101st Airborne: Jacquis Bois and Easy Company

One of the foxholes in Bois Jacques(translation: Jack's Woods), Foy(near Bastogne), Belgium. 101st Airborne was spread in this woods, and the village of Foy can be seen at distance in the photo. Foy was occupied by the Germans while Americans held out in the woods. I believe sometime in January 1945, 101st liberated Foy. While … Continue reading 101st Airborne: Jacquis Bois and Easy Company

101st Airborne: Paratrooper’s Gear

101st Airborne paratrooper. The minimum weight of the gear carried by a 101st Airborne paratrooper was approximately 32 kg. Aplenty of them died by snapping under the weight during landings, drowned, suffered compound fractures. As it is jokingly said, they were more of a light infantry than paratroopers. Following are some images that partially highlight … Continue reading 101st Airborne: Paratrooper’s Gear

Range finder: German

The German 1.5 m range finder(unfortunately, I missed to note the exact model !) (German:Enfernungsmesser) The coastal batteries never operated standalone. Based on the curvature of the earth and other factors, suitable vantage points were set where lookout stations were built. These lookout stations use to have such range finders, often longer ones(4, 5, 6, … Continue reading Range finder: German