John, welcome aboard, and do tell us about yourself, and your fascination with the "Screamin' Iggles!" (Got my facts straight!)
oops sorry. That 'David" was written so my friend DAVID can see it. I'm John, and 13. Hey. Lol, glad we can start, lol.
Spam spam spam Spam spam...true fact many Hawaiins like spam...go figure. Makes about as much sense as you do( joke from the movie Platoon) Sorry, Monty python is back on the tele again...Now all I need is Dr Who(Tom Baker) or UFO and We're definitely in business(Saving Private Ryan) Guess I am over caffeinated.
Hello John, Sensible time now. Hope we can help with any queries you have. look forward to your news and views. Owen.
What was the 101st importance in Market Garden? images/smilies/default/huh.gif Is Matt Baker alive? lolz sorry for the double post. Matt Baker was fictional, my bad. Lol, ok. Start from the beginning, please.
The 101st were detailed to take Nijmegen. Which was the last major bridge before Arnhem. If you want to learn more take a look at this site http://www.marketgarden.com/2010/UK/frames.html
(Gnomey @ Feb 11 2006, 08:33 AM) [post=45618]The 101st were detailed to take Nijmegen. Which was the last major bridge before Arnhem. If you want to learn more take a look at this site http://www.marketgarden.com/2010/UK/frames.html [/b] Sorry, no. They operated in the Eindhoven area and around "Hell's Highway". Nijmegen was the 82nd.
Angie is correct. The 82nd were detailed to take the 2 bridges at Nijmegan and Grave. The 101st were just North-West of Eindhoven, and were to take the bridges at Son and Veghel.
The 101st have been stationed at Ft Campbell, Kentucky/Tennessee (it spans across the border) since 1959. I grew up 16 miles from that base. My mother worked on the base as a civil service worker in transportation and we would often go on the base, as she would have to do something at her office on the weekend or we would go to the rod-and-gun club. In the middle of this base was a large area that was surrounded by two chain linked fences with an asphalt road running between them and signs saying “do not stop for any reason” near the area. I remember as kids we were terrified that the car would break down in front of it and we would be shot. You were forbidden to fly over it (even in the service helicopters and planes stationed there). No one knew what was done there. It was declassified and opened up in the late seventies. It had an underground city complete with living quarters, PX and hospital. There was a large silver building shaped like a giant cone rising up out of the ground which back then I was told was designed to implode and put out any fire if an explosion occurred. There were 2-3 man pill boxes everywhere built both into the hills and above ground and signs that said “keep alert and stay alive”. It turned out to be one of four facilities where the early atomic bombs were stored in the late 1940s to the mid 1970s. The belief was that conventional munitions were developed there which turned out to be wrong and probably came from disinformation. How they kept that a secret I never knew. It official name was “Clarksville Base” but like I said most people knew it by the knickname "the Birdcage". There is a museum at Fort Campbell that has the history of the 101st in it. It’s right beside the airport so if you are a pilot you can get permission to fly in to Campbell field to visit the museum.
I do also like the 101st Airborne and also the 82nd Airborne, the reasons I like them are because I have been to the graveyards that they are buried and also because i am a massive American supporter
