The Longest Day Legend: The Dangling Paratrooper of Sainte-Mère-Église
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Historian Paul Woodadge of WW2TV and Jared Frederick delve into the most iconic scene from the 1962 D-Day movie "The Longest Day." Red Buttons portrays imperiled paratrooper John Steele trapped on the bell tower of Sainte-Mère-Église. But did this incident actually occur?
Follow Paul @WW2TV
Follow @WW1TVchannel
Find Educator Resources on our website: www.reelhistoryfilms.com
Explore our online shirt store: my-store-c21f5c.creator-spring.com
If you wish to donate to our channel, our PayPal is reelhistory1944@gmail.com
Reel History delves into historical films to separate fact from fiction. These engaging episodes explore, contextualize, and clarify stories related to the most famous historical movies. In contrast to the more prevalent "reaction" videos, these installments seek not only to entertain but to educate and inform. For host Jared Frederick and producer Andrew Collins, these episodes are a labor of love and a means of expressing passion for the past as well as cinema. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcome. The views expressed are our own and do not necessarily represent our employers or organizations with which we are involved.
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners. All original commentary and materials produced by this channel are the intellectual property of Reel History, LLC. To reach the Reel History team, email reelhistory1944@gmail.com.
LOVE pauls channel only issue he is to prolific. i hate missing a discussion but he puts out some time more then one a day and each is several hours.. ive given up on trying to keep up. love that he adresses his comments section. one time we didnt see eye to eye... pauls channel is on my daily list
Thanks Andrew, it's normal to not agree all the time
Yes..I always wondered about this story(and how he got down).
Saw the movie back in the early 60’s and 5:51 you’re right about the paratrooper/church scene and it did steel the show. And a very old John Wayne playing the part of a young officer was also a bit of a Hollywood do over. Great video. Really liked it.
He portrayed an officer who I believe was in his late 20's.
😂
From the moment I saw that scene in the movie, many years ago, I always wondered how he got down off that roof? I recall after reading the book, "The Longest Day", It didn't explain it in that, either.
As a combat veteran I love war movies and remember watching D-Day. Red Buttons plays the character who gets hung up in the church steeple.I also remember reading about the soldier passing away.
Really enjoyed the discussion- 2 great channels coming together!! Keep up the good work.
I saw a video of an interview of Red Buttons taken during the premiere of The Longest Day. He said he met the soldier from D-Day who got stuck on the bell tower, and complimented him on how well he portrayed him in the movie. It's interesting to know that WWII veterans did not always accurately portray the stories of the battles they were in, so I guess this one will live on as an unverified account.
That phenomenon is not exclusive to WWII veterans. Most veterans are known for embellishing stories. They usually start with “so there I was.”
Interesting you met him. I’ve been to the town and saw the church. It was during an anniversary year and the locals had hung a parachute on the steeple. Unfortunately paratroopers landed in burning building.
Locals definitely think it happened. They also offered hamburgers in cafe, didn’t taste like American hamburger, for which we were very glad. Who wants an American hamburger in France? Nice little city, very welcoming people.
I'm still undecided by this one. I lean towards believing John Steele, but how the story has evolved and why there are so many unanswered questions is puzzling. Ken Russel corroborates Steele being there, but how Steele was brought down and taken prisoner is much of a mystery. Russell may have been covering for his buddy, who knows. What is amazing is that anyone from that stick survived at all. How does this contrast with so many Easy Coy, 506th men who landed in the town too. Was this at the same time?
There is an interesting back story about why Russell told the story the way he did, connected with easing the anguish of a widow of one of the men who were killed
@@WW2TV Thanks, Paul. I believe you and Marty covered that in your show about John Steele. I’ll have to re-watch as I don’t recall the full story.
Also, it appears that John Steele's brother, CPL Norman Willis “Short Dog” Steele, was killed on Apr. 16, 1945, in Germany. This is from "Find A Grave" on John Steele's Wikipedia page.
Thank you, gentlemen. Nice to see two of my favs collaborating. Paul, I noted the knowing side glance at the audience near the end of your intro.
