The Band of Brothers You've NEVER Heard Of

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]The US Airborne Forces of World War II are most commonly associated with the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. But in this episode of World War II Wayfinder, I'm going to take a look at the original airborne unit to deploy to England in June 1942.

[00:00:19]In these fields behind me, 15 months before the 101st Airborne Division arrived in this part of England, as part of the buildup for D-Day and Operation Overlord, we had the men of the second battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment living in these fields training and preparing themselves for that first airborne operation of World War II for the Americans. And that was Operation Torch in November of 1942.

[00:00:53]So this is the small West Barshire town of Hungerford. And it was here on the 11th of June 1942 that the men of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment arrived here at the train station. And we'll go and take a look at that location because Hungerford itself was not only known to the men of the 503rd, but would also become another popular horn of the 101st Airborne when they were billeted in and around this area from September 1943 onwards.

[00:01:25]So this is Hungerford Train Station and sadly today in 2026 it bears very little resemblance to what it did in the 1940s.

[00:01:32]And the reason I can say that is because there was a wonderful photo taken here of Colonel Bob Sink from the 506 when they were in this area post the 503rd being here and we can see the old station building. Sadly today, like a lot of railway stations in rural areas, it's become just a very sort of autonomous affair. There's just ticketing machines are bridged across from platform to platform and that's it.

[00:01:55]But back in the 1940s, this was quite a nice train station, quite a nice area anyway. And this was where the 503rd arrived from Scotland after that 12-hour train journey. And this was their first taste of England.

[00:02:16]So from here at Hungerford train station, I'm now going to take the two-mile journey to Chilton Foliot and we will take a look and see exactly where the men of the second battalion 503rd were billeted during their short stay here in England in 1942. So this is the beautiful village of children foliad itself. Now if you drive through here you'll think it's just a long thin village with houses on either side of this road. In fact the village actually stretches further up the hill up towards memory and that way. But it's a beautiful village as is so often the way in this part of the world on the Wiltshire West Barkshire border. There's lots of thatch cottages and that's a roofing style. If you're not familiar with it dates back hundreds of years possibly even longer. I'm not absolutely sure, but it's iconic in this area. It's a real feature and something that the paratroopers and those men of troop carrier command that were in and around this area would have been exceptionally familiar with during their time here in England. So the 503rd, they really were one of the original parachute units of the US Army. born out of the 504th battalion and when reorganization and restructuring was occurring then the second battalion of the 503rd parachute infantry regiment was stood up. They were led by a man called Lieutenant Colonel Edison Raph with his executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Doyle R.

[00:03:37]Yardley and they would come over from the US in May 1942 and then find themselves billeted here at Children Folia. But one thing that we're really lucky that we have here is a record of the 503rd and their time here. Thanks to Life magazine photographer David Sherman, who photographed the men of the second 503rd during an inspection by the first lady, President Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.

[00:04:07]Now, Park Farm and the lodge are still in private ownership. So, the land is private. It's not accessible to the public, but the road I'm on is a public right of way. And thankfully from the road, it is possible to line up a couple of David Sherman's photos. And we will take a look at those. And there are some interesting elements to them. There's lots of these photos from the inspection, the parade that was done here. But there's a couple in this. and one that harks back to the 503rd coming under the command of British Airborne during their time here in England or at least supported by British Airborne.

[00:04:45]They were under the sort of care of General Browning. We see General Browning from first airborne and a bridge too far fame and that's evident by the fact that one of the 503rd paratroopers is riding a well bike. Now, if you haven't seen a well bike, a whale bike was a small British airborne portable motorbike used for British airborne to basically move across the battlefield quickly. The American equivalent was the Kushman, which from an engineering point of view was arguably better, but it's great to see the Americans using this whale bike here in November 1942.

[00:05:24]So, that's Park Farm. That's one of the mana houses on this uh estate here at Chilton Foliot. And if we look at the wartime photo, we can see the paratrooper there on his well bike and there is a group of trees there just to the right hand side of the house. And those trees are still there to this day.

