Order of battle for the American airborne landings in Normandy

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The Order of battle for the American airborne landings in Normandy is a list of the units immediately available for combat on the Cotentin Peninsula between June 6, 1944, and June 15, 1944, during the American airborne landings in Normandy during World War II.

Contents

American forces

Allied chain of command

Supreme Allied Commander:   Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

21st Army Group:   Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery

U.S. First Army:   Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley

U.S. VII Corps:   Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins

VII Corps

82nd Airborne Division

82nd Airborne Division CSIB.svg

101st Airborne Division

US 101st Airborne Division patch.svg

IX Troop Carrier Command

Maj. Gen. Paul L. Williams    (Grantham, Lincs)

50th Troop Carrier Wing

C-47 of the 439th Troop Carrier Group, which carried the 506th PIR (of Band of Brothers fame) into Normandy. Group commander's aircraft, chalk #1 of Serial 11 94tcs-c471.jpg
C-47 of the 439th Troop Carrier Group, which carried the 506th PIR (of Band of Brothers fame) into Normandy. Group commander's aircraft, chalk #1 of Serial 11

Brig. Gen. Julian M. Chappell at RAF Exeter

  • 439th Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. Charles H. Young  (RAF Upottery)
    • 91st TCS:  Maj. Howard U. Morton
    • 92nd TCS:  Maj. Cecil E. Petty
    • 93rd TCS:  Maj. Robert A. Barrere
    • 94th TCS:  Maj. Joseph A. Beck II
  • 440th Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. Frank X. Krebs  (RAF Exeter)
    • 95th TCS:  Maj. Irvin G. Anderson
    • 96th TCS:  Capt. William R. Cooper
    • 97th TCS:  Maj. Jack S. Southard
    • 98th TCS:  Maj. Bascome L. Neal
  • 441st Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. Theodore G. Kershaw  (RAF Merryfield)
    • 99th TCS:  Lt Col. Walter T. Fletcher
    • 100th TCS:  Capt. James T. Cousin
    • 301st TCS:  Capt. Lloyd G. Neblett
    • 302nd TCS:  Lt. Col. Frederick Funston, Jr.

52nd Troop Carrier Wing

Brig. Gen. Harold L. Clark at RAF Cottesmore

  • 61st Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Willis W. Mitchell  (RAF Barkston Heath)
    • 14th TCS:  Maj. Lewis S. Frederick, Jr.
    • 15th TCS:  Maj. Lawrence C. McMurtry
    • 53rd TCS:  Maj. Howard M. Betts
    • 59th TCS:  Maj. Marcus O. Owens, Jr.
  • 313th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. James J. Roberts, Jr.  (RAF Folkingham)
    • 29th TCS:  Lt Col. Quinn M. Corley
    • 47th TCS:  Maj. Paul W. Stephens
    • 48th TCS:  Maj. Edgar F. Stovall, Jr.
    • 49th TCS:  Lt Col. Frank J. Lumsden
  • 314th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Clayton Stiles  (RAF Saltby)
    • 32nd TCS:  Maj. Halac G. Wilson
    • 50th TCS:  Maj. Joseph H. McClure
    • 61st TCS:  Maj. Campbell N. Smith
    • 62nd TCS:  Maj. Arthur E. Tappan
  • 315th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Hamish McLelland  (RAF Spanhoe)
    • 34th TCS:  Lt Col. Donald G. Dekin
    • 43rd TCS:  Lt Col. Otto H. Peterson
    • 309th TCS:  Lt Col. Smylie C. Stark
    • 310th TCS:  Lt Col. Henry G. Hamby, Jr.
  • 316th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Harvey A. Berger  (RAF Cottesmore)
    • 36th TCS:  Maj. James R. Roberts
    • 37th TCS:  Maj. Leonard C. Fletcher
    • 44th TCS:  Maj. Benjamin F. Kendig
    • 45th TCS:  Maj. Mars Lewis
  • 442d Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. Charles M. Smith  (RAF Fulbeck, attached from 50th TCW)
    • 303rd TCS:  Maj. Robert O. Whittington
    • 304th TCS:  Maj. Kenneth L. Glassburn
    • 305th TCS:  Maj. John A. Crandell
    • 306th TCS:  Maj. Royal S. Thompson