Recollections may vary, and often do
You two lads should have a discussion on WW2 films, both the good and bad.
The man, the legend... I refer of course to Paul Woodadge.
I can recommend 82nd Airborne historian Phil Nordyke's books - he's a computer professional and not a journalist or trained historian. He does thorough research and simply presents what he finds without comment or opinion, even if the personal accounts are contradictory he will present all points of view and allow the reader to judge for themselves what actually happened.
Nordyke's combat history of the 505th PIR in WW2 - Four Stars of Valor (2006, 2010) has two passages on Steele. He first has an account from Private Ken Russell, who also said he landed on the roof of the church:
P.136-137:
"I could feel shells hitting the parachute. When I hit the roof [of the church], a couple of my suspension lines, or maybe more, went around the church steeple and I slid off the roof. I was hanging on the edge of the roof on the right side of the church."[1]
Private John Steele also landed on the edge of the roof. "I was trying to dodge the burning building and didn't see the steeple. I actually hit the roof of the church and then my chute caught on the steeple. There was furious fighting going on all around the church."[2]
Private Russell watched his mortar squad leader, Sergeant John P. Ray, land. "He missed the edge of the church; he hit in front of the church. Sergeant Ray landed after we did, a split second, I would say. I'll never forget, a red haired German soldier came around from behind the church to shoot Steele and me, who were still hanging there. As he came around, he shot Ray in the stomach. Sergeant Ray, while dying in agony, got his .45 out, and as this German soldier started turning around to us, he shot the German soldier in the back of the head and killed him. It was an agonizing death that Ray went through. I was scared to death. I finally got to my trench knife. It was carried down on your right jump boot. I cut my risers, threw my knife away, and fell to the ground. I looked up and knew I couldn't do anything. I thought he [Private Steele] was dead."
P.149-150:
As some of the Germans pulled out of Ste. Mère-Église, they took with them company F trooper Private John Steele, whose parachute had caught on the church steeple, and who had been taken down and made a prisoner. "I was wounded in the foot and hobbling along on a stick under German guard with six or eight other GIs - being moved from a German battalion headquarters to their regimental headquarters. A small unit of German riflemen headed by a first Lieutenant slipped out of the woods, stopping us. We were asked a lot of questions, which we didn't answer. The Lieutenant cut my belt and flipped the buttons from the fly of my trousers with a hunting knife - tapping me on the chest with the point of the knife and said, 'So you won't run too fast,' in perfect English."[3]
Nordyke's sources are:
[1] Kenneth Russell, oral history, courtesy of the Eisenhower Center.
[2] "D-Day Participant Survived by Feigning Death," Fayetteville [North Carolina] Observer, May 16, 1969, Section B, p. 1.
[3] John M. Steele, questionnaire, courtesy of the Ryan Collection, Alden Library, Ohio University.
Yes, Phil is a great historian and it may be the case that Steele did land on the tower. But the really hard to answer question is how he got down, and why Steele talk about that at all.
@@WW2TV - I like the fact that Phil does not even attempt to answer that question if he has no data on it - I was trained as a systems analyst as well.
If Steele could not be pulled inside the church for practical reasons as you say, then that only really leaves being cut down from outside the church, like Russell had done for himself. It really depends on how high above the ground they were both suspended. The dummy suspended from the church tower today (or Red Buttons in the film) may not accurately indicate where Steele had landed, as his own testimony says he hit the roof before his chute caught on the steeple.
Kind regards.
@WW2TV I just don't know why you guys are hung up on him not talking about hanging from the church. The only reason it is significant at all is because of the movie. When asked in the questionnaire what he was doing on that day, he decided to throw that out there mostly as a bit of light hearted humor. I'm sure he was embarrassed by it. The more significant event was certainly being captured. You all need to stop looking at this from the point in the timeline AFTER the movie. Look at it from his point of view prior to the movie.