[00:05:48]Now what's fascinating about the photo is from it we can see the paratrooper there. He's got a solid stock M1 carbine because the folding stock M1 A1 didn't come into production until November 1942. which would then become sort of synonymous with the US airborne forces of World War II and other specialist units that required a carbine but also needed it to be um easily jumped with into occupied Europe. In between his museette pack on the back of the well bike rider and the other paratroopers stood to attention sort of behind him.

[00:06:21]You can see what looks like the mockup fuselage created by Tech 5 Valdez. He was one of the men of the 503rd and they created this mockup of a C-47, nicknamed it Suzie after Susan Ward, one of the family members from the estate here. And we can see there Eleanor Roosevelt in her sort of black dress with her fur over her shoulder. And Raph is the little guy stood just off to her left hand side. And we can see the men exiting that fuselage there. So that mockup fuselage was in that section of field there just sort of off to that left hand side of the house. And it's fantastic because you can see it in the other photos as well. It's quite clear as the men are marching past. And another interesting detail that you can see is all of them have a cult 45 holster on the side of their hipple for a 1911. Call it what you will, but the the 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol that was issued to US troops at this time. And the reason they did this because a lot like other airborne forces during World War II, the Americans at this point were dropping out of their aircraft for their training jumps and for their operational jumps as well at this point without carrying their main sidearm. So they would have these pistols their personal protection. Then they would then go and locate their weapons from their uh drop bundles, then arm themselves and then go and carry on the fight. This was something that the Fouchger were doing early on and it was something that the Americans adopted as well. Although that practice didn't last long and then clearly for D-Day we see them jumping with M1's in Griswald bags strapped to their body so that they had those rifles. They still hadn't perfected it because those Griswalds had to mean that the M1 Garand was broken in two. So that you still had to assemble your rifle if that's what you were jumping with, which again delayed your response on the ground when trying to deal with an enemy situation if that's what you found yourself in. But you can see that evolution happened throughout the war from 1942 through to D-Day in 1944. Another interesting detail in some of these photos that were taken here is that of Lieutenant Colonel Raph's M1 carbine fitted with a bayonet. Now, for those of you that know your small arms history, you'll know that the carbine didn't have a dedicated bayonet lug until the basically the very end of the war. Again, it was kind of an afterthought almost. And then for later issues of the carbine, it had it fixed to the barrel. So, it had a proper issue bayonet and a proper issue bayonet lug on the weapon so that you could attach it. Back in 1942, that didn't exist. But what did exist was an innovative young man called Lieutenant Curts. And there was the Chilton aircraft factory here on the estate. Now the Chilton aircraft factory during the 1930s had built monoplane and it was quite a successful one. But when war broke out like a lot of these small uh independent aircraft factories they were contracted by the government to then go and make aircraft parts and they actually made small components for Spitfires and other aircraft for the Royal Air Force. But Lieutenant Curts went down to see them and had a bayonet made and had the attachment fittings made for Raph's M1 carbine. And we can see him with this very distinctive M1 carbine with this bayonet on it in a whole range of photos. And it's a fantastic little detail to see because the 503rd, they were the pioneers of US airborne warfare. They were at the very cutting edge, especially in 1942. You have to remember that these divisional size units hadn't really been formed yet. So to have this level of forward thinking and ingenuity, the same with some of the uniforms that had camouflage paint on them. Again, just to break up that khaki color, that OD3 very bright color of the M42 jumpsuits, the jackets and the trousers. very forward thinking, very far ahead of its time when you're looking at other units of a similar nature at that particular stage in the war. Another interesting feature of the 503rd was their ingenuity in other ways as well. And I think in this field behind me here, I can't be 100% sure. I I don't have the site plans for here in terms of if any still exist or were ever drawn up in the first place, but there are photos of the assault course that the 503rd created. And I believe through looking at aerial photos matching it with the terrain in this field that that is the location of it. And again just a fantastic thing to see in terms of getting that understanding of how forces the allied forces were preparing for whatever lay ahead of them. Obviously at that time they thought it was maybe an invasion of Europe even in 1942. They they just didn't know. But a fantastic uh insight into seeing those different methodologies that different units employed and to see the assault course that the 503rd created in their original photos and I think to see that or at least I think it's in that field for me personally is a fantastic thing.

