Sumpter Blackmon was among the first Americans to land on French soil in World War II when he was dropped behind enemy lines as a paratrooper well before dawn on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Blackmon served as an officer with the elite 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment attached to the 101st Airborne Division and jumped behind German lines twice during his 18 months of overseas duty during the war. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart in addition to other decorations as his regiment faced German forces in several major battles. The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, first activated in November 1942, was the first airborne unit in the U.S. military. It was an all-volunteer unit and the first officers of the regiment were hand picked by its first commander, Colonel Howard R. Johnson, a rugged proponent of physical conditioning. While training in Georgia, the regiment once marched 105 miles in a move between camps. Blackmon became a member of the 501st following graduation from the University of Alabama in March 1942. He received his Army commission in April of that year and trained with the unit in several locations before being deployed to England in January 1944. The 501st became a permanent attachment of the 101st Airborne Division at that time and began training for Operation Overlord, the secret allied plan for the massive air, naval, amphibious and airborne invasion of France. Blackmon’s regiment was dropped near the French town of Carentan shortly after midnight on June 6, five hours before the D-Day seaborne landing began, and although most men were dropped off target due to heavy fog and enemy antiaircraft fire, the 501st accomplished its missions of destroying bridges and taking control of key river locks due to the “initiative, stamina and daring of the individual parachutists.” Blackmon landed in an open field alone in the darkness, according to his son, Dr. Sumpter Blackmon Jr. of Camden, and soon located a fellow American by using his “cricket.” The two GIs joined three others as they moved along a roadway, where Blackmon soon confronted his first German soldier. As Blackmon prepared to fire, the enemy soldier quickly surrendered and told the Americans that he was a Pole who had been forced into the German army. The Pole then helped the Americans find their way to their targets. Blackmon’s unit remained in front-line action for more than a month with losses of 898 men killed, wounded, missing or captured. The unit received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in Normandy. The unit returned to England in mid-July to receive replacements and prepare for Operation Market Garden, a massive airborne assault of 30,000 allied troops into German-held Holland scheduled for mid-September. The assault featured both the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions plus British airborne troops. Again, Blackmon and the 501st dropped behind enemy lines, and it was during the Holland invasion that he earned the Silver Star for gallantry in action and the Purple Heart on September 22, 1944, during an attack on the German-held town of Schijndel, Holland. Blackmon was ordered to move his platoon to block an enemy attack force of 100 men supported by 20mm cannons and 88mm artillery. Blackmon’s Silver Star citation read: “Lieutenant Blackmon made contact with the enemy, disposed his men, and without regard for his personal safety remained in an exposed position directing his platoon’s attack while under extremely intense shelling. He was on one occasion knocked off his feet by an 88mm shell fragment which struck his helmet and was later painfully wounded when a 20mm shell knocked his carbine from his hand. Lieutenant Blackmon refused to be treated or evacuated until he had finally stopped the enemy attack and accomplished his mission. His personal bravery and sound judgment inspired his men to continue to fight against overwhelming odds. His actions were in accordance with the highest standards of the military service.” The 501st spent 72 days in combat in Holland and lost Colonel Johnson to a fatal mortar attack in the process. Another 661 men were either killed or wounded before the unit received a much-needed rest. The unit was called back into action in mid-December when the Germans broke through U.S. lines in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 501st was the lead combat team of the 101st in this battle and the first to fight at Bastogne, where it and the division held firmly to block the enemy advance and eventually earn the first Presidential Unit Citation ever awarded to a full division for service above and beyond the call of duty. The 501st lost 580 men killed, wounded or captured during the defense of Bastogne. The unit fought on into Germany and Bavaria before war’s end. Following Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the 501st returned to France to begin training for the invasion of Japan. Japan’s surrender in August 1945 finally ended World War II and allowed Blackmon to return to his home town of Columbus, Georgia. “He never talked about his medals unless he was asked a question,” said Dr. Sumpter Blackmon Jr. of his father. “He did talk often about the men in his company and what good soldiers they were. They were all fighting together for a common goal and all looking out for each other, much like the values instilled into him while playing on a winning football team,” Dr. Blackmon added. Blackmon was featured in at least two books dealing with World War II. He is quoted in “D-Day with the Screaming Eagles” and mentioned in “Look Out Below.” Movies have also been made of all the major battles in which Blackmon was involved. Blackmon played football at Alabama 1939-41 and earned his degree in March 1942. He lettered at quarterback on the 1941 Crimson Tide national championship team that defeated Texas A&M 29-21 in the Cotton Bowl on its way to a 9-2 record. After the war, Blackmon returned to Georgia, where he coached high school football for 15 years then served as a principal for several years before retirement. He died in 1992. Dr. Sumpter Blackmon Jr. is a 1965 UA graduate and resides in Camden, Alabama.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 14:04:23 +0000
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