Alex BANKO

 

banko alex
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER13112433
AGE23 yo
DATE OF BIRTH2 december 1921
STATEPENNSYLVANIA
FAMILYSingle
RANKPrivate First Class
FONCTIONParatrooper
JOB before ENLISTEMENTSemiskilled occupations in mechanical treatment of metalsPA
DATE of ENLISTEMENT24 august 1942 Philadelphia PENNSYLVANIA
COMPANYCompany Headquarters
BATTALION3rd Battalion
REGIMENT501st Parachute Infantry Regiment
DIVISION101st Airborne Division
DATE OF DEATH6 june 1944banko alex tombe
STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATH--
CEMETERY TEMPORARY

CEMETERY TEMPORARY of  blosville N°3508

blosville

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

CEMETERYNORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY de Colleville

Plan du Normandy American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
D311
DECORATION
Purple HeartPhoto FDLM
us army div 101  501pir
STORY

Alex was born in Pennsylvania, Northampton; He attended a Grammar School and then worked as a metalworker.

Single, Alex decides to join the US Army in August 1942 in Philadelphia. He joined the airborne troops and the 501st P.I.R. Activated on 15 November 1942.

It is at Camp Toccoa that Alex finds this unit where he will participate in his first phase of training that will last until March 1943.

Camp  Toccoa                                                                                                   Fort Benning
Camp Toccoa Fort benning

Then it is the transfer to Fort Benning to qualify the paratroopers.

The regiment is operational and is assigned to the Airborne Command, Alex and his brothers in arms join Camp Mc Kall in North Carolina. He participated in major maneuvers in Tennessee and Louisiana until early January 1944.

On January 19th, the regiment embarked aboard the USS George Goethals at Camp Myles near Boston.

USAT Georges GOETHALS

The 501st docked in Scotland on 30 January and then took the train to Great Britain for their camp in West Berkshire.

Then it is the arrival for the 3rd battalion in Lambourn, more exactly to the north to Upper Lambourn. The troops are housed in old horse blocks (Lambourn being a race horse capital) as well as Nissen huts and officers mostly in private homes.

Upper Lambourn

 

The division participates in several exercises including Beaver at the end of March and Exercise Tiger at the end of April, and then on May 10 the Exercise Eagle, which lasts until 12, is the last great rehearsal with this night jump restoring The conditions for D-DAY.

For this Day D The mission of the third battalion is to be a battalion reserve and to provide security to the Divisional Headquarters. Its jump zone is different from that of the second and third battalions.

Drop Zone C

Alex's battalion as well as the Division's Headquarters must jump on the DZ C west of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

 

In the last days of May, the men began to head towards the aerodromes.

For the third battalion it is the Welford Park aerodrome which is located at short distance from Lambourn.

Airfield Welford Park

 

It is the 435th TCG that will transport the troops.        airborne troop carrier

 

Alex is in Serial 13 of the Albany Mission.

The C-47 will take Alex and his brothers in arms to Normandy, for Alex the story will stop this June 6 ...


INFORMATION & PICTURE SOURCEBruno CADEVILLE - Findagrave.com - Aad.archives.gov - Frédéric LAVERNHE - Livres : Last stop before destiny de Matthew Pellett et Rendez vous with destiny de Arthur Norwood.
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
TRADUCTIONBruno CADEVILLE
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