[00:11:31]>> Division has established a parachute training school at Chilton Foliate.

[00:11:34]>> Now I also appreciate that the name Chilton Foliate will be familiar with you because of Band of Brothers.

[00:11:40]Obviously, it's where Captain Herbert Soil gets packed off to when Colonel Sink relieves him of command of Easy Company. And we see that famous scene that's meant to be at Little Coat House by the fireplace. And Herbert Soil says, uh, you know, I'm so, you know, who will take easy company and such. Obviously, he gets informed at that point that it'll be Mian that takes over and that, you know, he's going to go and teach those personnel who are also needed in the invasion how to parachute.

[00:12:10]>> Good luck at Chilton Foliator.

[00:12:12]>> Whilst he did come here, um he had a bit of a potted career, Banner Brothers makes it out very simply that he would then come and command the parachute school. And I appreciate that. It's the TV series. They have a limited amount of time to tell the whole story. It's a bit more nuanced than that, though. he would go to fulfill an S4, so a supply role for uh for the 506. And there is that footage of him in Cararantan. So we know that he was in Normandy and thanks to Joe from the We're not lost private podcast. His work uncovered that Soil landed at Utah Beach with a Seaborn element and then did that role. But there's that great footage of Soel chatting with General Taylor. Now he would then come back here as well. It would run the parachute school for a period of time and then it would move to the continent in 1945 and then Soil would move on from that point. But it's fantastic that it was here because the jump school was 101st airborne divisional asset but General Taylor placed it under the command of Bob Sink as he was stationed just down the road just a couple of miles at Little Coat house. So 101st Airborne asset, the jump school came under the control day-to-day running of Colonel Sync from the 506.

[00:13:30]Now the reason that's important in terms of the 503rd story, it was because of their efforts to set up the likes of Suzie, that C-47 fuselage section that we can see in those wartime photos taken by Life magazine photographer David Sherman. It was because that infrastructure was here that Chilton Foliot was chosen as the jump school for the 101st Airborne Division. So I hope that maybe filled in some gaps why Soel came here, why there was a jump school here and that backstory behind it. But also of interest was after the 503rd shipped out when the 101st arrived here in England, the first and third battalions of the 502nd parachute infantry regiment would be billeted here. So they would take up the old accommodation of the second 503rd, but then probably add more to it as well.

[00:14:19]With two battalions being here, that was a lot of men. So they were also quartered here at Chilton Folia. So that's a point that often kind of gets overlooked and sort of bypassed a little bit in the story of the 101st, but the 502nd were here as well. So, not only did you have those pioneers of the US Airborne, the 503rd here, from June to November 42, but then from September through uh 43 through to September 44, you would have the first and third battalions here of the 502nd as well, which is just fantastic the amount of airborne history contained realistically within this small piece of land. So from Park Farm then what we're going to do, we're going to take a walk down here over the river Kennet which is the river that runs past Chilton Folia village itself and runs past Little Cove Manor as well. We're going to go past there to a thatched cottage on the corner of the road that leads back to Hungerford.

[00:15:14]Again, it's only a couple of miles away.

