operation dragoon

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by cubann, Apr 16, 2009.

  1. cubann

    cubann Junior Member

    hi everyone can any one tell me what regiment the usa guys in the attached photo are from the few clues i got on the internet indicate
    that they are part of operation dragoon but heres the puzzle the man
    with the beret sitting leaning against the wall is my dad from 1st battilion
    royal ulster rifles 6th airborne and there is no record of the rur being part of operation dragoon my best guess is that the d day drop of my dads
    regiment met up with dragoon forces at some point any clues to the usa guys and any other info would be much appreciated
    regards cuban
    update it appears that both forces were in the ardennes (battle of the bulge) a possilbe location of photo
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Cubann-
    It appears to me that the only posible time that the 6h Airborne met up with the US forces would have been at the Bulge - Dec '44 - Jan '45 as the 6th had been co-optd into Lt. Gen. Brian Horrocks XXX corps to stand on the Muese and deny further acess to Antwerp by the two Panzer and one Infantry army of Rundstedt's forces.

    A syou know the D Day was on June 6th when 6th Arborne lnded way to th east of the main front and the dragoon/ Anvil Landings took place in the South of France in August '44........ it may however be possible for Devers 7th Army to have been involved in the Bulge and so those US soldier woud have been attached to the US 3rd - 36th - 45th Divisions or the Japanese 442 Combat team.

    Cheers
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I don't think it's in the Ardennes as it doesn't look cold enough.

    It's a strange picture though, 6 appear to be British (the 4 at the back and two sitting wearing berets in the middle ish area.) The British chaps appear to be wearing some form of arm band. I was only aware of Americans wearing these...I wonder if it was taken in Holland and the Americans are Glider Infantry.

    What info do you have on the picture etc.

    Regards
    Andy
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I'm sure we had a thread about use of Union Flag armbands but I can't find it.
    Will keep searching.....

    They'll be from 2nd Independent Para Brigade, I know they wore Union Flag Armbands on Op Dragoon.

    2nd Independent Parachute Brigade Group | ParaData
    The 2nd (Independent) Brigade parachuted into Southern France in August 1944 as part of Operation DRAGOON
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Nice one Owen I forgot about the Para's down there and someone was asking about them the other week on here too. :unsure:

    Close up of British armband
    [​IMG]
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    One of the Americans has a camo uniform, didn't we also have a thread on that?
     
  7. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  9. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    All -

    It should be noted that the 2nd Independent Paras were basically from the 1st Airborne and had been left in Italy as an "independent" force while the rest of the division went back to the UK after their efforts in both North Africa and Sicily / Italy
    long before 6th Airborne had fired a shot - the 2nd Independent paras took part in Dragoon/ Anvil as did some British Commandos and DAF - they then returned to Italy and played a major part in the Lago Commachio operation along with the Commando's

    According to Cuban the original poster - his Father was in the RUR which was in the 6th Airborne...and had no part in Dragoon/Anvil ! ...... hence my initial posting

    Cheers
     
  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Sorry chaps, I didn't read the first post correctly.
    Didn't see the RUR reference.
     
  11. cubann

    cubann Junior Member

    thanks for all the replies chaps this is all the info i have
    i got the photo from ww2 in color its labled (allied paratroopers
    in provence 1944) and then descrption (english and us paratroopers
    from 1st task force in provence 15 aug 1944) another mystrey as
    my dad was a gliderborne rifleman although he would have been
    wearing pegasus patches insignia and beret so an easy mistake
    to make . the date is the day after dragoon so it points to the south of
    france again the plot thickens.
    also i vaugly remember reading on the net that certain elements
    of allied airborne forces were drafted in to dragoon at the last
    minite thats all i have over to you chaps
    regards cuban
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Well I think it's either Holland (Some where between Dreil and Nijmegen) or the South of France. To be fair they may have even been the British Airborne land eliment that drove up through Holland with XXX Corps. There's various pictures of them in Denison Smocks and the like in ATB's OMG. They are pictured at different places along the route-obviously they never made it to Arnhem.

    Have you posted a message to the chap who put the picture on the forum? I wonder if he has got the info wrong or where he got it from?

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  13. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    I think Drew's photo was taken in Greece in 1945....and with regard to cubann's photo are there any simialr photos in the After the Battle article on Dragoon/Anvil???
    Also might the armbands on the Brits be medical ones?????
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I got the pic off the link Owen put up.

    The Armband defo look like UJ's. Here's a close up.
    [​IMG]


    Just a thought, you are sure it's your Father?

    Regards
    Andy
     
  15. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    This photo appears in ATB issue 110 page 17...as I suggested!!!!! Take a house point ABM!

    It is a US Army photo and the caption from ATB reads 'Men of the 509th Para Inf Btn taking a short break with some British paras.'
    It appears that the copy in ATB is a bit clearer and the armbands are the Union Jack....regret no location given.....
     
  16. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    Having had a quick perusal of the article it seems most of the other airborne photos taken by the US Army guys were in the area of La Motte/Le Muy/Le Michael area.....does this help?
     
  17. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    Cubann,
    Unless your relative got a transfer from the RUR to either the 4th, 5th or 6th Parachute Btns, wouldn't he have been in Normandy in August 1944?
     
  18. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    Nice one Owen I forgot about the Para's down there and someone was asking about them the other week on here too. :unsure:

    Close up of British armband
    [​IMG]

    This photo is on the paradata web site as being taken as I suggested in Greece....but nevertheless a nice shot of the Union Jack armband....
     
  19. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    ABM - Thats where it came from. Owen posted a link to the Brigade and I had a quick shufty through their gallery.
     
  20. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Seems to me that a bit of tail chasing is going on here - from information I have of the 509 Parachute Infantry Battalion - as according to the Airborne Medic posting - this unit was in US Lightning Joe Collins V11 Division at the Ardennes from Mid November '44 - this being their first action !

    that being so then it is more than likely that the photo is that of a meeting with 6th British and the 509 US paras close to the end of the Battle of the Bulge - probably near Celle at the beginning of Feb '45 as I had surmised in my initial posting ????

    Cheers
     

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