John Marvin Steele was born in Metropolis, Illinois, on November 29, 1912. John enlisted in the airborne troops in 1942. Assigned to the 505th PIR of the 82nd AB, he landed in North Africa in May 1943. After spending a few weeks in Morocco, he parachuted into Sicily on July 9, 1943, where he broke his left leg. Repatriated to a hospital in Tunisia, he rejoined his unit in Italy in September 1943, where he took part in the battles of Salerno and Naples. With his regiment, he arrived in the British Isles in November 1943. Next stop: the Normandy landings, D-Day.
Sainte-Mère-Eglise, codename Brooklyn
On the night of the full moon from June 5 to 6, 1944, a few German soldiers from the 91st Luftlande Division occupied the peaceful village of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. Perched in the bell tower of the “Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption” church, Master Corporal Rudolf May and his young comrade Heinz Strangfeld stood guard. As night fell, violent flashes of light suddenly illuminated the church square—a house was on fire! It was Julia Pommier’s house. Alerted to the fire, a few firefighters grabbed a hand pump and rushed to the Parc de la Haule, the site of the mysterious blaze (the current location of the museum). The flames, growing ever more intense, spread from the stone house to an adjoining barn, creating a massive blaze that lit up the entire village. The alarm bell rang out! Mr. Maury and Mr. Deloeuvre—the two leaders of the local resistance—along with many residents accompanied by Mayor Alexandre Renaud, came to the firefighters’ aid. Forming a human chain with their buckets of water, the residents tried in vain to stop the blaze. The longest night had just begun.
The first landings: the 101st Airborne Division
At 1:20 a.m. on June 6, 1944, to everyone’s surprise, numerous planes flew in low passes over the houses. Amid a deafening roar, in long waves coming from the west, these were the first C-47 “Skytrains” dropping a multitude of green and white parachutes billowing in the wind. German soldiers fired from all directions, while amid the general panic, civilians—stunned by the spectacle unfolding above their heads—ran for cover. At last, the long-awaited D-Day had arrived!
Indeed, the first American paratroopers to touch down in Sainte-Mère-Eglise were the “Screaming Eagles” of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, of the 101st Airborne Division!
At least six planes from the “Albany” mission accidentally dropped their parachutes over the village. The paratroopers of the 101st Airborne immediately realized they had not been dropped in the right place! These numerous haphazard drops were due in particular to a combination of very dense cloud cover and a strong and effective German anti-aircraft defense that disrupted the aerial formations. The C-47s of the 439th TCG—serial numbers 12, chalk 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, and 81—which were originally supposed to head for DZ C in Hiesville, dropped their paratroopers over Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The paratroopers from Sticks 74 and 75 landed primarily in the square around the church. At least four paratroopers—Pvt. Hult and Pfcs. Hale, Buchter, and Kermode—were killed. At the southern entrance to the village, a C-47 engulfed in flames—hit by anti-aircraft fire—crashed into a field. It was aircraft 42-100876, piloted by 2nd Lt. Marvin F. Muir; the crew members and a paratrooper who was unable to jump in time were killed in the crash!
The arrival of Steele’s stick of the 505th PIR/82nd Airborne Division
About thirty minutes later, at 1:51 a.m., a second wave of aircraft from the 316th TCG’s “Boston” mission—carrying the “All-Americans” of the 2nd Battalion, 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne—also flew over the village. The C-47 42-23505, piloted by 1st Lt. Calvin S. Heinlein, in turn dropped a group of 16 paratroopers from Fox Company.
The village veterinarian, Dr. Monnier, distressed by the surrounding din, decided with his wife and daughter to take shelter in a “trench” dug at the back of the garden. It was at that very moment that Pfc. Clifford A. Maughan landed just a few meters from where the Monnier family was taking cover. Lieutenant Werner, a German officer stationed there, rushes forward, weapon in hand, and manages to take the paratrooper—still tangled in his gear—prisoner. The doctor steps in and shouts, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” The two enemy soldiers face each other; the tension is palpable. The doctor’s daughter, who speaks English, acts as a translator. After a brief exchange, the American explains that a very large airborne force is being dropped into the area and that this is not a drill. After a few moments’ thought, the German officer realizes the danger, turns his weapon around, and surrenders himself as a prisoner!
2nd Lt. Harold O. Cadish, the flight leader, along with Privates Ladislaw Tlapa, Harvey T. Bryant, Charles P. Blankenship, and Penrose D. Shearer, clung to the trees and utility poles lining the square around the church and were shot at point-blank range. PFC Alfred J. Van Holsbeck fell into the flames of the burning house! Private Ernest R. Blanchard, trapped in a tree, severed a finger while trying to free himself from his parachute harness. PFC John M. Steele, wounded by shrapnel during the descent, remained suspended by his parachute from the church steeple, semi-conscious, while his comrade, Pvt. Kenneth E. Russell, also landed on the roof of the church, above the main entrance. At the same moment, Sgt. John P. Ray landed in the middle of the square, a few meters from a German soldier. Struggling as best he could to free himself from his heavy gear, Ray managed to grab his Colt .45 and fired at the German soldier who was trying to shoot Russell, who was still suspended in his harness. Gunfire erupted; Russell took advantage of the chaos to free himself, while Ray, seriously wounded, collapsed. Left for dead, Ray was evacuated a few hours later but succumbed to his wounds on June 13, 1944. As for the rest of the stick—namely T/4 Edward J. White, Corporal Vernon L. Francisco, and Privates Philip M. Lynch, Steven Epps, and Daryle E. Whitfield—they landed safely between the church and the cemetery.
The resolution of the war
For his part, John Steele, after playing dead for about forty minutes while hanging from the bell tower, was finally pulled back up and taken prisoner by Strangfeld and May. Fearing they would be killed by the American paratroopers who continued to pour into Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the two German soldiers fled and made their way to the Fauville camp, 2 km south of the village. There, they imprisoned Steele along with a few other paratroopers. Steele managed to escape two days later, despite his leg injury, and made his way back to his own lines. In September 1944, John Steele was parachuted into Holland and took part in the liberation of the city of Nijmegen. In December 1944, he fought in the Battle of the Ardennes in Belgium and ended his tour of duty in Germany in April 1945. In September 1945, he was demobilized and returned to civilian life.
The Longest Day
In the late 1950s, author Cornelius Ryan, who was in the midst of writing a historical novel he titled “The Longest Day,” sent a questionnaire to a number of American veterans. One of the questions was, “Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944?” Steele replied without hesitation, “Hanging from the bell tower of Sainte-Mère-Eglise.” Fascinated by what seemed to be an extraordinary anecdote, Ryan interviewed Steele and included his story in the book. The book was later adapted for the screen by Darryl Zanuck.
*The Longest Day*, released in 1962, was a global success. One of the most memorable scenes is none other than the reenactment of John Steele’s misadventure, filmed on location in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. He thus became the media symbol of all those paratroopers who had landed at night in a hostile environment far from their families. John participated on several occasions in the D-Day commemorations in Normandy and was present at the museum’s dedication on June 6, 1964.
John Steele’s posterity
He attended the opening of the Airborne Museum in 1963, during which he gave a number of interviews to French-speaking media outlets. Then, a few years later, in 1969, he died of cancer at the age of 57. For his actions, John M. Steele was awarded, among other honors, the Bronze Star Medal for bravery and the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.
The Airborne Museum displays some of Steele’s personal effects in the Neptune Pavilion, including his medals, his logbook, and his jump boots.
