Description

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In the winter of 1998, veteran Ernie Kosan published in the “Wings” magazine of the 596th Parachute Combat Engineer Company that he was waiting for information and photos to write the history of his unit. Only a few veterans had responded to his call. He wrote, “I can’t make much progress on this history without some recollections, memories, stories, experiences, and observations from the persons who lived our history – collectively YOU. So please think back over those three years and jot down some of your thoughts and memories from those days that were a part of the most significant era of the twentieth century – and you were there ! Please write.” His call remained largely unanswered and did not allow for the writing of the history of his unit.

The 596th Airborne Engineer Company (mostly known as the 596th Parachute Combat Engineer Company) was an integral part of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team.

The 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment was also disbanded, leading to the end of its journal, “The Thunderbolt.” However, in the 1960s, the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association was established, reviving the publication of the periodical, which covered news about the soldiers and their families. This initiative allowed many veterans of the unit to reconnect after so many years.

Thanks to all these initiatives, numerous stories and photos were preserved over the years. The veterans did their best to collect all the issues of these two periodicals, contributing to the preservation of the history of their unit. Several photos and stories have been extracted from them for the creation of this book. As mentioned earlier, veteran Ernie Kosan had made unsuccessful attempts to publish a book on the history of his company. In 1985, the 517th PRCT Association published a book that included a brief history of the company and some anecdotes from veterans. Only the unit commander, Robert Dalrymple, had an overview of the company’s experiences and had written a short summary titled “A precis of the training and combat experience of the 596 Para. Engr. Co.” This summary highlighted the unit’s logistical challenges as well as their resourcefulness and ingenuity on the battlefield, but it was not enough.

While writing my very first book, “The 517’s Gang,” I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the last (perhaps even the last…) members of this company, Kaare Allan Johnson. Allan Johnson (nobody called him Kaare) shared his entire life story with me for nearly 2.5 hours, from his youth to enlisting in the army, training in engineering, combat in Europe, and more.

From 2004 to 2019, he continually returned to Europe to pay tribute to his fallen comrades. As I reread this interview and reviewed the research I had conducted in parallel on the entire company, the photos I had “recovered” over the years, the reports, and the histories, it became clear that I had to write a book solely about this one and only company.

This unique book highlights the daring exploits, sacrifices, and moments of camaraderie of these brave men. You will discover rare photographs that depict their daily lives on the front lines, as well as poignant testimonies that will transport you into the heart of the action. Don’t expect tales of chivalrous warfare, extravagant romances, or violent battles. This book portrays what this singular American airborne engineer company experienced during the war.