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The embatttled Church at Sainte-Mère-Église
COWTALES
moomoonews
WELCOME TO moomoonews COWPEN PAGE
There is a cowtale which since the beginning and for a
long time was only shared by and only told amongst
the cows themselves. The cowtale speaks of the time
when God was still busy creating Heaven and all that is
under it.  Because God is God, God created a perfect
cow meadow.  After a while, God ended up regretting
to have overdone it.  To make amends,God created
moomoocow and stuck moomoocow in the cow
meadow.  moo moo moo.
Sainte-Mère-Église
An Unplanned Victory at Normandy, France
In the annals of D-Day, Sainte-Mère-Église is noted as the first town in Normandy to be attacked and liberated by American
troops.  Actually, Sainte-Mère-Église is a village of minor strategic importance - the objective of the airborne assault which
preceded the seaborne landings was the town of Carentan which had key road and railway intersections and controlled the
junction between the Utah and Omaha beaches.  Due to the inaccuracy of parachute drops in those days, a small number of
troopers from the 82nd Airborne Division landed in the village which was already on alert because of a fire caused by aerial
bombing.    Paratrooper John Marvin Steele drifted onto the tower of the village church, was shot in the foot, and playing
dead, was later rescued and survived the war.  The event can be viewed in the 1962 movie "The Longest Day" and having
watched the B/W movie as a kid, it was grand to take in the scene from the ground up.

Post-script: Surprise having been lost, Carentan was not freed until June 12.   The town was defended by elements of the 2.
Fallschirmjäger Division and the 91st Infantry Division (German) and other remnant units.  The defenders were encircled
and  overrun by the 101st Airborne USA .  A counterattack on June 13th by the newly formed 17th SS Panzergrenadier
Division was repulsed with backup from the 2nd Armored Division USA which had come inland from Omaha Beach.  For
those interested, the dramatic reenactment of the intense street fighting around and in Carentan can be viewed in the third
episode of  "Band of Brothers."
October 19, 2022
John Marvin Steele
The Eternal Paratrooper
Two Stained Glass Windows Devoted to the Soldiers (including the 82nd and 101st Airborne) who Liberated  Sainte-Mère-Église
Sainte-Mère-Église
An Unplanned Victory at Normandy, France
In the annals of D-Day, Sainte-Mère-Église is noted as the first town in Normandy to be attacked and liberated by American
troops.  Actually, Sainte-Mère-Église is a village of minor strategic importance - the objective of the airborne assault which
preceded the seaborne landings was the town of Carentan which had key road and railway intersections and controlled the
junction between the Utah and Omaha beaches.  Due to the inaccuracy of parachute drops in those days, a small number of
troopers from the 82nd Airborne Division landed in the village which was already on alert because of a fire caused by aerial
bombing.    Paratrooper John Marvin Steele drifted onto the tower of the village church, was shot in the foot, and playing
dead, was later rescued and survived the war.  The event can be viewed in the 1962 movie "The Longest Day" and having
watched the B/W movie as a kid, it was grand to take in the scene from the ground up.

Post-script: Surprise having been lost, Carentan was not freed until June 12.   The town was defended by elements of the 2.
Fallschirmjäger Division and the 91st Infantry Division (German) and other remnant units.  The defenders were encircled
and  overrun by the 101st Airborne USA .  A counterattack on June 13th by the newly formed 17th SS Panzergrenadier
Division was repulsed with backup from the 2nd Armored Division USA which had come inland from Omaha Beach.  For
those interested, the dramatic reenactment of the intense street fighting around and in Carentan can be viewed in the third
episode of  "Band of Brothers."
October 19, 2022