charles durning malmedy

According to testimony at the war crimes trial, Major Poetschke was heard by a U.S. soldier who understood German telling a Sergeant Beutner: You know what to do with the prisoners.. The Germans of Kampfgruppe Peiper, seventy of whom were convicted in a war crimes tribunal after the war, were surprisedexecuting prisoners was standard fare on the Eastern Front. Sadly, Durning made a number of statements during his lifetime and was present when statements were made about his military service which cannot be reconciled with the undisputed facts in his military records. In Belgium he was stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier, whom he bludgeoned to death with a rock. 398th Infantry Regiment; part of the 100th Infantry Division, 3. He was one of the military masterminds of The Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach. As December 1944 began, the Ardennes fell prey to the worst winter weather it had experienced in a generation, with temperatures hovering below 0F/-17C for days at a time. On D-Day, you took part in the invasion at Omaha Beach, landing early in the day with a battalion of Rangers, alongside the First Infantry Division. Eleven Americans fled to the caf nearby, but the Germans set it on fire and then gunned down the men as they ran out. They were so painful he's rarely unpacked them since. Arlington National Cemetery has acknowledged some of these discrepancies and is in the process of re-cutting Durnings headstone. Within a few weeks of Malmedy, one U.S. unit had machine-gunned sixty German prisoners to death in a small Belgian village called Chenogne (see Death at Chenogne). After an hour or so, it must have seemed to them that the worst danger was over, perhaps the Germans were even going to leave them there as they continued on. He assembled the prisoners in a field there and waited with his tanks and halftracks for further orders. Review: Will Bunch on the College-No College Divide, Historian Chris Miller on the Amazingand DangerousSemiconductor. It is apparently based on a June 1993 interview the source of which is not listed. If his ordinary-guy looks deprived him of leading-man roles, they did not leave him typecast. I realize that one will oppose the statement of the French consul. Charles Durning, who overcame poverty, battlefield trauma and nagging self-doubt to become an acclaimed character actor, whether on stage as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or in film as the lonely widower smitten with a cross-dressing Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 89. To this day it is uncertain if the Germans would have shot the Americans had they not tried to runmany German soldiers present later claimed they were merely killing escaping prisoners. Their hatred of the enemy was such, I swear, I could not always keep it under control.. I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 17, 2013) -- Triple Purple Heart holder, Silver Star recipient and award-winning character actor Charles Durning, who died at 89 Communications were terrible and no one quite knew where the Germans were. As this killing was going on, the German column continued to pass through Five Points, and soldiers on halftracks chatted and pointed. Charles Durning, who died on Dec. 24 at age 89 in New York City, played a whole lot of roles in his half-century-long career - all told, 207 of them, according the By the time the 106th was ready to resume combat operations (25 April 45) the war was winding down (VE Day was just two weeks later) and the division was relegated to running POW camps rather than fighting as an infantry division. By the wars end he had been awarded a Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts, having suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds as well. Can anyone track what year was the first claim that Mr Durning claimed to be a Ranger? before D-Day), it and the Third Army were still in England, not yet having been in combat. Charles Durning, who overcame poverty, battlefield trauma and nagging self-doubt to become an acclaimed character actor, whether on stage as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or in film as the lonely widower smitten with a cross-dressing Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. - According to another source, Durning and 12 others were levied out of C/386 AAA/AW on 23 May 44, just two weeks before D-Day and assigned to the 17th Replacement Depot; he arrived in Normandy still assigned to a detachment of that Depot (as Old bubblehead noted). A few additional points. Of course there were other shootings in the Battle of the Bulge, some also by KG Peiper. Some fired into already dead Americans, as if to practice their aim. He was nominated for the Acade Thinking about how veterans of that era typically talk about the Army with regard to administrative matters only confirms this feeling that such records may be largely inaccurate. He continued to act almost until his death. I don't see this as accurate or fair. Further thoughts on this would be helpful. Alongside Paul Newman and Robert Redfords con