US ARMY
ANSWER S
HEET
Report
Date :
.................
Last Name :
________________________
D-Day Experience
Name :
Division
__________________________
101st
Explain in a few words and/or thanks to a diagram how an airborne division is
organized. You can get some help from the board "How does it work ?" located
at the entrance of the museum :
Division > Régiments > Bataillons > Compagnies > pelotons / squads
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In order to recognize which division each of our comrades belong to, we all wear
an insignia on our shoulder.
Circle the 101st insignia among the ones below :
1
2
3
4
Explain in a few words why in your opinion, the 101st airborne's insignia
symbolized this division pretty well :
The insignia of the 101st airborne division is a bald eagle.
It is representative of this unity as it symbolises the
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strenght and courage of the soldiers.
Its wings allude to the paratroopers dropping from the sky.
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Several versions of this insignia were made.
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This bird is also the national flag of the United States.
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Did you know ?
The eagle's name on our
insignia is Old Abe.
It was first the symbol of the
Wisconsin's army during the
american Civil War.
Get ready !
Being a paratrooper requires particular training. Ours took place at Camp Toccoa
Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. During this training, we have learnt how to use
the gear that we carry.
Gather your gear using the displays and complete the picture below :
-
Jump boots
Gas detector armband/brassard
Life-vest
Helmet
-
Parachute
Grenade
Knife
Pocket magazine
helmet
gas detector
armband/brassard
grenade
pocket magazine
knife
life-vest
parachute
jump boots
Is your gear complete ?
Now that you have all (of) your gear, you need to leran how to use it.
Let's get our training started !
Explain in your own words the use of the following objects :
- The cricket
The cricket is a means of communication without having to speak and
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helped paratroopers identify themselves in the darkness. One click asks
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for identification and two clicks to respond "a friend.”
- The gas detector armband/brassard
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A gas detector is a device that detects the presence of gases which
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could be harmful to the soldier if not noticed.
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- The K-ration
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It is the soldier's meal during the war consisting of an individually
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packaged daily ration. The K-ration provided three separately boxed
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meal units: breakfast, dinner (lunch) and supper (dinner).
Did you know ?
The whole equipment of a paratrooper
before jumping could weigh up to 175 lbs
(parachute included)
Meeting with the top rank/high-graded
It's June 5th, 1944, a man of the highest importance comes
to visit us : the General Eisenhower. D-Day is closer than ever...
Which object belonging to General Eisenhower is featured in this room ?
The leather jacket that he worn from March to December 1944.
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How can you find out the rank of the owner of this object ?
Thanks to the 4 stars noticeable on the shoulders of the jacket
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indicating the rank of general.
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In your opinion, why is General Eisenhower visiting
us on this day ?
He is visiting us to show his support to the
troops and wish us "good luck". He knows ...................................................................................
D-Day is coming and that most of us will risk
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their lives to liberate France. ...................................................................................
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Why is D-Day planned on June, 6th 1944 ? Which
conditions are required for the D-Day landings by
the sky and sea to be a success ?
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From the night of 5th to 6th June 1944 the
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weather forecast is beneficial to D-Day. A full
moon would help the paratroopers find their
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way and guide the aircrafts to their targets
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when bombarding the enemy.
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This is the desk of the general Eisenhower. Complete the map with your own
key (colors/patterns) in order to identify the Axis Powers and Allied Forces
to get a better overview of the situation in 1944, just before D-Day.
At the end of 1941, Germany allied with Italy and Japan control
most of Europe (inluding North of Africa).
After the Japan's attack on the american naval base at Pearl Harbor,
near Hawaii, the United states form the Allied Powers together with
England, Canada, the URSS and a dozen of occupied countries to
fight against the Axis Powers. In brief, the Allied are the countries
who fought against the Axis Powers during World War ll. France is
part of the Allied.
To be continued...
Which countries gave the conflict a worlwide dimension by getting involved ?
Please explain who they took side with ?
The conflict takes a worldwide scale with the following events:
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- the German's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, and
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- the Japan's attack on the american naval base Pearl Harbor in
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Hawaii on 7th December 1941.
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=> the URSS will take sides with the Allied forces.
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=> Japan
will take sides with the Axis Powers
Team work : the Pathfinders...
Let's meet the Pathfinders. This group of paratroopers has a specific mission
during D-Day....
Find their insignia in the display dedicated to them and draw it below :
Thinking about their name "Pathfinders", can you guess
what their mission is ?
The
pathfinders' role is to set up and operate
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drop
zones prior to the paratroopers' arrival.