53rd Troop Carrier Wing

Brig. Gen. Maurice M. Beach at RAF Greenham Common

  • 434th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. William B. Whitacre  (RAF Aldermaston)
    • 71st TCS:  Maj. Glenn E. W. Mann, Jr.
    • 72nd TCS:  Maj. Frank W. Hansley
    • 73rd TCS:  Maj. Terry G. Hutton
    • 74th TCS:  Maj. Ralph L. Strean, Jr.
  • 435th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Frank J. McNeese  (RAF Welford)
    • 75th TCS:  Maj. Lewis A. Curtis
    • 76th TCS:  Lt Col. Robert C. Lewis
    • 77th TCS:  Lt Col. Henry H. Osmer
    • 78th TCS:  Lt Col. Bertil E. Hanson
  • 436th Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. Adriel N. Williams  (RAF Membury)
    • 79th TCS:  Maj. John D. Kreyssler
    • 80th TCS:  Maj. Clarence L. Schmid
    • 81st TCS:  Maj. David W. Brack
    • 82nd TCS:  Capt. Robert G. Johns
    • 85th TCS:  Capt. Lester L. Ferguson (temporary attachment from 437 TCG)
  • 437th Troop Carrier Group:  Col. Cedric E. Hudgens  (RAF Ramsbury)
    • 83rd TCS:  Capt. John White
    • 84th TCS:  Capt. John M. Campbell
    • 86th TCS:  Maj. Ralph E. Lehr
  • 438th Troop Carrier Group:  Lt Col. John M. Donalson  (RAF Greenham Common)
    • 87th TCS:  Lt Col. David E. Daniel
    • 88th TCS:  Maj. Robert W. Gates
    • 89th TCS:  Maj. Clement G. Richardson
    • 90th TCS:  Maj. Howard I. Pawlowski

German forces

German chain of command

Supreme Command West:   Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt

Army Group B:   Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel

Seventh Army:   Generaloberst Friedrich Dollman (died 28 June)

LXXXIV Corps:   General der Artillerie Erich Marcks (KIA 12 June)

German 7th Army

Ensign 7.Armee 7. Armee Kennzeichen (Wehrmacht) 1944.svg
Ensign 7.Armee

ArmeeReserve

LXXXIV Corps

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References

  1. ↑ Strength June 1: approx. 8,000
  2. ↑ Strength June 1: 3,457
  3. ↑ Strength June 1: 11,529
  4. ↑ The 206.PzAbt. reportedly had a TO&E of 28 Hotchkiss H35 (20 operational), 10 Somua S-35, 6 Char B1 bis (4 operational), and 2 R-35 tanks.
  5. ↑ Strength June 1: 12,320
  6. ↑ From Cross Channel Attack, Chapter VII end note 83: "The Sturm Battalion was an irregular Army unit for shock employment. It contained about 1,100 men in four companies armed as infantry and had four light field howitzers. The 101st Stellungswerfer Regiment...consisted of three mobile rocket launcher battalions armed either with 210-mm. rocket launchers or 280-mm./320-mm. launchers. The 100th Panzer Replacement Battalion, equipped with a handful of French R-35 and Russian light tanks, had very slight combat value."
    However, the most detailed Order of Battle of this unit indicates that no Russian tanks were present. In addition to 19 R-35, 100.Pz.Ers.u.Ausb.Abt was equipped with 8 Hotchkiss H38s, 1 Somua S-35, 1 Char B1 bis, and 3 PzKpfw III, and had a personnel strength of 644 men that included 4 platoons of infantry. Like the 6th Parachute Regiment, on D-Day it was attached to the 91st Air Landing Division.
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