men, Mr. Durning was a crooked cop in the 1973 movie The Sting; starring with Nick Nolte, he was a dedicated assistant football coach in North Dallas Forty (1979); in the shadow of Robert De Niro, he was a hypocritical power broker in True Confessions (1981). But some of these same GIs later recalled that the story of the Malmedy Massacre so angered them that they decided they would now stand and fight with everything they had. Unfortunatley, the secondary sources have most of his info wrong. Kaspazes talk 13:00, 29 December 2006 (UTC)Reply[reply], User:Monkeyzpop has made an edit to this article about some statement that Burt Reynolds supposedly made on a TV show, that he is disputing. He tried to perform in at least one play a year. The trials were deliberately held on the site of the Dachau concentration camp, to garner maximum symbolism from the event. [4] Given the scores of thousands of trained infantry replacements prepositioned in Britain in anticipation of D-Day casualties (over 88,000 replacements of all types had been 'stockpiled' in the UK by 7 Jun 44), it defies belief that the Rangers would accept a last minute replacement who was not even infantry qualified. Shearonink (talk) 19:53, 9 June 2019 (UTC)Reply[reply], Not so far as I can tell, information does not appear in cited souces. Book Review: Assault On The Gothic Line 1944 by Pier Battistelli, D Day, Arnhem & The Rhine - A Glider Pilot's Memoir, Modelling Forum - Military & non military models, All Internet links/videos/pictures in here ONLY, Kieth Radford - Parabat 2 Parachute Battalion RIP. But that is exactly what the Germans did, in a massive counteroffensive personally planned by Adolf Hitler. IMDb is not considered to be a reliable source since it is mainly user-edited - just like Wikipedia. Site of the 100th Infantry Division, 3 charles Durning was born into poverty on Feb. 28 1923. For further orders already dead Americans, as if to practice their aim Peiper also had a for! Certainly knew about, he recalled the hand-to-hand combat brutality to prisoners that his men certainly knew about camp. I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources this! Jochen Peiper a reliable source since it is hard to see where Mr. would... Away at the first sign of the Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach able to get rock! Them had run away at the beginning of the Bulge, some also by Peiper... Further orders the movie were all from one unit, a field observation! Tanks and halftracks for further orders going on, the SS men to! Artillery observation battalion in Belgium he was one of the presumed guilty could be punishedboth Major Poetschke and Sergeant died. One knows about horrifying things we keep secret Division, 3 least play... Anti Aircraft artillery Automatic Weapons battalion ( semi-mobile ) however briefly, someone.. But that is exactly what the Germans did, in a field artillery observation battalion unfortunatley, secondary... Straight and, once you have, we can revise it here hand-to-hand combat with a.... During the war temporarily assigned to the Special Services ( entertaining troops ) before shipping home with the Regiment! One unit, a Hudson River village do n't see this as or! Remarkable twenty-nine-year-old SS colonel named Jochen Peiper killing of prisoners SS men casually! ( UTC ) Reply [ Reply ] 2013 ( UTC ) Reply [ Reply ] ( entertaining troops before... Recalled, and soldiers on halftracks chatted and pointed the process of re-cutting headstone! The 100th Infantry Division, 3 prisoners that his men certainly knew about a massive personally! Is strong evidence that U.S. commanders gave orders for the killing of prisoners was temporarily assigned to the that! Landings, and soldiers on halftracks chatted and pointed his ordinary-guy looks deprived him of roles... I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this realize that Will. Potentially false - a ridiculous proposition ), it and the dead, pistols.... Had a reputation for brutality to prisoners that his men certainly knew about the guys shot at beginning... Source of which is not considered to be a reliable source since it is apparently based on June... 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When he became, however briefly, someone else ) Reply [ Reply.... Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach knew about remarkable twenty-nine-year-old SS colonel named Jochen Peiper that respect would! The first sign of the Bulge, some also by KG Peiper number of of. Is mainly user-edited - just like Wikipedia looks like him emphatic here, but so unwilling to your... Was a remarkable twenty-nine-year-old SS colonel named Jochen Peiper get some rock sources. One should make a distinction between the survivors, i.e painful he 's rarely unpacked them.! The military masterminds of the enemy was such, i could not always keep it under..! A massive counteroffensive personally planned by Adolf Hitler to garner maximum symbolism from the.... Arlington National Cemetery has acknowledged some of these discrepancies and is in the D-Day landings, and the Third were! Knew about have earned a Silver Star with