@@danbouchard6780 The issue with this story is not really about what Steele did or didn't say. It's about the obsession people have in the story 80 years on. Every single day hundreds of people snap a photo of the mannequin hanging from the church. My point is, in the grand scheme of things, IT DOESN'T MATTER whether he landed there or not. The vital role of the Airborne holding roads, bridges and linking to Utah beach is overshadowed by a story of dubious origin
@@WW2TV People are obsessed with many things. The real issue here is that you don't believe the story so you are trying to change history based solely on your opinion. Here is an AI quote from Google on what a historian is: A historian is a person who specializes in the study of history, and is considered an authority on the subject. Historians research, analyze, interpret, and write about the past, using historical documents and sources. They may specialize in specific events, periods, or geographies of history. Historians must be objective and avoid bias, referring to facts instead of opinions." The last sentence applies here. You have ZERO facts to backup your opinion.
Jared, were there any 42 year old private in the U.S airborne units? A Red Buttons reference. BTW: you know I am in Manila so Paul Woodadge just scored a view.
Not that I have heard.
Great to have this put out here, just like a question to thoes who study history and aim for digging deeper, did it acually happen? I think not, but it sure captures an greater event in a personalized manner.
Why i think, is that it is important not to forget the men who died there, in and around the town who were overshadowed by the Steele story.
Sorry if I missed an announcement... but where did the review of The Pacific go? Love watching your takes after I watch the films.
The book "The Longest Day" records that Lieutenant Williard Young of the 82nd passed by during the fighting and saw "the dead man hanging from the steeple." referring to Steele playing dead during the battle.
Eye witness testimony is an imprecise science
@@WW2TV Maybe so, but it does add some credibility to the event actually happening.
@@jerryware5749 Of course, but what happens, for example in the case of there being 2 or 3 different accounts of the same incident from three different eyewitnesses. Because that happens all the time with history
@WW2TV Um, duh! It's war! Disappointed in this and you. 1st and LAST time watcher.
Of course, witnesses are going to see and remember things differently! Your adrenaline is pumping, there's people shooting at and around you, it's CHAOTIC! Especially years later. Not impressed by you or your "guest". Sorry, but this seemed more of a hit piece on someone that can no longer defend themselves, rather than an informational piece.
@@Sparky0627 You are correct in all that you say. The term hit piece applies perfectly.
I'm so glad you posted this , this Definitely is a iconic movie scene..Later in the movie Red Buttons can't hear "it's them Bells Ding Dong Ding Dong". The longest day is one of the greatest WW2 mr made. And A lot of the Actors Really did serve in WW2, Richard Todd really was at that bridge "Hold Until Relieved"..the other iconic scene is Richard Burton "he stitched it with safety pins"..other than this movie Band of Brothers is one of the greatest WW2 movies
Two of my faves in a very, very special place.
I think overall the scene where the paratrooper was caught on the bell tower was a mechanism to show the chaos and helplessness of many of the airborne troops that day. Some were lost by landing in water too deep to get out of with their heavy equipment, but that was only quickly alluded to. The bell tower scene helps to show the insanity of war. Especially for the airborne troops on that day.
Great fact Paul, thank you!
No facts in this video. Woodadge is not a historian. He's an actor who uses CZcams to portray himself as a historian. He has Zero credentials.
Like all kinds of events in history, what strikes a participant at the time as significant is often overlooked. What comes to mind is the crossing of the Delaware. I wonder how many patriots thought that was significant, considering what happened the following day in Trenton.... Steele probably considered being taken prisoner as far more grueling and scary than being caught on the Church tower? Maybe he only saw it as incidental.
God Bless!
Before I even watched the video I thought, Paul Woodage would have an opinion on this, and there he is 😂
And he is wrong.
Well, one thing we know was true- he was there, in the battle, and we weren’t.
Maybe he didn't mention falling on the church because he was embarrassed by that detail.
That is exactly correct. The most memorable thing was being a POW. Paratroopers landed in trees, on buildings and even on church towers all the time. This is garbage revisionist history. Paul Woodadge is an actor, NOT a historian.
@@danbouchard6780No Paul is acually an Historian.
How many books on D-Day have you written?
@@NyllsorIt's "a" historian. And writing a book doesn't automatically give you a title.
Airborne my service 82nd Signal Battalion 1973-75 history.