[00:15:16]You can really start to get an idea of the close proximity of all of these well-known names and places that are connected with the US Airborne. Um, and there's a couple of great then and now photos that we'll take a look at because in this area in 80 years, not a lot has really changed. So, we'll go and take a look at those next. I just wanted to interrupt this episode say a special thank you to French author and historian Loig Yankovak. He has been responsible for writing these two incredible books all about the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The 503rd would eventually become the 509th Parachute Infantry just prior to going into combat in North Africa in 1942. And without the information contained within these books and the photos that Loi provided me, this episode wouldn't have been possible. So if you have the opportunity to go and check out his website where you can purchase these incredible books as well as other books that he's authored about the US Airborne in World War II. So just moved out of Chilton Foley now sort of heading on the road that would take me to Hungerford if I was to follow the main road or when I get to the junction I could turn right and head to the former headquarters of the 506 parachute infantry regiment. But there's literally no more than a 5minute walk out of Chil Foliad. And there's a series of photos that I really want to have a look at because these again show the second 503rd here on a training exercise or possibly even a a PR a photography stunt. I don't know. Most likely a training exercise though with a photographer attached. Not sure of who the photographer was for these particular images, whether it was a signal core photographer. Um there's no mention of it in the life archives. So, I suspect it's a a US Army signal core photographer that took these great images of the paratroopers as they were maneuvering around the lanes here in the Hungerford Little Coat Chilton Folia area. So, this is it. This is the then spot that I wanted to look at with that beautiful thatched cottage behind me.

[00:17:15]And there's a couple of great wartime photos taken from somewhere on this sort of concrete path. This is a bridal way that leads to Hungerford or a footpath.

[00:17:25]Uh, and it was still here in the 1940s.

[00:17:29]So, this isn't a new spot by any means.

[00:17:32]There you can see the men of the 503rd heading back up to Chilton as a British I think it's a 3000 weightight truck.

[00:17:41]Appears from the unit markings to possibly be a British airborne truck.

[00:17:45]Hard to say, but quite possibly that's correct being this area and the heavy presence of the British Airborne in and around the Wiltshire West Barkshire area, especially with Ssbury plane being close by. But you can see the men of the 503rd there and they're marching around that corner and very little has changed today. The Thatch Cottage still remains, still pretty much there. just the garden looks a little bit different, but it's fantastic to see this incredible house and this location still there today. But if we move around the corner here, so up the road where those red cars are heading, that's the direction of Chilton Foliard.

[00:18:23]But as we can see from this road sign here, Little Coat House is just down there. So, I hope that gives you an idea of the proximity between these different locations here.

[00:18:37]The units really were on top of each other and it's and maybe that's an obvious point to state with the amount of American troops here, but when you really start to walk the ground here and get an idea of these different locations and geographically how they all relate to each other, there was US airborne troop carrier groups all over this very small corner of West Barkshire and Wiltshire. So after risking uh risking it to cross that road because this is a very busy road now unfortunately as it heads through from Chilton Fogia and Hungerford all the way through to Oldbornne and Mulbury. So it's quite a busy stretch of road but the other photo that was taken in this location shows some of the 503rd charging across this intersection. Very reminiscent in fact of the scene in episode one of Banner Brothers where Winters takes his platoon splits them across for that T intersection problem that he has to overcome. You've done it now, Yanks.

[00:19:28]You've captured me.

[00:19:29]>> And then Soel charges up the road after him.

[00:19:39]>> And there it is. There's that photo. You can see the men there. Couple of them charging ahead with their M1 Garans. One taking maybe a slightly slower pace at the rear. But again, very little has changed now.

[00:19:58]The only real significance is these cottages that would have once really been for workers and for tenant farmers.

[00:20:05]You know, real sort of bottom of the pile people back then, even in the 1940s, are now very desirable properties.

