Paratrooper stuck on church bell tower
Based on a true story or no?
shareI have not reread the book (which was nonfiction, based on historical facts and often eyewitness accounts) for quite some years by now. The botched paratrooper drop right in the center of the town leading to many of them being killed was in the book and so definitely a true story. I don't remember any particular paratrooper being identified or mentioned being stuck on a church tower causing him to go deaf. Thus the Red Buttons character was perhaps a dramatization.
shareNo: he was a real person, Private John M Steele. There is a statue of him and his parachute dangling from the tower of the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise to this day (you can Google-image it). Of course the character was fictionalised and I think the detail of being deafened by the bells was made up; but the guy really was there dangling helplessly for hours during the battle.
shareTrue story. Just visited St. Mere Eglise and the statue remains. He was deafened (at least temporarily) by the constant ringing of the bells during the fire suppression activity. After escaping he regained some of his hearing while recovering in England and eventually returned to combat, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
shareNo: he was a real person, Private John M Steele. There is a statue of him and his parachute dangling from the tower of the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise to this day (you can Google-image it). Of course the character was fictionalised and I think the detail of being deafened by the bells was made up; but the guy really was there dangling helplessly for hours during the battle.
shareYep, can confirm. There are a few streets in Sainte-Mere-Eglise which are named after American servicemen. There's even a restaurant named after Steele called "Auberge John Steele". It gets excellent reviews. I kid you not.
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