From “The Man who Shot Liberty Valance:” “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
Howard Manoian didn't land there!
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”.
Kinda sounds like a bunk story to me
It happened, Deal with it.
Your face is a bunk story.
Two people came down on the church. John Steele hung up near the belfry and Ken Russell on the roof. I spoke to Ken Russell, he has a framed photograph with pen drawn where on the church he and Steele hanged from.
A framed pen drawing isn't evidence of anything 😂
I too spoke to Ken Russell and there are inconsistencies between all the versions
@@WW2TV You'll discredit anyone just to prove yourself right. You're pathetic.
As a kid I remember watching this scene and thinking, "why was he deaf from the bells ringing in his ears all night. The bells were rung manually, "
idk, seems very plausible paratroopers coming down into center of town would land on buildings and get lines caught on the structures, including a church. Mostly I'm surprised how special the event is commemorated. I always thought the movie was NOT celebrating this, but trying to depict one of those many common "odd things" that happens in war - one guy lives, another does not due to just luck of the draw on where they landed.
Great stuff...thank you for posting this, I have been trying to spread the word about the iffy nature of the "Steele hung from the church tower" story, and this short video will be terrifically useful to let folks know how thin and contradictory the evidence is...kudos to both you and Paul. 💯👍
I guess if you like BS.
@@danbouchard6780hey, why are you so mad? Be a bit more polite, thanks.
So it's another case of the Mandela effect.
This is very intresting! :)
I'm not surprised that people get emotional about this topic. I've long thought that it was bunk... but it's spawned a cottage industry and the legend (that is - the army version of a sea story) was repeated so often that to question it is heresy.
I'm an older chap and I remember well hanging out at the Legion in the 80's listening to the War 2 vets.... you'd think that every one of them had won War 2 single handedly 😂
Thx for sharing! :)
When the legend becomes fact...... Print the legend.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
You noticed!
Legends (whether they actually occurred or not) are established by the appeal of the story and sheer repetition. In the end, the existence of the event doesn’t matter. The Spartans at Thermopylæ aligns through the centuries with how people like to view themselves. The reality comes about when we see people mold their behavior to these historical things, real or imagined. Thus the flag of the Texans at the Alamo “Molon Labe” demonstrated their identification with Leonidas and his troops.
Excellent job as always!
With soldiers hanging from poles, trees, and houses, why would someone hanging from the church tower be that distinct from every other paratrooper? Their point that that would have been something that would have stood out on that day is rediculous IMO. Paratroopers were hanging in a lot of places.
Were there paratroopers hanging in lots of places though? I've been studying this battle for 40 years and can only recall 3 specific cases of a paratrooper getting caught high on a building or tree
I'd sure would have rememberd it if i was there. Being raised Christian like most Normans also were i think it would look very, very symbolic. Like Jesus hanging from his cross..
I also think this symbolism is why the story has stuck, but I doubt it acuallly happend.
Not sure I agree with saying something is more important to consider in the D-Day landings than men getting dropped off by accident to their deaths.
He is talking big picture.
@@ReelHistoryexactly
I am a friend of a family self proclaimed relitave of John Steel. The legend in his family is that he did hang from the roof of the church on his jump on DDay. And that he was a heavy drinker in his latter years. So from the experience of heavy drinkers i have been around that they tend to spill truth beans in their intoxicated states. So in reality i can very well see with all the carnage that had taken place in the town crossroads that day. he very well could have dangeled and been rescued from his predicament and it not be the thing that stood out in the mindof the town witnesses at the time. If im staring at a fatal car wreck im not looking up either. I can bearly take it all in. And ariel photos may be after he was removed from it. So it most assuredly is plausable that he did dangel from the roof. And when asked where he was at a certain time the first thing he would have answered would be the truth. Unless he was somewhere he should not have been.
The big glaring question though, is if he was there, how did he get down?
@@WW2TV Contrary to your guest's "testimony", obviously it was the Germans! Seemed more like your guest had an issue with a man that is no longer around to defend himself! Very disappointed in your "history"!
@@Sparky0627
I listend to the whole episode on WW2TV and in the end there is the stories of the germans, the germans stories does not make sense, and alot with the steele story dosent either.
