True American Hero
Second Lieutenant Turnbull joined the 505th
November of 1942. Foreword ahead to March 1943 as
the 82nd Airborne Division was prepping
to go to Africa. They left at the end of April and
set up shop at Oujda, Morocco, Africa. It was a
brutal place to train. Most of the training was at
night due to the oppressive heat.
Second Lieutenant Turnbull was promoted to First
Lieutenant just before they went into Sicily. The
505th jumped into Sicily, Italy just
after midnight 10 July 1943. For the next few
months between Sicily and their jump into Salerno,
Italy the 505th was busy.
After the Italian Campaign the
82nd (minus the 504th) left
Naples for Ireland then England preparing for what
would become the Normandy Campaign.
First Lieutenant Turnbull
jumped with the 3rd Platoon Company D
early in the morning of 6 June 1944. Most of the
505th landed in their Drop Zone O
northwest of Sainte-Mère-Église. The 505th
took Sainte-Mère-Église a few hours later.
Lieutenant Turnbull 3rd Platoon was sent
north to Neuville-au-Plain. They set up just
north of town. The German 1058 Regiment of the 91st
Airlanding Division (Gren.-Regt. 1058 91. Luftlande-Inf.-Div.)
came south from the Montebourg area attempting to
re-take Sainte-Mère-Église.
The 3rd Platoon of
Company D of the 505th stopped them long
enough for Sainte-Mère-Église to firm up their
defenses. The 3rd Platoon eventually
moved back to Sainte-Mère-Église. Accounts from
that day are here.
The next day 7 June the 1058th Regiment
came very close to retaking Sainte-Mère-Église.
During the fierce fighting that day Lieutenant
Turnbull was killed.
Company D 505th did
on 6 June kept the German’s from going further south
towards Sainte-Mère-Église. 3rd Platoon,
True American Heroes All.
Brian Siddall
November 26, 2025
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