[00:20:15]So, from this then and now location, we're now going to head out of Chilan and we're going to head to Ramsbury. It was there at Army Air Force Station 469 or RF Ramsbury as it used to be known that the men of the troop carrier groups, the sky train pilots and crews would support those men from the second battalion 503rd during their time in England. Now admittedly their main unit was at Oldermasten for the 60th troop carrier group but occasionally they did send squadrons to Ramsbury to help support the needs of the second 503rd for the various exercises they took part in. Now I can't go to older Masten and there's one exceptionally good reason for that and that's because it's the atomic weapons establishment. Now none of that is close information is all out there publicly on the internet. So, please don't jump down my throat for me stating that fact, but they do a lot of sciency stuff there with a lot of nasty things. And clearly, they don't want little old me with a camera poking around. And I have absolutely zero intention of doing that. That sort of stuff freaks me out. So, we'll keep well away and instead we'll go up to Ramsbury. We'll check out the airfield there. See what remains and the wonderful memorial that's there.

[00:21:40]This is former RAF Ramsbury or Army Air Force Station 469. Now, like a lot of these old wartime airfields, very little remains of the old buildings, a lot of this land has been returned to farmland, what it was prior to World War II starting. But fortunately, we can still find some traces of it. And where I'm currently standing is the main east west runway and parts of it are still available. You can see that there's still a fair amount of the old concrete here. And this was the point of the sort of that east west runway. It doesn't run exactly east west. It is um I think southwest northeast slightly um on this row of trees behind me here. That was the northwest southeast runway. one of the smaller runways and again a number of different runways here all intersecting like a lot of wartime airfields so that regardless of the prevailing winds aircraft could take off and land so operations could as long as the weather was okay within reason could continue regardless so RAF Ramsy's wartime history hasn't been forgotten by the locals here and this memorial was put in place to honor both those of the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces that served here during World War II so during the second 503rd P's time here in England. Elements of the 60th troop carrier group would operate from here, taking them on various training exercises. Ramsbury itself is only a few miles from Chilton, which is in that direction out to the east. Albeit the 60th troop carrier group's main airfield was that of RF Oldermast and a few miles to the east of the town of Newbury. But some squadrons would deploy here. They would then operate with the 503rd. Later on, Ramsbury would then play a role on D-Day. Now, albeit we're in 101st country right here. I mean, we've got Ramsbury down in the valley where Third Battalion 506 were, Old Bourne is not much further away. But it was here that glider riders from the 82nd Airborne Division were taken into battle on D-Day by the troop carrier group, the 437th.

[00:23:59]So from here at former RF Ramsbury or United States Army Air Force Station 469, I am now going to head back to Chilton Folia and actually into the village itself. We'll wrap up the episode there at one of the watering holes that was used and frequented on a regular basis by both paratroopers and the men of the troop carrier groups alike.

[00:24:24]This is the Wheat Chief Pub here in Chilton Foliat and this is my final stop for this episode. This has been the Wheat Chief ever since the Americans were here in the 1940s and if you were to bring back a veteran say from the 503rd or the 502nd who were also based here in Chilen Foliot, they would recognize this place instantly. Also, this was a drinking hole for the men of the troop carrier groups that were in this area. We've got the 436 from Memory and the 437th troop carrier group from RAF Ramsbury that you saw earlier in the episode. They would also come here and enjoy a pint. So to be sat here, especially on such a beautiful day, being able to enjoy a beer at this location at this pub that although not as famous, say, as the Crown or the Blue in Old because it doesn't have a connection with Easy Company in the 506, this is still very much US Airborne, United States Army Air Force territory here. And to be able to sit out here on such a glorious day and enjoy a cold beer in the presence of the history that exists in this village is such a fantastic experience.

[00:25:36]So I hope you've enjoyed this episode of World War II Wayfinder looking at the second battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment during their short time here in England from June to November 1942 before they took off to parachute into North Africa as part of the invasion Operation Torch. If you have, please hit that like button, comment, and consider subscribing. It's all free. It doesn't cost you anything, and it really helps push the channel here on YouTube. So, I appreciate that massively when you do that. Now, thank you to my Patreon members and my YouTube members. The support from you guys is always appreciated. Okay, I got nothing else for you. I'll see you all in the next one.