIR unit of any other division (82nd, 17th, 11th) the mass public out there would be hailing them, and assuming they won the war single handed. On the topic of steve Ambrose, there are some very mixed feelings about him out there, especialy among WWII vets. Although I have to say that his books are a very interesting read.

I agree with you about Ambrose. While his books about WWII were well researched and written for the most part, occasionally I sensed that he really didn't quite understand the "culture" within military combat arms units, especially at the company level in airborne units. Other than college ROTC, he had never served in the military so it was not surprising.

[dag001]

I agree with that 100%. So do all the 505th PIR veterans of the 82nd Airborne that I have met in Normandy and in the Ardennes. Or FJs on Kreta. Could go on and on.

Don't forget the 504th PIR of the 82nd - Those Devils in Baggy Pants...
Like the 505th, they were grizzled veterans of North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio by the time the 101st jumped the 1st time.

[Marvin Jeffus]

Those Devils in Baggy Pants written by Ross S. Carter is a book worth reading, can be found at Amazon.

[Homer Hodge]

The 504th missed Normandy because Ridgeway felt they still needed to recover from combat in Italy but they jumped and fought in Holland during Market-Garden and in the Bulge. A tough, experienced regiment.
I read Carter's book in high school and wanted to become a paratrooper.