In this photograph, General Dwight D Eisenhower is meeting with the paratroopers on June 5, 1944--the day before D-Day. France fell under Nazi occupation in 1940, and by 1943, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin wanted to free France from Nazi occupation, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower organized D-Day operations with Roosevelt.
Eisenhower has confidence and pride in his men, and visiting the camp boosts both his and the troops' spirits. At the time the photo was taken, the paratroopers were awaiting orders to leave for their planes. According to Historyaddict.com, the man standing in front of
Eisenhower with the number 23 around his neck is Lt. Wallace C. Strobel. While Strobel was not injured for the next week, most of the men in the photo were killed or wounded in battle within a few hours. The 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped intoNormandy with 792 men, but six days later, the regiment only had 129 men. The man on the far right may be Pvt. William Crosby from Reading, Massachusets, who was also in company E of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. Crosby was badly wounded that night, but fortunately survived.This picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England around 8:30 pm by an official Army photographer, but there is another shot taken by Mike Misura.
The following is a memoir from Lt. Wallace C. Strobel, found on History Addict:
"Strobel, 1st Lt. company
E 502nd parachute
infantry regiment, 101st
Airborne Division:
The picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England about 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944. My 22nd birthday
It was shortly before we were to leave the tented assembly area to which , for
security reasons, we had been confined for about 5 days. We had darkened our
faces and hands with burned cork, cocoa and cooking oil to be able to blend into
the darkness and prevent reflection from the moon. We were all very well
prepared emotionally for the
operation.
The drop packs, that were to be attached to the planes and contained our machine
guns, mortars and ammunition, had been prepared earlier, marked with our plane
numbers and delivered to the plane. Our plane number was 23 and I was the
jumpmaster of that plane. This fact accounts for the sign around my neck in the
picture which carries the number 23. The planes and jump sticks were so numbered
for ease in locating the planes and crews as well as the attachment of the drop
bundles to the correct planes. We were waiting for orders to leave for the
planes when the word was passed, "Eisenhower is in the area." At that point in
time this did not cause a great deal of excitement because all of us had seen
him before when he had visited the division and, in addition, we were all pretty
well preoccupied with our thoughts of our equipment and the operation
ahead.
A short time later we heard some noise and we all went into the streets between
the tents to see what was going on. Down the street came the General, surrounded
by his staff and a large number of photographers, both still and movie. As he
came toward our group we straightened up and suddenly he came directly toward me
and stopped in front of me. He asked my name and which state I was from. I gave
him my name and that I was from Michigan. He then said, "Oh yes, Michigan. Great
fishing there. Been there several times and like it." He then asked if I felt we
were ready for the operation, did I feel we had been well briefed and were we
all ready for the drop. I replied we were all set and didn't think we would have
too much of a problem. He seemed in good spirits. He chatted a little more,
which I believe was intended to relax us and I think that all of us being keyed
up and ready to go buoyed him somewhat.
You must remember that the men of the 101st and the 502nd Parachute
Infantry
especially were exceptionally well trained. We all felt we had
outstanding senior and field grade officers. We had the best arms and equipment available
and we had been very well briefed for the operation. We were at a peak
physically and emotionally. We were ready to go and to do our job.
While I think the General thought his visit would boost the morale of our men, I
honestly think it was his morale that was improved by being such a remarkably
"high" group of troops. The General's later writings confirmed
this.
Within minutes of his visit we gathered our equipment and walked to our planes. I
especially remember that as our plane took off at dusk and as I stood in the
open doorway of the plane I could see a group of men watching and waving at the
planes and I understood later that it was General Eisenhower and his
staff.
I forgot about the incident because of our activity during the next few weeks.
Later when we were in a rear area I happened to look at a copy of a "Pony"
edition of Time Magazine and I saw a very poorly printed copy of the picture. I
couldn't make out the faces but I saw the 23 sign around the next of one of the
men and I realized it was the picture taken the night before D-Day when we were
ready to take off.
Later, in July, when we returned to base camp in England one of the men at base camp
gave me a number of English newspapers which had used the picture. He had
recognized some of us in the picture and had saved the issues. It was also used
on cover of Yank magazine's 30 June issue. I don't believe it was used again
during the war.
Our regiment photographer, Mike Misura, gave me the original negative of the one
shot he had taken. This is the one with the General speaking directly to me with
his hands down. The other shot was apparently taken by an official Army
photographer and is the one with the General's arm raised as he spoke. This
apparently is the official Defense Department photo as it seems to be the one
used most often.
I didn't think about the picture again until the 1952 Presidential campaign when
the General ran for President. That fall, General Eisenhower visited Michigan
and the Saginaw area on a "whistle stop" trip by train. During his visit he was
shown a copy of the picture by a friend of mine, Harvey Walker, who was the
Saginaw County Republican Chairman. Harvey said the General recalled the
incident and he signed a copy of the photo which I still
have.
The picture has been used as a standard for anything connected with the European
Theatre of Operations of World War II. As the years have passed it seems to be
used more and more to show our Army as civilians like to envision it and to
those who serve with the 101st Airborne Division it represents what we know our
Division was. A fine well trained dependable group of men who were prepared for
the invasion of France.
The picture was used in the Eisenhower postage stamp issued in 1990. It was depicted
in the background of the stamp and while some changes were made in an attempt to
follow postal regulations, there is no question the picture was used by the
stamp artist.
I have always been proud of my service with the officers and men of the 502ND
Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 101st Airborne
Division" (ike502nd).
According to Historyaddict, visiting the paratroopers helped Eisenhower to decide to begin D-Day operations despite inclement weather. Therefore, visiting the paratroopers boosted Eisenhower's spirits, and the visit from Eisenhower boosted the paratroopers' spirits
Therefore, the troops felt they were as physically and mentally prepared as they could be for D-Day operations.
