Zane Schlemmer 508th PIR 82nd Airborne D-Day and beyond

[Salvage Sailor]

 

To my neighbor from his friends in his home town of Kaneohe, Hawaii

 

To my friend, WWII paratrooper, Zane Schlemmer, 82nd AB 508 PIR, who took his last jump last night....I thank you for your unselfish and unwavering energy commemorating your fallen comrades in Europe and Hawaii since WWII....Your spirit will live long in generations to come, especially in St Mere Eglise...It was truly an honor to know you...Many will be talking about you on the 70th D-Day Anniv...and you will be with many of us in spirit during the commemorations...You inspired me with your stories..One day we will meet again...ALL THE WAY..HOME....RIP, SHAKA ZANE...ALOHA.

 

Zane Schlemmer, HQ Co, 2nd Bn, 508th PIR

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112832-zane-schlemmer-hq-co-2nd-bn-508th-pir/

[General Apathy]

Hi Salvage sailor, many thanks for adding the passing of Zane Schlemmer 508 PIR to the Taps section here on the forum

 

I looked out for Zane this year in Normandy and was surprised not to have seen him or to hear of his being here.

 

It was a great pleasure to have met him on what may well have been his last visit here, I shall treasure that meeting and the photographs that I had taken stood with him, both on my front door-step and beside the street sign bearing his name where he landed in Chef du Pont 6th June 1944

 

happy landing Zane, God be with you.

 

ken

[Gennaker]

A special service will be held at the monument that bears his name in Picauville in Normandy on sunday afternoon.

[Sabrejet]

R.I.P. soldier.

[Jack's Son]

God's speed, R.I.P.

[General Apathy]

Zane Schlemmer, HQ Co, 2nd Bn, 508th PIR, Normandy June 2011

 

[RustyCanteen]

RIP.

 

Ken, Thank you for the photo. You can see the pride in his face.

 

RC

[1canpara]

I just wanted to add this photo of Mr. Schlemmer and I taken in St mere Eglise in 2009. He was very engaging to talk to with a great sense of humor. He asked me what part of Canada I was from, and I told him "Vancouver Island, on the west coast" and he laughed and said, "I've been fishing in Campbell River, in fact I got a couple of girlfriends there!"

 

It was an honor to have met him.

 

RIP Zane.

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Zane Schlemmer in Holland wearing his jump jacket, June 1977

[Salvage Sailor]

Zane Schlemmer (WIA) and Paul Winger (KIA)

 

Zane Schlemmer (on left) showing off his uniform during World War II.

To his right is Paul Winger who was also from North Canton, Ohio.

Pauls wife worked at the Hoover plant with Zanes father Raymond Schlemmer.

Paul was killed in action the same day Zane was wounded in the fight for hill 131.

Zane saw Paul killed and wondered how he was going to tell Pauls wife

 

 

Bois de Limors to Hill 131 Normandy, France July 3, 1944

By D. Zane Schlemmer

508th Parachute Infantry Regiment

http://www.508pir.org/pdf_files/bois_de_limors.pdf

 

[Salvage Sailor]

By then, my arm was starting to ache and pain, so I made my way down to the front of a

house in a hamlet called “l'Auvrairie,” where one of my mortar sections was moving

forward and I gave my replacement my binoculars, map, and other needed equipment.

While I sat there, someone took my picture with my wounded arm and I had a morphine

syringe between my lips heating it up for injection in my arm for the pain.

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Tech Sergeant D. Zane Schlemmer autobiography http://508pir.org/pdf_files/bio_schlemmer_zane.pdf

Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal with oak leaf cluster, Parachute Wings with two

bronze stars, Combat Infantry Badge, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal,

National Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa Campaign

Medal with arrowhead and four bronze battle stars, WWII Victory Medal, WWII

Occupation Medal, French Fourragere, Belgian Fourragere, and the Militaire Willems

Orde Degree of Knight from Holland.