..
They
marked this area using special radio
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sets
and signal lanterns to shepherd Allied
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aircraft
into the target areas. (REBECCA
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transponder
and EUREKA receptor). They
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arrived
1h00 prior to the airborne troops.
... and the Filthy Thirteen
Who are the mysterious Filthy Thirteen ?
Find the display about the Iroquois. On his right, there is a board with all the
explanation needed to understand this nickname.
The Filthy Thirteen also had a specific mission. What is it?
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Their mission is to demolish enemy lines. They were ordered to secure
or destroy the bridges. Their D-Day mission was to capture the bridges
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at Brévands. They also participated in the capture of Carentan. .....................................................................................................................
The group was commanded by the sergeant Jake McNiece
Who is their leader ? ...........................................................................................
Why do they have this haircut ? Circle the right answer.
It was trendy in 1944
It was a way to honor
their leader
Overlord is a well-organized military operation where
everybody has a specific task: paratroopers will land from
the sky to weaken the Germans troups, and then the
infantry will assault the beaches.
The success of this mission depends on each and
everyone one of us.
It was the haircut
of their ancestor
Nearly time to board soldier !
It's time to go to the briefing room. In a few short moments, we will board our
plane heading for Normandy !
But before that, let's meet Rupert in the corridor before the briefing room.
What is it ? Tick the right answer.
Rupert is a dog guarding the plane
Rupert is a type of plane used in the 40's
Rupert is a dummy dropped to deceive the enemy
Did you know ?
A psychological war consists of
deceiving the enemy by
spreading false
information and building false
events to create confusion in
foe intelligence.
Your training is over !
It's time to test your knowledge about everything you have learned from your
training. Find the hidden word using the definitions below :
D A K O T A
C R I C K E T
N O R M A N D Y
P A R A C H U T E B A Z O O K A
E I S E N H O W E R P A T H F I N D E R
P I G E O N
1. The aircraft you are about to board has this nickname.
2. Paratroopers use it to communicate without speaking.
3. This is the area where D-Day Landings took place.
4. It can be dorsal or reserve. You had better have your own before boarding.
5. This is a synonym of rocket-launcher.
6. You can see his jacket in the first room, he was the general of the US army
and then President of the United States of America.
7. They were the very first soldiers to jump.
8. This animal was used to send coded messages during the war.
The hidden word is the name given to the area where the paratroopers are supposed to land
Is the door of the briefing room open, yet ? Then let's go ! The Colonel Wolverton will explain our mission...
D-Day :
Parachuting in Normandy
After receiving the orders from Colonel Wolverton, we boarded the plane
"Stoy Hora". The flight was pretty chaotic, but here we are, in Normandy !
Sum up in your own words the Colonel Wolverton's speech :
A few lines from the Colonel:
If the weather forecast is confirmed, in 5 minutes you will be in the air...
This is not an exercise...
Tonight, we will be dropping over Normandy... because we're fighting for
something bigger than all that... the liberty.
Our objective is Carentan.
... this village is a crossroads from multiple lines of communication.
It is extremely strategic as it is between two US landing beaches: Omaha
and Utah.
We will be flown in by Colonel Krebs of the 440th Troop Carrier Group.
To accomplish this mission, you will need courage, sharp instincts, a little
luck but most importantly: you'll need your gear. Your helmet, your life vest,
your weapon, your munitions (grenade, Gammon, anti-tank mine, knives),
one cricket, a medical kit with one dose of morphine.
To be continued...
It is out of question to speak so use this code: one “click” asks and two
“clicks” confirms a friendly. This cricket could save your life, do not lose it.
If you should lose your cricket, memorise the passwords. If you say “flash”,
you say “thunder” and then the response is “welcome”. I guaranty you no
Germans will be able to correctly pronounce these words so, if you hear
“Funder” or “Velcom” ! Kill him.
Dog tags, so we know where to send our condolences to.
Captain Morgan will distribute two anti-motion sickness pills. The flight
may be bumpy, we don't want you to lose your lunch on the plane.
The weather report is not great. But since we're not going on vacation this
will not postpone the mission. Soldiers, the operation is confirmed.
The Supreme Commander General Eisenhower has ordered us to go and
ask me to give you this message.
Tomorrow will be the 6th of June, 1944.
I can guarantee you this would be a date remembered throughout History.
Failure is not an option. There is no-one coming after us.
The fate of the world is in our hands, here and now.
Men, I'm not a religious man and I do not know your feelings on the matter,
but I would ask you all to pray with me now, for the success of the mission
ahead.
