Talk:Joe E. Mann

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Propose to include the text below which appears (in dutch language) at the same dutch Wiki page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 116.49.40.123 (talk) 05:54, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Joe Mann during Operation Market Garden

September 17th 1944

As part of Operation Market Garden, airborne troops landed on September 17th 1944 at “dropzone B”, between the small towns of Best and Son. Upon destruction of the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal at Son general Taylor send the company to which Mann belonged to the next bridge at Best. This to se whether this bridge was still intact and could be taken. Taking a bridge a bit further on the canal would not result in a significant de-tour towards Arnhem. In the forest between Son and Best more German troops were presented then expected. The individual US platoons on their way to the bridge lost the contact between themselves. They could not reach the bridge at Best and the company withdrew, except for a group of eighteen soldiers under the command of Lieuteant Ed Wierzbowski. They had not been informed on the withdrawl en stayed behind alongside the canal. The American HQ did not receive this information. Wierzbowski continued to follow his initial orders to capture the bridge. His small formation continued in the pouring rain to take enemy fire until the early next morning at 3AM.

September 18th 1944

At dawn, in the early light, the men saw that they had a too powerfull German force in front of them. The bridge was blown-up at 11am, with which their initial order could no longer be pursued. Two soldiers, Mann and Hoyle, tried to exfiltrate and with a bazooka demolished to German 88mm artillery guns. Two bullets wounded Mann at both shoulders. A bit later the group was attached from the air by a Hawker Typhoon who mistook them to be German soldiers, nobody was wounded in this attack. At 3PM the Germans started an attack, which was successfully countered. In this Private Luther was killed, Lieutenant Watson (engineer corps) and Private Northup got wounded, also Mann was again hit twice. He received treatment for both his arms, but was no longer able to make use of them. Later Lieutenant Laier and Sergeant Betras made another attempt to exfiltrate. This did not succeed and both got wounded. Laier surrendered and Betras managed to return to his own group. Corporal Corman rowed a dinghy across the canal and obtained medical supplies from the English troops at the south shore. On request of Wierzbowski, the English tried to signal his position details to HQ, but this did not succeed. De American group did not cross the canal because the English stated that help would arrive soon. A bit later, a patrol from E company, accidently came across the group, they moved on a bit later. They did not relay the message that a group of men was positioned close the bridge, they relayed the fact that the bridge in the mean time had been destroyed. In the early part of the evening the group was reinforced by a platoon from D company lead by Lieutenant Mottala. He decided to stay with the group during the night. Around the middle of the night there was a German attack. After that Motolla and his men crossed the canal towards the English. Wierzbowski and his men, fatigued and partly resting, did not notice this. The English took over the care for the wounded in the group lead by Mottala. With that they thought Wierzbowski’s group had crossed and that thus nobody had remained on the other side. Already on this day Colonel Michaelis reported the Wierzbowski’s unit as being lost.

September 19th 1944

In the morning there was quite a thick fog. Also the Germans thought there were no US troops left after the crossing by Mottala’s unit. A German patrol accidently made contact with Wierzbowski’s group. Mann sat with six others in a ditch made to provide cover. A fight also involving hand grenades (used a.o. by Sergeant Betras) erupted. A hand grenade exploded close to the face of Laino who as a result of this lost eyesight. He noticed another grenade dropping and threw it back. Lawrence Koller was hit at his temple by a bullet, he survived. A next grenade landed close to Mann. He could not throw the grenade away, since he could not make use of his arms anymore. He shouted: “Grenade” and threw his body with his back on and towards the grenade. Thanks to his sacrifice only three people in the ditch were slightly wounded (Anthony Atayde, Private Paxon, and Lieutenant Wierzbowski), the others remained unharmed. The German attached stopped and Wierzbowski decided to surrender. In a large scale attack later that same day the group managed to free themselves and to capture their guards. To capture the area it turned out that half a division (including tank support) was needed.

'''After the death of Joe Mann ''' Mann was buried at the military cemetery in Margraten (NL). On June 8th 1949 his body was transferred to the USA, where he was re-interred with full military honors at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane (Washington). The story of Joe Mann was only published in the area of Son with a publication of a Mr Cees Wittebrood in a local paper in October 1954. From this publication the establishment of the Joe Mann theater and the -memorial in Son resulted. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 116.49.40.123 (talk) 05:52, 14 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I feel these paragraphs should be included. The story is important to be remembered. Good job. Leif One (talk) 19:45, 15 February 2024 (UTC)