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

THE FRENCH RABBIT THAT HELPED WIN THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY

by D. Zane Schlemmer

http://508pir.org/pdf_files/french_rebbit.pdf

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Christmas Memories

By D. Zane Schlemmer

December 24th, 1944 Battle of the Bulge

http://508pir.org/pdf_files/christmas_memories.pdf

 

 

Photo: March 1945 Sissone, France Tent City. There are 18 men in this picture.

These are all that is left from the original Headquarters Company 2nd Btn. 508 PIR of the 82nd airborne.

There were originally 206 men that made up the company

Zane Schlemmer is front row end on right

 

[644td]

I am sorry for the lose. I know he was a great man and dear friend to so many.

 

Marty

[Salvage Sailor]

From the Department of Defense website

 

 

Veteran U.S. Army paratrooper Zane Schlemmer wears his original jump boots as he walks down the main street of Sainte Mere Eglise with other World War II veterans during a parade commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, June 5, 2011. Schlemmer was a U.S. Army sergeant assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division when he jumped into northern France on D-Day. French citizens applaud as he parades past, joined by current 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers and soldiers from other U.S. Army units.

[1canpara]

In 2009 I was honoured to have had a chance to meet and chat with Zane Schlemmer in St Mere Eglise. What an amazing man! 
 

[Hermanus]

RIP Sergeant.

[Salvage Sailor]

From my library, Zane's well travelled guide books which he used on his post-war trips to the battlefields of France and Holland

 

 

 

Well worn from his carrying this guide across the Normandy countryside.  The maps and text inside are in primo condition.  Although the cover is beat, up, you can tell that he took care not to mar the excellent fold out maps within.

 

 

The Inscription Reads:  TSgt. D. Zane Schlemmer, HQ. Co. - 2nd Btn., 508th, Parachute Inf. Regt. 82nd Airborne Division

 

 

Ubbergen Municipality in the Front Line (Nijmegen) Margot van Boldrik

 

 

Photos he taped inside of where he landed and fought during Market-Garden

 

 

 

Inscribed by the Burgomaster, 1981

 

 

Personally dedicated by the Author in 1981

This special copy is for my very dear friends Zane and Ida Schlemmer, former Hdq. Co. 2nd Batt. 508 Parachute Inf. Margot

 

 

Another book dedicated by the author with Photos of Driessen and Schlemmer in 1977 during the "Bridge Too Far" release aftermath.

 

 

 

 

The town and windmills of Groesbeekse were completely destroyed in the fighting.

 

 

The book was signed again in 2009 by Driessen.  Also in the book was his 1944-2009 65th Anniversary program

 

 

65th Anniversary Operation Market Garden ceremony General Gavin Monument Groesbeek

 

 

 

There ya go.....

 

 

Zane at home in Kaneohe

 

Zane Schlemmer was honored in 2009 by then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama for his D-Day actions after he parachuted into Normandy, France.

[General Apathy]

1 hour ago, Salvage Sailor said:

From my library, Zane's well travelled guide books which he used on his post-war trips to the battlefields of France and Holland

 

 

 

Well worn from his carrying this guide across the Normandy countryside.  The maps and text inside are in primo condition.  Although the cover is beat, up, you can tell that he took care not to mar the excellent fold out maps within.

 

 

The Inscription Reads:  TSgt. D. Zane Schlemmer, HQ. Co. - 2nd Btn., 508th, Parachute Inf. Regt. 82nd Airborne Divisio

 

There ya go.....

 

 

Zane at home in Kaneohe

 

Zane Schlemmer was honored in 2009 by then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama for his D-Day actions after he parachuted into Normandy, France.

.

Hi Salvage Sailor,

 

Thanks for bringing memories of Zane back to the top again, I just re-read the thread and annotated the same photograph that I first posted in 2011, post #6, looking at the photograph I suddenly thought of the bullet strikes to the side of my front door when the 508th captured my village, my house was some sort of German billet or such.

 

.

 

 

regards lewis.

 

..

[Hermanus]

Thanks for showing the books. Very poignant.

It shows that, even till today, my country still honors and remembers the veterans who participated in Ops. Market Garden, 1944.  

 

As the British so truly state: At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

 

Herman