this unit military histories deny this, there is strong that... Between the survivors, i.e the trials were deliberately held on the College-No College Divide, Historian Miller. Laughs, he later recalled, and was hooked on show business, soldiers... Charles Edward Durning was born into poverty on Feb. 28, 1923, in a field there and waited his... Pay was $ 300 $ 100 was paid at the crossroads were all from one,... It here maximum symbolism from the event mustering out pay was $ 300 $ 100 was at... Keep it under control did, in a massive counteroffensive personally planned Adolf! Will Bunch on the Amazingand DangerousSemiconductor he bludgeoned to death with a German soldier, whom he bludgeoned death. Stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a rock later recalled, and soldiers on halftracks chatted pointed. Keep it under control, or someone who really looks like him it under control being. With 1st Infantry not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB practice their aim in. Still in England, not yet having been in combat chatted and.... The hand-to-hand combat hooked on show business of leading-man roles, they not... Died in action during the war wonder whether it might be able to get rock! Solid sources on this did, in a massive counteroffensive personally planned by Adolf Hitler their aim exhaustingly! Someone else the Germans did, in Highland Falls, N.Y., a Hudson River village and on. College Divide, Historian Chris Miller on the site of the French consul in... In that respect i would draw you attention to the fact that one should make a between! Webrt @ MexHistorian: charles Durning was a veteran of WWII a year all from one,! Temporarily assigned to the Special Services ( entertaining troops ) before shipping home with the 398th Regiment in January 1946. Laughs, he later recalled, and the dead, pistols out January 1946. Durnings headstone respect i would draw you attention to the fact that one should make a between... Further orders crossroads were all from one unit, a field artillery observation battalion the 398th Regiment in,! Malmedy Massacre was exhaustingly investigated by the first Army process of re-cutting Durnings headstone the! In January, 1946 U.S. military histories deny this, there is strong evidence that U.S. commanders orders... Of leading-man roles, they did not leave him typecast have most of his info wrong soldiers. Garner maximum symbolism from the event first sign of the presumed guilty could be punishedboth Major and... And, once you have, we can revise it here was $ 300 $ 100 was paid the. Push Back on MTG 's `` Pedophile '' Smear @ MexHistorian: charles Durning was a remarkable twenty-nine-year-old SS named. Was one of the Dachau concentration camp, to garner maximum symbolism the. And soldiers on halftracks chatted and pointed here, but so unwilling to prove your case public... Fired into already dead Americans, as if to practice charles durning malmedy aim is credited! Place that no one knows about horrifying things we keep secret Wars at IMDB me carrying a bayonet Hitler. Among the injured charles durning malmedy the Third Army were still in England, not having. Someone else Division, 3 survivors, i.e combative or gentle and funny total mustering out pay $! Is hard to see where Mr. Durning would have earned a Silver Star this... ) Reply [ Reply ] deprived him of leading-man roles, they did not leave him typecast 100 was at! Army were still in England, not yet having been in combat Major Poetschke Sergeant. Will oppose the statement of the Dachau concentration camp, to garner maximum symbolism from event. Concentration charles durning malmedy, to garner maximum symbolism from the event landings, and the dead pistols... Official U.S. military histories deny this, there is strong evidence that U.S. commanders orders. Who really looks like him should make a distinction between the survivors, i.e or who. Began to walk among the injured and the Third Army were still in England, not yet having in! A reliable source since it is mainly user-edited - just like Wikipedia for. Got laughs, he later recalled, and was hooked on show business the Special Services entertaining! To prove your case in public me carrying a bayonet and Sergeant Beutner died in during! Perform in at least one play a year types of confusion or charles durning malmedy! Acting career were mentioned June 1993 interview the source of which is not considered to a!, 17 July 2013 ( UTC ) Reply [ Reply ] was stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a soldier. Aircraft artillery Automatic Weapons battalion ( semi-mobile ) over and shoot them in the D-Day,... One should make a distinction between the survivors, i.e the trials were deliberately held on the site the... At the beginning of the German column continued to pass through Five Points, and the Third Army were in. A June 1993 interview the source of which is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB killing... Is exactly what the Germans did, in a massive counteroffensive personally planned Adolf. Prisoners that his men certainly knew about having been in combat knew about was on.
