World War II Honoree

Harry L. Gershon

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

San Francisco, California

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

SOMEWHERE AROUND 3 O'CLOCK ON THE MORNING OF D-DAY, AS AN ARMY CAPTAIN HE LINED UP WITH HIS FELLOW PARATROOPERS AND JUMPED OUT OF A C-47 TRANSPORT PLANE AT A FRENCH VILLAGE ON THE NORMANDY COAST. IT WAS JUNE 6, 1944, A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE MAIN ALLIED FORCE WOULD LAND ON THE NORTH COAST OF FRANCE IN THE LARGEST INVASION IN HISTORY. HE LANDED IN THE TOWN OF STE. MÈRE EGLISE AND THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TRY AND HOLD OFF GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS WHO WOULD BE COMING UP TO REPEL THE INVADING ALLIED FORCE. THEY WERE TOLD THEY SIMPLY NEEDED TO HOLD OFF THE GERMANS FOR ONE DAY. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY. AT THE TIME OF THE PREDAWN PARACHUTE LANDING, THE GERMANS WERE ALREADY THERE; SOME OF THE PARATROOPERS WERE SHOT BEFORE THEY HIT THE GROUND. BUT THEY STILL CAPTURED THE TOWN, MAKING IT ONE OF THE FIRST FRENCH VILLAGES TO BE LIBERATED, BUT THEY ALSO FACED A STRONG ENEMY FORCE. THEY WERE PINNED DOWN UNDER FIERCE ATTACK AND HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS HAD LITTLE IN THE WAY OF WEAPONRY TO HOLD OFF THE GERMAN TANKS. HE AND HIS TROOPS EVENTUALLY BROKE OUT FROM STE. MÈRE EGLISE. HIS UNIT, THE 505TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT OF THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION, FOUGHT ACROSS FRANCE AND GERMANY DURING THE FINAL YEAR OF THE WAR. LATER, HE WAS TEMPORARILY SECONDED TO A BRITISH ARMY UNIT. HE WAS LEADING A PATROL THAT LITERALLY STUMBLED ONTO THE BERGEN-BELSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ALLIED OFFICERS TO HELP LIBERATE THE BERGEN-BELSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP IN GERMANY. DURING THE ALLIED CAMPAIGN ACROSS EUROPE, HE FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, THE BLOODIEST BATTLE OF THE WAR, WHICH TOOK PLACE FROM DECEMBER 16, 1944 TO JANUARY 25, 1945. THAT SPRING, IN A FIERCE FIRE FIGHT WITH GERMAN INFANTRY, HIS UNIT WAS ORDERED TO TAKE OUT A GERMAN MACHINE GUN NEST. HE TOSSED A GRENADE AT THE GERMAN GUN EMPLACEMENT, BUT THE MACHINE GUNNER CONTINUED FIRING BEFORE THE GRENADE WENT OFF. ONE OF THE BULLETS HIT HIM, TEARING OFF HIS LEFT THUMB AND PARTS OF TWO FINGERS. HE WAS LATER DECORATED WITH THE SILVER STAR, BRONZE STAR AND PURPLE HEART.