In 1944, Lt. Robert P. Mathias was a platoon leader with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was the first American officer killed by German fire on D-Day. As Mathias stood ahead of his men at 0227 hours on D-Day, ready to parachute from his C-47 Dakota over the English Channel on its way to Normandy, he was mortally injured by a burst of enemy fire, but nevertheless managed to lead his team out of the plane.[1][2][3][4]

References

  1. ↑ General Matthew B. Ridgway. "D-Day Minus One: U.S. Paratroopers Leave for France". Rjgeib.com. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  2. ↑ Stephen Ambrose. "The Kids Who Changed the World". Rjgeib.com. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  3. ↑ Ambrose, Stephen E. (July 13, 1998). "The Kids Who Changed the World". Newsweek. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  4. ↑ "The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment(PIR) Trooper Pictures during World War II". Ww2-airborne.us. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
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