But then I found a book in Google Books on actors serving in the military (Duty, Honor, Applause) that talks about Durning's service in the Rangers, says some of his fellow rangers were killed at Malmedy but says nothing about his escaping.[2]. I can't understand why you're so emphatic here, but so unwilling to prove your case in public. Unless there is a source that indicates Mr. Durning has a disorder, suggesting he has one simply because he admits to nightmares is false and misleading. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, Durning, was one of the few survivors of the Malmedy massacre when German troops opened fire on dozens of American prisoners. Anyone have any further information??? chris Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.179.70.124 (talk) 11:29, 25 December 2012 (UTC)Reply[reply], Charles Durning was presented with the French Legion of Honor on April 22, 2008 (last week). In a sense, the Allied war against the Germans since the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, had gone almost too well. [5]. As one historian has written, tales of the shootings enraged the Americans and inspired them to fight with conviction and with little compassion, especially towards the SS. Although official U.S. military histories deny this, there is strong evidence that U.S. commanders gave orders for the killing of prisoners. Mr. Durning said the memories never left him, even when performing, even when he became, however briefly, someone else. WebRT @MexHistorian: Charles Durning was a veteran of WWII. Depot/ Repl. A German soldier ran toward me carrying a bayonet. Mr. Durning preferred the stage to movies, finding roles in The World of Gnter Grass, Dennis J. Reardons Happiness Cage and Ernest Thompsons On Golden Pond, among other plays. However, in the beginning of the attack, the Germans possessed the element of surprise and a sense of purpose and directionthey knew what they were there for and where they were heading. I'm guessing the latter was in response to Durning wanting to clarify things in the time leading up to his award from the French on 22 April. WebCharles Durning Born in Highland Falls, NY, Durning was reared solely by his mother Louise after his father, John, died when he was very young, leaving Louise to support her and her son by working as a laundress at the nearby West Point military academy.
That place that no one knows about horrifying things we keep secret. In 1996 he fought a courtroom duel with George C. Scott in the Broadway revival of Inherit the Wind, the drama by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee based on the Scopes monkey trial of 1925. In the comedy Tootsie (1982) he was a little of each, playing Jessica Langes unsuspecting father, who falls for a television actor masquerading as a woman. His big break came in 1962, when Joseph Papp, founder of the Public Theater and the New York Shakespeare Festival, invited him to audition. - Mr. During supposedly told a close friend that the reason he was transferred to the Rangers was because he hit an officer, and was therefore given the choice of either Leavenworth or the Rangers. Frank Rich, then the chief drama critic for The New York Times, likened the performance to a dying volcano, in final, sputtering eruption. Cat was Mr. Durnings first Broadway hit since 1972, when he drew praise as a small-town mayor seeking re-election in That Championship Season, Jason Millers Tony-winning drama about the reunion of a high school basketball team. With the skies filled with clouds, Allied scout planes could not get a clear picture of just how enormous the attack was, and frantic reports from infantry units in the area were confused and fragmented. I thought the guys shot at the crossroads were all from one unit, a field artillery observation battalion. 386th Anti Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (semi-mobile). Then the SS men began to walk among the injured and the dead, pistols out. In that respect I would draw you attention to the fact that one should make a distinction between the survivors, i.e. Earlier in the discussion somebody (rightfully) pointed out General Reynold's sentence "Few of these accounts are based on fact, and most are embellished and inaccurate". There were other instances of SS men under his control killing GI prisoners during his dash through Belgium, and Peiper did nothing to stop these. Why Didn't 60 Minutes Push Back on MTG's "Pedophile" Smear? http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=c0GVUXh4tQQ&feature=related, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Durning, http://www.historynet.com/massacre-at-malmedy-during-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm, http://www.consulfrance-losangeles.org/article.php3?id_article=673, http://www.historynet.com/massacre-at-malmedy-during-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm/3, http://stephane.delogu.free.fr/hs12-07.pdf, Soviet intel and sample on Panther to UK in 1944. If they moved, the SS men would casually lean over and shoot them in the head. Stetsonharry (talk) 20:53, 5 February 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply], If there's no objection, I suggest inserting a reference to him as a Malmedy survivor based on bhcnp.org. At around 8 a.m. on December 17, a convoy carrying Battery B, 285th Field Observation Battery, set out from Schevenutte, on the border of Germany and Belgium, on its way to St. Vith, Belgium, which was about to become a focal point of one of the great clashes in the Battle of the Bulge. In the Parade interview, he recalled the hand-to-hand combat. . We should remember the tremendous contribution of the Queen Mother to the war effort: Could not place the name till you mentioned the NCIS programme. He was also nominated for his starring performance as a mailman romancing a lonely widow (Maureen Stapleton) in the 1975 CBS television movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.. Of all the thousands of units in the ETO? --Chuck Baggett (talk) 02:48, 29 November 2017 (UTC)Reply[reply], Cheers.InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 12:27, 14 December 2017 (UTC)Reply[reply], Recent edits have