| “Original caption: “General Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the order of the day, ‘Full victory —nothing else’ to paratroopers somewhere in England, just before they board their airplanes to participate in the first assault in the invasion of the continent of Europe.” United States Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969), Commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), talks with American paratroopers on the evening of June 5, 1944, as they prepared for the Battle of Normandy. Eisenhower believed that as many as 80 percent were expected to be casualties. This is 1 of the iconic photographs of World War II. The men are mostly part of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Taken in “Tent City” at Greenham Common Airfield, England. Later that night, in Operation Albany, these men were deployed over France to Drop Zone A over Sainte-Mère-Église by the 438th Troop Carrier Group. From left to right: United Kingdom Royal Army Lieutenant Colonel James F. “Jim” Gault (June 26, 1902 – January 14, 1977), Eisenhower’s British military aide, can be seen behind him in his Scots Guards uniform. Sergeant Fred E. “Freddie” Lindsey (May 1, 1922 – November 5, 2014) of Sioux City, Iowa, 299th Port Company, 518th Port Battalion, attached to the 1st Combat Engineer Special Brigade, holding a small sketchbook that he would use to make illustrations of the war; he is behind and to the left of Eisenhower’s back. Lindsey cleared mines and connected the Utah Beach landings with the 101st to ensure they were supplied. After the war, he studied art in Paris during his leaves and earned money as a sketch artist in the United States. 1st Sergeant Russell R. Wilmarth (June 15, 1919 – December 17, 2018), of Gainesville, New York, behind Eisenhower’s chin; with Company E, he not only appeared in this view, but also in another iconic 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment photograph of a squad of paratroopers with a captured Nazi Swastika flag in Marmion Farm, Ravenoville, just inland from Utah Beach, France, on June 8, 1944. On June 14, Wilmarth’s left leg was shattered by an explosion, became gangrenous, and had to be amputated. 1 of the most challenging things he had to do was to “write to my wife, Arloween “Woody” Woodward [(May 29, 1919 – December 17, 2018)] that I have lost a leg.” He appeared in the 1945 documentary film The True Glory to tell his story as a paratrooper. To the left of Lieutenant Wallace C. Strobel was possibly Private 1st Class Ralph “Budd” Thomas (August 2, 1924 – July 12, 2014) of Binghamton, New York, with the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment (the majority of which landed day sea on Utah Beach); he enlisted on July 27, 1943, and was wounded on June 10, 1944. Thomas survived to return to the United States and work for International Business Machines. Other sources identified this paratrooper as Private 1st Class Arthur L. “Art” Wegener (August 19, 1917 – April 6, 1994), who served with the 101st for 30 months. Sergeant Joseph B. May, Jr. (October 7, 1920 – August 8, 1995), the man identified above Eisenhower’s thumb to the right of Strobel, jumped into Normandy and fought through to Bastogne. He later served in Korea and Vietnam. He has also been identified as Private Sherman J. Oyler Jr. (December 30, 1920 – April 22, 1999) from Topeka, Kansas, Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, who was wounded 3 times — in Normandy on June 15, 1944, Holland, and the Ardennes. During Operation Market Garden, he jumped into a ditch to avoid mortar fire and landed on correspondent Walter Cronkite (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009), who unleashed a torrent of swearing. Oyler wondered why anyone who wasn’t ordered in combat would willingly jump. Later, he wrote about Columbia Broadcasting System News television anchor Cronkite, who remembered the incident but not Oyler’s name. He was a teacher and brought souvenirs to show his students every June. Lieutenant Wallace C. Strobel (June 5, 1922 – August 27, 1999) of Saginaw, Michigan, with a “23” tag. Strobel later wrote: “The picture was taken at Greenham Common Airfield in England about 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944. My twenty-second 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 blend into the darkness and prevent reflection from the moon. We were all very well prepared emotionally for the operation. The drop packs, which 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 twenty-three, and I was the jumpmaster of that plane. This fact accounts for the sign around my neck in the picture, which carries the number twenty-three.” Strobel claimed in 1990 that the conversation captured during the photo was about the best way to cast for fly fishing. After being inducted into the Army with the 125th Infantry Regiment, a Michigan National Guard unit, in 1940, Strobel transferred to the paratroopers and fought in Normandy, Holland, and the Ardennes