Casper E. Curtis

Casper E. Curtis

(Capt. Casper E. Curtis, Company Commander, D CO 509th PIB in Oujda, North Africa, 05 Jun 1943)

NAME: Casper E. (Pappy) Curtis

ASN: O-372914

PLACE OF BIRTH: Norway, ME

DATE OF BIRTH: 26 February 1914

DATES OF SERVICE:

UNIT ASSIGNED: D Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment

D Company, 2nd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment

A Company, 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion

CAMPAIGNS: Algeria - French Morocco (Arrowhead) 8 November 1942

Tunisia (Arrowhead) 15 November 1942

Avellino, Italy (with Arrowhead) (Suicide Mission) 14 September 1943

Naple’s Italy Ventotene (Amphibious Assault)

Mt. Croce, Italy

AWARDS: Combat Infantryman Badge,G.O.#5,dated -10 April 44

Master Parachutist Wings – with 3 Stars

3rd Zouaves French Regiment Insignia

European-Africa-Middle East Ribbon

World War Two Victory Medal

Presented Red Beret by British Airborne Troops Commander, Major General F.A. M. Browning

SUMMARY OF SERVICE:

2nd Lt. Casper E. Curtis O-372914 D Co 2nd Bn 509th PIR Norway ME 8-Nov-42 Plane 5 Seat 1 Combat Weight 257 lbs

He made three airborne combat assaults behind enemy lines: North Africa, Tunisia and Avellino, Italy. One amphibious assault, Naples Italy and assault up Mt. Croce, Italy after which he and others were returned to the states to train troopers for other new airborne units. The Avellino, Italy airborne assault was a suicide mission in support of the Salerno, Italy beachhead which was in peril. The 5th U.S.Army was on the verge of retreating from the Italian peninsula. The 509th Parachute Infantry was to do Guerrilla warfare, disrupt enemy forces to the beachhead, cause havoc, harassment, cut telegraph and telephone lines and etc.

Anecdotes: Remembering his dry humor;

He and his wife Dorothy made all of the 509th reunions until lately (poor health – 94 years of age)

Billetting - Pappy had some of those meaningless decorative Silver stars the Italians wore on edges of their uniform collar above the lapels. He put then on the collar of his flight jacket and convinced the other unit he was a real one star and aced the other outfit out of the billets - courtesy of Trooper Mort Katz

Pappy loved to gamble at near by Foxwood casino, Connecticut. He would take one-hundred dollars with him each day of the week and go to the casino. Some times at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. If he lost it, he would go home – if he won, he would stay until it was all gone, enjoying every minute of it. At the end, and now being alone this was his life and he enjoyed himself so much.

On the assault up Mt. Croce, pappy tripped two “bouncing betty” mines (there was a cluster of three wires sticking up from the buried mine) Tripping any one would set the charge off that blew the mine up in the air waist-high. If you were lucky enough to hear the first “click”, had good reflexes and could hit the dirt fast, the steel balls blown horizontally would pass over your body and miss you, when the second charge went off. Pappy lucked out on both mines and never got a scratch. - courtsey of Mort Katz

A. grenade landed in the center of our group. Everyone froze, ‘Pappy very calmly picked up the grenade and hurled it back. It had hardly left his hand when it exploded. Needless to say, I instantly saw ‘Pappy’ from a different perspective. My feelings changed to profound awe and respect for this cool, calm, and collected “Maineiac” from down-East Maine. - Courtesy of Charlie Doyle

After his service, Pappy worked for Pratt Whitney Aircraft Co. and after retiring he was a pouch runner for a local bank. He is currently quite ill and living with his daughter-in-law Elaine in Florida

05 Oct 09 - Casper Curtis passed away he is buried in South Paris, Maine.

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