User:Habap/Raff

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From Ridgway's Paratroopers by Clay Blair

pg 194-195 "A new candidate for parachute regimental commander appeared on the scene one day: Edson Raff, former commander of the independent 509th battalion, now a full colonel and, thanks in part to his own book We Jumped to Fight, a paratrooper celeberity.

"Since departing North Africa, Raff had had a hard time finding a niche that suited him. Previously, in the States, both Ridgway and Lee had declined to take Raff as a regimental commander, but Lee had agreed to use him as an "advance man" to find billeting for the 101st Division in England. Thereafter, Raff had gravitated to an airborne planning job on Omar Bradley's staff in London. Raff, dissatisfied in his staff position, even volunteered to go into Normandy as a 'spare' colonel in a regular infantry division. Hearing this, Bradley resolved the problem by literally forcing Raff on Ridgway. (footnoted by Blair "Ltr. Raff to author 7/17/84, enclosing part of a draft of a book ms (hereafter, Raff ms).")

"When Raff reported to the 82nd Division, he met a frosty reception. Ridgway, Raff recalled, 'had no use for me at all.' For his part, Raff found Ridgway to be a 'conceited, self-centered, narcissistic man' and a 'disgrace to the airborne,' whom Raff 'could never loyally serve.' He thought Ridgway's staff were amateurs (peacetime 'schoolteachers and reserve officers') and 'sycophants who loved to praise Ridgway.'

"Raff still hungered for a regimental command and hoped he might get the 505, since he was senior to Bill Ekman. But Ridgway would not then give Raff the 505 or any other regiment. Instead, he assigned Raff a less glamorous (for a famous airborne colonel) D-day task. Raff would command a special sea-landed armored 'task force' composed of 21 Sherman medium tanks, two armored cars and 90 gliderists from the 325. This task force would land at Utah Beach and 'break through' overland to the 82nd Division, to provide it with added firepower."