World War II Zone Forums - View Single Post - 101st A/B -- Which unit sported war paint in Normandy?

Airchallenged · #41 (**permalink**) June 27th, 2008, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyTucci

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirborneBob

Hurrahh.....as a old memeber of the 101st...what a great tribute....Have you ever been to Ft. Campbell...visit the David Pratt (?) Museum..some really good stuff....

I beleive the 502 used paint...

Thanks Bob --

Not yet, but I plan to go there. Maybe some of you can attest to this... According to Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day, Bob Murphy, a pathfinder from the 505th (I think) landed in St. Mere Eglise at 12:115am. He was the one who landed in a woman's courtyard, as she was attempting to go to the outhouse, well Ryan writes that he scared the hell out of her with his "war paint" he also wrote that Bob had a mohawk. I think he's still alive. Does anyone know of this? As far as my research shows thus far, only the "Filthy Thirteen" did the war paint, though some of the guys in the newsreel photo prepping the C47 with them do as well.

Do you know what type of paint the 502nd used? Are there any pictures?

Thanks!
B

Billy,

Those guys other guys in that clip i posted were the other engineers I think. It is totally possible that other 82nd troops did Mohawks and war paint but not 101. He may have meant that his face was blackened which was very common. How would she have know he had a mohawk with a helmet on?

Matt