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E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) is one of the most well-known companies in the United States Army. Through many various leaders, and different battles throughout World War Two, Easy Company has made its mark in history. Easy Company is publicized by books and even an HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers”, which is based off of Stephen Ambrose’s book Band of Brothers.

History

The 506th PIR was an experimental Airborne Regiment created in 1942. Easy Company missions were to be dropped from a C-47 Transport Airplane over various hostile territories. The units would parachute from the aircraft, and regroup once they had landed. The purpose of an experimental parachute regiment was to gain tactical advantage over the enemy; also as a fast access to wherever the unit needed to be mobilized.

The training for Easy Company was not an easy task. Besides attending the standard Airborne school, the unit had to perform battle drills and excruciating amounts of physical training. One of the more famous exercises performed physical training was the running of Curahee. Curahee was a large, steep hill, in which the men of Easy Company had to run on a regular basis. Also as part of their physical training, the members of Easy Company performed formation runs. Formation runs are formed into three-four column running groups. The purpose of this training was to first push the soldiers to their limits, and also to teach them how to work together as a team.

Missions/Operations

Operation Overlord (D-Day) Operation Overlord is the most known Allied Forces invasion during World War Two. The mission of Easy Company was to be deployed from an airbase located in England, and be dropped over the area of Normandy, France. From there, their mission was to destroy German positions so that the Allied beach-front invasion could take place with a limited amount of Allied casualties as. The troops were dropped into France at early hours of the morning on June 6th, 1944. This was to deploy unnoticed to the Germans, and keep the airplanes safe from anti-aircraft fire. Their mission was to spearhead the invasion of the beaches of Normandy.

Arnhem, Holland (Remagen Bridge) Easy Company was assigned to support the British forces in Arnhem, by defending the roads so that the British supply trucks could successfully move into Arnhem and resupply the troops. The battle of the British forces to keep control of the Arnhem occurred during September of 1944. The battle ended with the surrender of British troops to the German Army. Later, the Canadian Army regained control over the city.

Ardennes Forest and Bastogne, Belgium During the months of December of 1944 to January 1945, Easy Company and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division fought in the Ardennes Forest in a battle known as the Battle of the Bulge. This battle was the German Army’s last great offensive, and it took place in the Ardennes Forest and the fight for cities like Bastogne and St. Vith, Belgium. Easy Company, fought for many months in the cold weather. The Allied Forces successfully turned the offensive around, and from this mission, Easy Company and the rest of the 506th PIR moved into Germany. Occupation duties Towards the end of the war, Easy Company was assigned to the occupation duty in Germany, specifically to Berchtesgaden, which is home to Adolf Hitler’s famous Eagle’s Nest. Following Berchtesgaden, Easy Company moved in to Austria for occupational duties. The company mostly attended to various patrols, awaited for the end of the war.

Easy Company and the rest of the 506th PIR, was disbanded in November 1945, and was reactivated in 1954, as a training unit.