To be continued...
Prayer from the Lt.Col. Wolverton
God almighty,
In a few short hours you will be in battle with the enemy.
We do not join battle afraid,
We do not ask for favors or indulgence but ask that, if you will, you use us as
your instrument for the right and an aid in returning peace to the world.
We do not know or seek what are fate will be.
We ask only this, that if die we must, let us die as men would die, without
complaining, without pleading and safe in the feeling that we did our best
for what we believed was right.
Dear Lord, protect our loved ones and be near us in the fire ahead and with
us now as we pray to you.
I'll meet you all next year, Kansas City, the Muehlebach hotel.
It's time to embark, the engines are warmed up, the taxi awaits you...
Good-luck. And I'll see you all on “Drop Zone D”.
Move out!
Finally on dry land !
There you are, in Normandy. After removing your harness, you need to find your
fellow paratroopers using your cricket. If you listened carefully to Colonel
Wolverton, you will know the passwords to recognize your friends.
Can you write them down ?
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Flash, .........................
Thunder andWelcome
We were really lucky because despite the crash of our plane we are safe and
sound. Sadly, this wasn't the case for everybody. Find the story of General Pratt
and his glider in the middle of the room and answer the questions below :
How did the gliders cross the Channel ?
The gliders were towed behind C-47 aircrafts as they are
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engineless.
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What could carry the gliders ?
Gliders were used to carry troops,
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vehicles, military/medical/food
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supplies etc
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Did you know ?
In the night from 5th to 6th of June
1944, about 1900 planes and gliders
were mobilized of which 832 C-47's,
identical to the one you boarded.
Treating the wounded soldiers
Most of the time during the fightings the casualties are more important during the
first hours. To counter this and therefore decrease the number of deaths, a field
hospital is established for the first time in history, where surgeons are jumping
alongside us. Learn more about this novelty looking at the medical equipment
display and diorama of the medical aid center to answer those questions :
How many surgeons were sent to the front with the 326th Airborne Medical
4 surgeons
Company ? ............................................................................................
According to the movie displayed, how many soldiers were killed or wounded
3836
during the 10 first days of fighting ? .......................................................................
Where was the field hospital established ?
At
the castle of Colombières
in Hiesville.
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Do you think this novelty was a success ? Develop your answer.
L'hôpital de campagne a permis de dispenser les soins de
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premières
urgences et aussi des interventions chirurgicales.
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Des
vies ont ainsi pu être préservées et certains soldats ont
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repris le combat.
Did you know?
The Geneva Convention is made of agreements
between different countries to ascertain rules to
protect the people involved in the conflict : soldiers
on battle field, war prisoners, (POW) or civilians. It
also states to not harm people or attack buildings
which display the red cross in order to protect
medical staff and wounded people.
Remembering
Go to the final display and choose two objects that you find interesting and
explain your choice.
I chose ............................................................................................ because .........................................................................
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I chose ......................................................... because ........................................
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The tragic destiny of Colonel Wolverton
Before finishing your visit, read the last board entitled
"I will never be at the Muehlebach Hotel".
What happened to Colonel Wolverton ?
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Flash Thunder
Welcome
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Ajouter un sous-titre
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In the last display of the museum you can observe the off-duty uniform of
Colonel Wolverton and the Purple Heart he received. This medal is awarded to
every man wounded or killed in action.
We owe our liberty to every single one of them.
Leaving the building, on your left you will be able to visit
the Airborne Wall Memorial.
This memorial is dedicated to all the
soldiers from the airborne divisions
who fought during WWII. Each slab is
nominative in order to honor
and remember the sacrifice of these
men.
Spare a thought for them as you walk
by this wall before you go to the Dead
Man's Corner Museum.
Well done soldier !
This is the end of your visit. Thank you for being
such a great listener. I hope that you have
learned a lot about the paratroopers and
their mission during D-Day. Our job is obviously
not over yet, once Normandy is liberated the
101st airborne division carry on fighting : we are
heading to the Netherlands ! Our mission will end
when Europe will be entirely free.
By then, many of our fellow comrades will fall on
the battlefield and today we honor them in
different way. You're doing your part by visiting
this museum and taking interest in their story,
and I am doing mine by passing this story
onto you.
Mike
Now you can go and visit the Dead Man's Corner Museum.
In this second museum you will get the point of view of a german soldier.
Enjoy your visit !
D-Day Experience
2 Village de l'Amont
50500 Saint-Côme-du-Mont
www.dday-experience.com
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