On July 9, 2024, the French nation inducted WWII fighter pilot Ed Cottrell, a local veteran, into its Legion of Honor, France’s most prestigious recognition of valorous service to its people.
The award ceremony was hosted by the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, and some most unusual visitors were spotted. Three paratroopers appeared in full WWII combat uniform, looking every bit as though they had just dropped in behind enemy lines to spearhead the Normandy invasion.
Three Special Guests “Dropped In” to Ed Cottrell’s Commemoration
While D-Day was yet a moonlit night, the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions delivered some 13,000 paratroopers into battle, the very edge of an Allied wave that would free the French people from years of oppression. Just months later pilot Ed Cottrell would fly the first of his 65 missions from the newly liberated Cambrai airfield north of Paris.
So through what magic tear in the fabric of time did three paratroopers slip from so long ago to appear at this summer’s ceremony marking Ed’s heroism in the epic liberation of Europe? That would be the magic of the All Airborne Battalion, a non-profit and all volunteer organization determined to “live the legacy”, most notably by portraying the experiences of U.S. paratroopers in WWII, performing commemorative, static line airborne operations and jumps. Members join in memorial services, sometimes involving surviving WWII veterans, provide group tours of battlefields and military museums, participate in educational outreach and commemorative events, and provide support to veterans and first-responders. Many members are veterans and have previous jump experience, but neither is necessary to participate. For more information see allairbornebattalion.com.
As a bookend to the 65 combat missions he flew in WWII, Ed has made five trips to Normandy in recent years to participate in commemorative events. This is where the connection that brought our surprise visitors to Brevard was formed. While visiting the Veterans History Museum, Sean Lockhead, All Airborne Battalion Board Member and Director of Veteran Affairs, shared two remarkable stories of commemorative jumps from this summer’s 80th anniversary D-Day remembrances.
The Bravery of a Normandy Village
The little-known tale of Graignes, a small village 17 miles south of Utah Beach, is often referred to as The Secret Massacre or the Story of the Lost Paratroopers. The unit was the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 82nd Airborne Division. At 2 AM on D-Day their 12 planes ran into heavy flak while approaching the French coast and veered off course, leaving the troopers with no option but to jump into a dark and unknown territory. In fact, many landed in marshes along with their equipment near the farming community of Graignes. Their intended landing zone was fully 18 miles northwest, enshrining this mis-drop as D-Day’s worst.
Though deep behind enemy lines, the good news was that no German units had discovered them and exploited their chaos after the calamitous drop. Commanded by Major Charles D. Johnston, the unit would dig in and defend the area, blocking any German advance toward the Allied beachhead. The villagers of Graignes woke up to find wet and bewildered American troops in their fields and streets. The mayor called a town meeting. Despite the certain risk of German reprisal if caught helping the Allies, the citizens of Graignes voted unanimously to do so. Food was a pressing need, so the townsfolk organized a massive cooking operation to provide two meals a day. Supplies such as mortars and machine guns had landed in the marshes, so the men, women, and even children of the town used their boats and wagons to collect and bring everything to the town Perimeter.
It took two days for all the troopers of the 507th to find their way out of marshes and fields and assemble 182-strong in Graignes. They had an additional two days to dig in and refine their defenses. On the fifth day they skirmished with and repelled a reconnaissance unit from a large, armored division. Villagers were sent away. The following day the 507th held the town against heavy artillery and a force of 2,000. By evening with ammunition in short supply and defenses tattered, the 507th retreated, divided into pairs trying to find their way across the countryside to Allied lines.
The story of Graignes is little known and that may be because its denouement is heartbreaking, even bitter. The unit’s surgeon, two medics and 14 wounded remained behind and surrendered to the Germans. They were promptly marched off and either bayoneted and tossed in the marsh or forced to dig their own graves and then shot in the head. Both clerics from the church were shot, two elderly residents were shot in their beds, and 44 townspeople were accused of collaboration and executed. The town was set afire. Of two hundred buildings only two remained unscathed by artillery or the blaze.
Zee Fan Little & Sean Lockhead tour museum galleries with museum Board member Phil Davis
The Commemorative Jump Into Graignes
Four decades passed as the village recovered. Then in 1984 for the first time some veterans of the 507th returned to Graignes on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, and found themselves once again welcomed, despite the suffering their WWII landing in the village had brought. Two years later, in 1986, a ceremony was held in the ruins of the village church during which the U.S. government presented the Award for Distinguished Civilian Service to eleven villagers, with six of the awards being posthumous. Over the years visits by surviving members of the 507th and other veterans became more common.