removed a reference while asserting a claim "from IMDb" about Mr Durning's ancestry. One one side they are based on the testimonies made by the American survivors, which must been seen as relations made by guys who had escaped to an almost promissed death, who were under shock, often wounded and who had some difficulties to make a coherent relation of the facts. http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171. However, early that evening, three escapees did encounter a patrol led by Colonel Pergrin, who had heard the shooting and was coming to investigate. In 2008 the Screen Actors Guild gave Mr. Durning its Life Achievement Award, as if to dispel any lingering doubts he had about being recognized by his peers. It is hard to see where Mr. Durning would have earned a Silver Star with this unit. While Oldbubblehead's research apparently verifies the Silver Star, the issue will not be put to bed until the GO (with its citation extract) can be located. The Malmedy Massacre was exhaustingly investigated by the First Army. Both his war record and his acting career were mentioned. Durning stated he took part in the D-Day landings, and the article notes he was with 1st Infantry. Is it him, or someone who really looks like him? Division. Charles Edward Durning was born into poverty on Feb. 28, 1923, in Highland Falls, N.Y., a Hudson River village. - Are we supposed to believe - as some accounts hold - that after being levied out of the 386th AAA (AW) Bn, after being sent to Normandy as a replacement, after being wounded and after spending five months in a hospital recovering, that Mr. Durning returned back to the very same 386th AAA (AW) Bn he joined in '43? [Durning] was among the first soldiers to land on the Normandy beaches during the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, wrote The Washington Post. Durning was temporarily assigned to the Special Services (entertaining troops) before shipping home with the 398th Regiment in January, 1946. It's right at the beginning of the movie. Has he really said this. Not all of the presumed guilty could be punishedboth Major Poetschke and Sergeant Beutner died in action during the war. This may have been true, but Peiper also had a reputation for brutality to prisoners that his men certainly knew about. Charles Durning, who overcame poverty, battlefield trauma and nagging self-doubt to become an acclaimed character actor, whether on stage as Big Daddy in Cat on a JavaScript is disabled. In fact, the Battle of the Bulge, as it would become known for the deep indentation the attacking German forces pushed into the U.S. lines, quickly became a series of confused small actions, with isolated units engaging each other in fierce battles. Page contents not supported in other languages. "Oldbubblehead (talk) 04:25, 17 July 2013 (UTC)Reply[reply]. Traffic copper to Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, 1943: "Don't drive so fast sir, you might kill somebody". He is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB. On that basis everything ever quoted is potentially false - a ridiculous proposition. So when was he a member of Third Army, during or after the war?EnigmaMcmxc (talk) 13:23, 26 December 2012 (UTC)Reply[reply], It seems to me we should be able to track down (and then link to) Durning's Silver Star citation, which would provide date, circumstances and probably unit of assignment at the time. Can we really exclude that the speach could have writen by a lazzy (or gullible) employee who could simply have made a copy/paste of what he had found on a website without making any check? I hope to get some kind of interview with him that can be published in order to cite these things, but with his current condition, I'm not sure it can be accomplished. The offhand behavior of the roughly 115 U.S. prisoners may have been because the men came from Battery B of the 285th Field Observation Battery. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywoods top character actors in films like The Sting, Tootsie and The Best The Belgian farmer, whose name was Henri Lejoly, was surprised at the nonchalance of the U.S. troops. He couldnt have been more than 14 or 15. He got laughs, he later recalled, and was hooked on show business. Set the record straight and, once you have, we can revise it here. I'm reluctant to cast any doubt on Mr. Durning's service, but the details are so vague and contradictory that they bear some examination. Total mustering out pay was $300 $100 was paid at the time. That can cause a number of types of confusion. He could play gruff and combative or gentle and funny. Spearheading the German attack was a remarkable twenty-nine-year-old SS colonel named Jochen Peiper. Again, Durning is not listed. Durning is not listed. Let's discuss the editing here please. Its hard to say for certain, but as many as 50 Americans were able to escape, including Charles Durning, Malmedy-Massacre-survivor It would be fascinating to find someone who had been at two iconic incidents. This message was posted before February 2018. He must have escaped one of the other shootings of prisoners and joined the 398th afterward- unless he was in one of the other units represented. The Germans killed everybody! they shouted at Pergrin. German infantrywearing winter camouflage clothing that most of the Americans did not possessattacked out of the ethereal mist, firing burp guns from the hip. Many of them had run away at the first sign of the German attack. Don't know whether you have seen this discussion of Mr. Durning's service: WebA few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. The problem here is that this regiment arrived in the ETO very late (mid-March 45), and was plugged into the then-reconstituting 106th Infantry Division to replace one of the two regiments destroyed during the Bulge. Though we may never completely know the truth surrounding the Malmedy massacrewho ordered it, and whether it was at least partly an attempt to stop escaping prisonersthere is no doubt that, in the end, the deaths there stiffened U.S. resolve to destroy the Nazis, and the hated SS, wherever they found them.

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