Harry Welsh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since June 2006. (help, talk)
Harry F. Welsh
27 September 1918 - 21 January 1995
Nickname Welshy
Place of birth Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Years of service 1942-1945
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
Commands Platoon Leader and Executive Officer
Awards - Bronze Star
- Purple Heart
- Presidential Unit Citation (2OLC)
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
- Army of Occupation of Germany and Japan Medal
- Combat Infantryman Badge
- France Liberation Medal
Other work Tax Collector
Director of Pupils, and teacher in the Wilkes-Barre high school disctrict

Harry F. Welsh (27 September 1918 - 21 January 1995) was a US Army officer best known as a First Lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division.

Contents

[edit] Pre-War

Welsh came from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and enlisted in the paratroopers in 1942. He was assigned to Fort Benning with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment as part of the 82nd Airborne Division. While an enlisted man, Welsh was reportedly made a Sergeant and then "busted" to private three times for fighting. One of his commanding officers saw his potential and recommended him for Officer Candidate School.

[edit] World War II

Welsh jumped into Normandy on D-Day and didn't find Easy until the next morning, shortly before Easy was tasked with taking Carentan. When he joined the rest of his company, he was placed in charge of 1st platoon after Richard Winters took charge of the company.

On June 12 he led the platoon on a direct assault into Carentan. He was pinned down until the rest of Easy Company moved into the town. After taking the town, Welsh led the Company against a German counterattack south of Omaha Beach. His platoon held the line with Easy Company. It was a ferocious experience in hedgerow fighting. During the battle, Welsh ran into the open field with an enlisted soldier and took out a German tank with a bazooka. Elements of the 2nd Armored Division arrived in force and drove the remaining Germans off.

After holding the line for another month, with the rest with the 101st Airborne Division, Welsh and the rest of Easy Company were relieved by Infantry divisions and shipped to England for refitting and replacements. He became Executive Officer of Easy Company.

Welsh dropped into Holland for Operation Market Garden, and remained there for the duration of the operation. After the failure of the operation, Welsh and the rest of Easy Company returned to Mourmelon-Le Grand, France to await the next assignment.

On December 16, 1944, German armored divisions broke through American lines in the Ardennes Forest. By this point, Welsh had been re-assigned to Headquarters Company of 2nd Battalion[1]. The Division was assigned to defend the town of Bastogne. During this battle, Welsh was severely wounded on Christmas Day. Welsh was awarded two Bronze Stars for valor during his combat action.

[edit] After the War

Welsh returned home and married his awaiting lover Catherine "Kitty" Grogan, and Catherine used Welsh's reserve chute to make her wedding dress. They had one son, Kevin, who predeceased Welsh.

Welsh spent time after the war at different jobs including a teacher at Wilkes-Barre area schools, a tax collector for Luzerne County, and finally became a director of pupils for the Wilkes-Barre area, he retired in 1983.

Welsh died of heart failure on 21 January 1995, and oddly enough on his good friend Richard Winters' 77th birthday. His wife Catherine died three years later in 1998.

[edit] References

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../h/a/r/Harry_Welsh_77c2.html"