On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the All Air Battalion marked the occasion by conducting a commemorative jump into Graignes. They then spent the day visiting with the villagers and visitors, touring historical sites, and participating in multiple ceremonies, including the laying of many wreaths, in moments often emotionally charged and somber. Though the village today has less than 800 residents, a crowd of 2,500, including five WWII veterans, turned out to witness the jump and ceremonies.
Ed Cottrell with Sean Lockhead, a friend from recent Normandy commemorations
After the ceremonies at the church, people gathered in the town square to socialize and enjoy wine and beer and lighten the mood. As the evening progressed, the town held a dinner and dance for the residents and special visitors. As the beer flowed, the somber mood of the earlier remembrances dissipated to be replaced with festivity and dancing, turning the last of the day’s events into a celebration of life.
A Second Legion of Honor Inductee
Young Marthe Rigault was 12 years old living at her family’s farm just outside of Graignes, when, awakened by the turmoil of D-Day, the family found lost and soaking wet paratroopers knocking at their door. In the ensuing days the family – including young Marthe – went into the marshes using their boats and wagons to recover munitions, weapons, parachutes, and supplies. Later when the Americans were forced to retreat, the Rigaults managed to hide 21 men until it was safe for their escape.
Marthe is now 92 and still lives near Graignes, where she participates in D-Day remembrances and has been befriended by many veterans returning to recall their WWII experiences. This includes members of the All Air Battalion who enjoyed breakfast with Marthe the day following their jump.
On July 3, 2024, Marthe Rigault was inducted into the French Legion of Honor for her bravery in assisting the Lost Paratroopers of the 507th even though still a child at the time. Just six days later, Ed Cottrell received the same honor for his part in the same battle to liberate Europe. All Air Battalion just happened to make it their business to stand up and reach out to both honorees, making clear the thread that binds these acts of bravery together.
The Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is a 10-part HBO mini-series premiered in 2001, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which meticulously tells the tale of “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during WWII. The young actors prepared and bonded together by attending a 10-day boot camp – but they never actually jumped out of a plane or parachuted to the ground. They also met and learned from surviving veterans of the unit whose war experiences they were portraying. The effect for the actors was profound, and over the ensuing years many cast members regularly attended events in Normandy commemorating D-Day.
During recent years an idea developed during these gatherings: what if the now-aging cast trains and executes an actual jump into Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. One of the cast, Alex Sabga-Brady, would spearhead the effort to make the adventure into a documentary film and use it to raise money supporting veterans’ charities. Among the friends the cast members made during their visits to Normandy, several were busy forming the All Air Battalion, which became part of the project to have Band of Brothers cast members perform an actual “Easy” company commemorative jump.
The Jump: Currahee to Normandy
Band of Brothers was filmed in Europe and the actors’ “boot camp” was in Europe. But the real-life “Easy” company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, located near the base of Currahee Mountain. The camp was closed shortly after the war but is now preserved as an historical site with some original and refurbished buildings. Running the Mountain was an everyday part of the paratroopers training, with the regular chant: “3 Miles up, 3 Miles down”. For their second “basic training” the reunited Band of Brothers would tread closer to history by training at Camp Toccoa and running up and down Currahee.
The All Air Battalion made this possible by operating the camp and providing basic training including practice jumps from the Tunison Foundation’s “Placid Lassie”, a vintage WWII Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a true D-Day and WWII veteran herself, not a replica. The actors stayed and trained at the original Camp Toccoa barracks in March 2024, including a charity run up Mt. Currahee, meeting currently serving troops, veterans, and families of the original members of “Easy” Company.
With training under their belt, the experience culminated in two airborne operations, jumping into France’s Cotentin peninsula on June 3rd and June 8th. Along the way there were constant interactions with veterans and the public plus attendance at various ceremonies. The culmination was a huge gathering at St.-Mere-Eglise, (the first French town to be liberated by U.S. Paratroopers) where members of the cast performed a rock concert for a crowd of more than 10,000 people.
Ed Cottrell and his daughter Sue Nation (seated) with members of the All Airborne Battalion
The documentary, “Currahee to Normandy,” will be a testament to the deep connection between the people of Normandy, veterans, and the actors who continue to keep these heroes’ legacies alive. To learn more, visit
www.curraheetonormandy.com.
Top Photo: All Airborne Battalion members Sean Lockhead, Zee Fan Little and Russ Battiato during their visit to Brevard to honor LTC Ed Cottrell