Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

One Hundred and First Airborne Division

“Screaming Eagles”

— National D-Day Memorial —

One Hundred and First Airborne Division Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. One Hundred and First Airborne Division Marker

Inscription. Activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, on 15 August 1942 to become the U.S. Army's second division of airborne infantry, the "Screaming Eagles" came into being under the command of Brig. Gen. William C. Lee, who told his troops, "the 101st has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny." He and the assistant division commander, Brig. Gen. Don E Pratt, organized and populated the 101st for combat service in the European Theater. Comprising the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 327th and 401st Glider Infantry Regiments (GIR), and a full complement of combat and combat-service support units, the 101st Airborne Division qualified and trained for a year before sailing for England in September 1943. There the training continued. While in England, the 501st and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiments were attached to the Division, nearly doubling the Division's strength. Taken ill in March 1944 before he could keep that promised rendezvous, General Lee was succeeded in command by Brig. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor. Promoted to major general in May, the new commander kept the division busy rehearsing and refining preparations

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for the invasion of Normandy.

Because the Screaming Eagles were in the vanguard on D-Day, their pathfinders got airborne and underway by 2200 hours on 5 June to mark out drop zones in the Cotentin Peninsula's interior. The division's mission was to secure the exits from Utah Beach, destroy the coastal artillery battery barracked at the so-called WXYZ complex located along the road to Exit 4, capture or destroy several bridges over the Douve River, and seize the locks over the Douve at La Barquette, By 2330, about 6,600 paratroopers led by Maj. Gen. Taylor were airborne aboard some 500 C-47 Dakotas.

An hour later, from an altitude of 700 feet, the Screaming Eagles began jumping into the darkness. About two thirds came down widely dispersed within the division's intended area of operations. The balance mislanded. If the broad dispersion of troops at first hampered the invaders, it also vexed defenders unable to contain their attackers or fix their strength - a situation made worse by the inflexibility of the German high command. Displaying epic skill, courage, and tenacity, the division's paratroopers achieved all their essential

One Hundred and First Airborne Division Marker (center) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. One Hundred and First Airborne Division Marker (center)

D-Day objectives by early morning. Their rapid link-up with the seaborne 4th Infantry Division minimized the Ivy Division's casualties as troops moved inland.

On 6 June, two glider serials, 52 CG-4 WACO gliders and 32 British Horsa gliders, landed respectively at 0400 and 2100 in a landing zone secured by elements of the 501st PIR. Those serials included elements of the division' engineer, medical, and signal companies to support the division headquarters as well as a bulldozer and some artillery, anti-tank weapons, and jeeps. In the lead glider, one of those jeeps broke its restraints, killing General Pratt. Despite numerous crash landings, much of the equipment aboard the gliders remained intact, and it was used as intended. The 327th GIR and 1st Battalion of the 401st GIR came in by sea at Utah Beach on D+1.

Given by the Garland and Agnes Taylor Gray Foundation and by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Tullidge Sr. in tribute to the 101st Airborne Division and all paratroopers of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Dedicated on Memorial Day 2006.

Erected by National D-Day Memorial.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed

General Eisenhower talking with members of the 101st Airborne Division image. Click for full size.

AP Public Domain

3. General Eisenhower talking with members of the 101st Airborne Division

soon before the Division’s flight to Normandy for the D-Day Invasion.

in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the U.S. National D-Day Memorial series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.

Location. 37° 19.855′ N, 79° 32.16′ W. Memorial is in Bedford, Virginia, in Bedford County. It can be reached from Overlord Circle 0.4 miles west of Burks Hill Road. The Marker is located on the grounds of the National D-Day Memorial. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 3 Overlord Circle, Bedford VA 24523, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Southwest Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fourth Infantry Division (here, next to this marker); 29th Infantry Division

One Hundred and First Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles” Patch image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

4. One Hundred and First Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles” Patch

(here, next to this marker); 6th Engineer Special Brigade (here, next to this marker); Seventh Naval Beach Battalion (here, next to this marker); Sixth Naval Beach Battalion (here, next to this marker); 5th Engineer Special Brigade (here, next to this marker); Second Ranger Battalion (here, next to this marker); The Eighty Second Airborne Division (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bedford.

Also see . . .
1. 101st Airborne Division History. Website entry (Submitted on June 14, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. National D-Day Memorial. (Submitted on February 10, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 511 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 10, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.