If a story sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Would not have been the first exaggerated war story.
Your captions are unreadible
We don't make the captions.
Jack warden the actor broke his leg in a nightime practice jump just before d.day
Maybe he was lucky it didnt happen in normandy!
I was there and I remember seeing him hanging there.
The paratrooper was on To Tell the Truth. Look up the episode.
The town of Sainte-Mère-Église believes the story is true. They have an Effigy of him hanging by his parachute on the steeple and the story is told in the Airborne museum in the town as well.
If you’re looking for historical evidence of an individual soldier’s account during a massive invasion. You’re probably not going to find it, unless that soldier was awarded a medal for valor.
As historians, you should know that our discipline literally started as stories passed by word of mouth.
There are plenty of good sources for participants on DDay who were not medal recipients. Diaries, AARs, reports by correspondents etc
I have a big problem with people who try to analyze what people were thinking or how they would have reacted. You are criticizing the history based on seeing a movie every year since it was released. To you, hanging from a church tower is a big deal. To you, everyone should have remembered it. To you, the fact that there was fighting in the streets and people were dying and others were taking cover is meaningless. The reality is, paratroopers, especially at that time, were landing all over the place. It was common for them to get stuck in trees, on buildings and yes, even get stuck from church towers. When Steele was asked in the survey, what he was doing on the night of June 6, his answer was one that he was probably a little embarrassed about and he was trying to make a joke about it. ("I was hanging from a church tower in Normandy", he said shaking his head and giving a little chuckle.) It was NOT so memorable as you put it, that it would have been a great story. I'm sure to him, being captured was much more memorable. Of course, once the movie came out, Steele's recollection of the events shifted to the tower. It HAD to. Was there some embellishment there? I'm quite sure there was. But to say it didn't happen based on your blurred perspective is typical European snobbery. I'm sure that if it has been a Brit hanging from that tower, there would be NO QUESTION that it had happened. This whole interview and its assumptions is nothing more than revisionist history and a joke.
Not really.
I question British history all the time too. That's what historians do
@@WW2TVNo it's not
@danbouchard6780 ? History, like science changes all the time. That's how it improves
@danbouchard6780 revisionist is not a dirty word. All good history is, to some extent revisionist and needs to be
Steele answered a simple question with a simple modest answer. Hollywood and writers sensastionalized it, not Steele. The POW account was an answer to a question that asked for a descriptive response, hense more words. His third combat jump of the war. No need to BS.
Im sorry but im going to have unsubscribe to your channel! I am a Canadian Veteran. I commented on one of Pauls videos about Canadian WW2 soldiers. I tried to respectfully constructively criticized him not mentioning or passing over the significant contribution & sacrifice that Canada & over other countries made towards final victory, not just the USA & the UK. I, unfortunately was met by... immaturity at a very high level, which as an older, retired vet, I was a gast! Then he proceeded to , strangely, apologize & then block me, instead of trying to have a respectful discussion which I sure, we both would have learned from! I rarely ever comment on videos now, for fear of retribution. I am too old for that nonsense! Thanks for listening & wish godspeed in all your endeavors!
Sir
I respectfully call bs.
I have been watching Paul for almost 5 years. He does nothing but bring in great guests who talk about so many different topics. I have heard him repeatedly bring up Canada 🇨🇦 service.
Now as a you being Canadian maybe you’re not as smart as you think. Love from Cleveland and I still am calling bs
Aghast.
Ah yes the old “This person/thing you are associated with allegedly did me wrong so I’m going to take it out on you” routine
The proper procedure is to fill out a Butthurt Report and submit it through channels. I'm a Canadian veteran too and I'd opine that perhaps you need a thicker skin.
Why are you unsubscribing from our channel though? We've highlighted that the greatest shortcoming in The Longest Day is its lack of Canadian representation.
So you are calling the veterans liars. Shame on you,
No, just calling into the question the recollections of a singular one.
It is a simple fact that the accuracy of veteran's testimonials cannot possibly be 100% We also know that a small percentage lie. To deny this is denying how humans function