Offensive. He returned to Saginaw and founded the Carl-Wal Market chain. He served on the Board of Directors of several institutions and was county chairman for the Republican Party; in that capacity, he met Eisenhower again briefly during his 1952 Presidential campaign. Eisenhower’s son, John (August 3, 1922 – December 21, 2013), met Strobel in 1990 to discuss these meetings and then recreated the photo on Greenham Common. He donated an extensive collection of captured Nazi German small arms to the National World War II Museum before his death; the Museum believes he captured some of the pistols during the Battle of Carentan in June 1944. In front row, far right, wearing a musette bag on his chest — probably Corporal Donald E. Kruger (January 10, 1923 – September 17, 1991); wounded 3 times – machine gunned in June 1944 — released in July; hit by hand grenade fragments in Holland, released in October 1944; frostbite casualty in Bastogne, December 1944, released from hospital February 1945. This man has also been identified as Lieutenant George H. Craft (April 19, 1920 – August 23, 2000), Company G, of Owosso, Michigan, who earned his 1st Distinguished Service Cross for charging Nazi German positions and capturing 5 men, in Saint Oedenrode, Holland, on September 21, 1944. He also earned Bronze and Silver Stars. He remained in the United States Army until December 6, 1950. This man was also identified as Private William H. Crosby (September 9, 1917 – November 24, 1976) of Reading, Massachusetts, Company B, who enlisted on June 16, 1943, and arrived in England in February 1944. Crosby was wounded on June 12, 1944, but survived. During the Battle of Carentan, he was hit by a shrapnel shell in the arm, hand, back, and neck. He was released from the hospital in August 1944. Private Thomas J. “Tom” Beszouska (August 2, 1917 – October 17, 2004), F Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, talked with Eisenhower briefly. He may be the paratrooper at extreme right, partially off camera. He captured Fallschirmjäger gloves and wore them in Normandy. General Eisenhower remarked to General Maxwell D. Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987), commander of the 101st Airborne Infantry Division, “I don’t know if your men will scare the Germans, but they sure as hell would scare me!” A paratrooper yelled, “Now quit worrying, General, we’ll take care of this thing for you.” Douglas C-47A-70-DL Skytrain 42-100809 “Chalk 23” was piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Donald E. Potter (September 13, 1921 – September 1, 2004) of Seattle, Washington, 90th Troop Carrier Squadron, 438th Troop Carrier Group, 1st Troop Carrier Command, 9th Air Force; the co-pilot was 2nd Lieutenant Harold Brower (March 25, 1921 – October 31, 2002) of Dorr, Michigan; the Crew Chief was Sergeant William J. Vince (June 4, 1913 – August 14, 1972) of Manchester, Connecticut; and the radio operator was Sergeant Spero C. Gineros (October 31, 1923 – April 17, 1980) of Bronx, New York. 42-100809 was delivered to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) on December 16, 1943. Stationed at Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana, during January 1944. Departed for Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 31, 1944. Ferried overseas via the South Atlantic/African route departing Morrison Field on February 7, 1944. Routed via Borinquen Field, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; Atkinson Field, Georgetown, British Guyana; Val de Caes Field, Belém; Parnamirim Field, Natal, Brazil; Eknes Field, Rufisque, Dakar, Senegal; Menara Field, Marrakech, French Morocco; Port Lyautey, French Morocco; on station in England with the 9th Air Force, Langar (Station 490) on February 16, 1944. Detailed to Greenham Common (Station 486) in March 1944. Articulated in training drops in May 1944. Transported paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division to Drop Zone A near Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France during Mission ‘Albany’, the night of June 5/6, 1944. Salvaged June 27, 1945.” United States Army Lieutenant Leo S. Moore (May 21, 1904 – July 22, 1981) was working in public relations in London when Eisenhower selected him to be his personal photographer. He often joined Eisenhower on his travels. He photographed the Ohrdruf Konzentrationslager. Moore was with Eisenhower for his ticker-tape parade in New York City in June 1945. He was the head projectionist for Metro Goldwyn Meyer after the war. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0449.jpg |
| Image Size | 642.16 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2900 x 2188 |
| Photographer | Leo S. Moore |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 5, 1944 |
| Location | Greenham Common |
| City | Newbury |
| State or Province | Berkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-194399 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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