Below is a link to General Eisenhower's "Order of the Day" which he issued as motivation for D-Day operations.
Eisenhower has confidence and pride in his men, and visiting the camp boosts both his and the troops' spirits. At the time the photo was taken, the paratroopers were awaiting orders to leave for their planes. According to Historyaddict.com, the man standing in front of
Eisenhower with the number 23 around his neck is Lt. Wallace C. Strobel. While Strobel was not injured for the next week, most of the men in the photo were killed or wounded in battle within a few hours. The 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped intoNormandy with 792 men, but six days later, the regiment only had 129 men. The man on the far right may be Pvt. William Crosby from Reading, Massachusets, who was also in company E of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. Crosby was badly wounded that night, but fortunately survived.This picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England around 8:30 pm by an official Army photographer, but there is another shot taken by Mike Misura.
The following is a memoir from Lt. Wallace C. Strobel, found on History Addict:
"Strobel, 1st Lt. company
E 502nd parachute
infantry regiment, 101st
Airborne Division:
The picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England about 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944. My 22nd birthday
It was shortly before we were to leave the tented assembly area to which , for
security reasons, we had been confined for about 5 days. We had darkened our
faces and hands with burned cork, cocoa and cooking oil to be able to blend into
the darkness and prevent reflection from the moon. We were all very well
prepared emotionally for the
operation.
The drop packs, that were to be attached to the planes and contained our machine
guns, mortars and ammunition, had been prepared earlier, marked with our plane
numbers and delivered to the plane. Our plane number was 23 and I was the
jumpmaster of that plane. This fact accounts for the sign around my neck in the
picture which carries the number 23. The planes and jump sticks were so numbered
for ease in locating the planes and crews as well as the attachment of the drop
bundles to the correct planes. We were waiting for orders to leave for the
planes when the word was passed, "Eisenhower is in the area." At that point in
time this did not cause a great deal of excitement because all of us had seen
him before when he had visited the division and, in addition, we were all pretty
well preoccupied with our thoughts of our equipment and the operation
ahead.
A short time later we heard some noise and we all went into the streets between
the tents to see what was going on. Down the street came the General, surrounded
by his staff and a large number of photographers, both still and movie. As he
came toward our group we straightened up and suddenly he came directly toward me
and stopped in front of me. He asked my name and which state I was from. I gave
him my name and that I was from Michigan. He then said, "Oh yes, Michigan. Great
fishing there. Been there several times and like it." He then asked if I felt we
were ready for the operation, did I feel we had been well briefed and were we
all ready for the drop. I replied we were all set and didn't think we would have
too much of a problem. He seemed in good spirits. He chatted a little more,
which I believe was intended to relax us and I think that all of us being keyed
up and ready to go buoyed him somewhat.
You must remember that the men of the 101st and the 502nd Parachute
Infantry
especially were exceptionally well trained. We all felt we had
outstanding senior and field grade officers. We had the best arms and equipment available
and we had been very well briefed for the operation. We were at a peak
physically and emotionally. We were ready to go and to do our job.
While I think the General thought his visit would boost the morale of our men, I
honestly think it was his morale that was improved by being such a remarkably
"high" group of troops. The General's later writings confirmed
this.
Within minutes of his visit we gathered our equipment and walked to our planes. I
especially remember that as our plane took off at dusk and as I stood in the
open doorway of the plane I could see a group of men watching and waving at the
planes and I understood later that it was General Eisenhower and his
staff.
I forgot about the incident because of our activity during the next few weeks.
Later when we were in a rear area I happened to look at a copy of a "Pony"
edition of Time Magazine and I saw a very poorly printed copy of the picture. I
couldn't make out the faces but I saw the 23 sign around the next of one of the
men and I realized it was the picture taken the night before D-Day when we were
ready to take off.
Later, in July, when we returned to base camp in England one of the men at base camp
gave me a number of English newspapers which had used the picture. He had
recognized some of us in the picture and had saved the issues. It was also used
on cover of Yank magazine's 30 June issue. I don't believe it was used again
during the war.
Our regiment photographer, Mike Misura, gave me the original negative of the one
shot he had taken. This is the one with the General speaking directly to me with
his hands down. The other shot was apparently taken by an official Army
photographer and is the one with the General's arm raised as he spoke. This
apparently is the official Defense Department photo as it seems to be the one
used most often.
I didn't think about the picture again until the 1952 Presidential campaign when
the General ran for President. That fall, General Eisenhower visited Michigan
and the Saginaw area on a "whistle stop" trip by train. During his visit he was
shown a copy of the picture by a friend of mine, Harvey Walker, who was the
Saginaw County Republican Chairman. Harvey said the General recalled the
incident and he signed a copy of the photo which I still
have.
The picture has been used as a standard for anything connected with the European
Theatre of Operations of World War II. As the years have passed it seems to be
used more and more to show our Army as civilians like to envision it and to
those who serve with the 101st Airborne Division it represents what we know our
Division was. A fine well trained dependable group of men who were prepared for
the invasion of France.
The picture was used in the Eisenhower postage stamp issued in 1990. It was depicted
in the background of the stamp and while some changes were made in an attempt to
follow postal regulations, there is no question the picture was used by the
stamp artist.
I have always been proud of my service with the officers and men of the 502ND
Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 101st Airborne
Division" (ike502nd).
According to Historyaddict, visiting the paratroopers helped Eisenhower to decide to begin D-Day operations despite inclement weather. Therefore, visiting the paratroopers boosted Eisenhower's spirits, and the visit from Eisenhower boosted the paratroopers' spirits
Therefore, the troops felt they were as physically and mentally prepared as they could be for D-Day operations.
Below is a link to General Eisenhower's "Order of the Day" which he issued as motivation for D-Day operations.