Albert Blithe (1923-1967)

[101Currahee506]

Hi everyone,

I'm releasing a book about MSG Albert Blithe's life beyond the Band of Brothers series=

Albert Blithe had a fulfilled military career. Born in a modest family, he enrolled no later than 1942. He jumped over Normandy and again in Holland in 1944. Wounded, he was sent back to the U.S. but added contracts with the army until he was striken by sickness at the early age of 44. Beyond the Band of Brothers series, discover the hidden face of an American hero.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Albert-Bl ... 77?sk=info

take it Easy,
Kevin

[Mooch]

Albert Blithe did not jump into Holland. He was SWA in Normandy and never returned to E/506.

[101Currahee506]

hi there,

I have two evidence that Blithe DID jump over Holland=

first, here's blithe's affidavit, see that he jumped in Holland in September=


second, the following picture shows him wearing the Dutch lanyard around left shoulder, this means that HE was part of operation market garden in Sepetmberof 1944 (the pix was taken in 1958)=


original documents don't and can't lie... Human being's memories fade with time and it's getting more messy with the fact that veterans are "wrong" in a certain way. For example, many of them thought that Blithe had been hit in the neck which is false, then they thought blithe didn't survive his wounds for he didn't attend any other 101st annual reunion after 1946 but this was because of his military career that brought him to Korea, Taiwan and Germany after WW2.

take care

[Ronald]

Hmmm, very interesting indeed. Can anyone shed any more light on that?

[Mooch]

I have the E Company rosters for 12 and 27 Sept. Blithe appears on neither. He also does not appear on the 506th PIR Arrowhead Award roster for Market-Garden.

After he was SWA in Normandy, he was returned ZOI and never returned to Easy. Not sure about the Dutch lanyard, but many guys wore them as a unit award vice personal one. That would explain why he wore it.

I can't see the docs you have posted because of web filters on this pc.

But I'll quote you, original documents don't and can't lie (which by the way, if you had any experience with the American military, you'd understand how ridiculous that statement is).

Bill Guarnere and Joe Lesniewski told me that when Blithe was shot in the shoulder and evac'ed, he never returned to Easy Company. That is why the mini-series got it wrong. The men all believed he had DOW because he never came back.

Say what you want, but there is no humanly way possible for Albert to have recovered from his wounding in time to return to Easy in time for Holland. Joe Lesniewski told me that the hole in Albert's shoulder was big enough to put your fist in and that the shoulder blade was shattered. It would be physically impossible for him to recover in a two month period to make the jump into Holland.

You are making a lot of assupmtions that have no basis in reality.

Lastly, take a look at Peter van der Waal's website. He did a bang up job writing about Albert's career.
http://members.chello.nl/~p.vandewal/bl ... engels.htm

[Ronald]

Thanks for your input, Mooch.

[padraigmc]

Interesting stuff indeed.

Quick question on the dates at the end of that document detailing the jumps, any idea what is going on with the dates ? they appear to have been typed over something else ?

And, as has been pointed out by a friend who viewed them as well, the date of the last listed jump is 6 days after the letter was written ? Was it normal in the US army for a formal legal document like this to have additional information added to it ?

[101Currahee506]

Mooch, i'll ask you a bit of respect...

you should know that Guarnere said that he had attended Blithe's funeral in 1948, he said as well that Blithe was shot in the neck... so did MANY E Co vets... that are facts man. Now i have a picture of Blithe on which you can clearly see his neck, and he has NO scar.

everybody, experts and so on, has now agreed to say that Ambrose's band of brothers has mistakes, the same mistakes that appear in the band of brother tv series because it used interviews with the veterans, but how could it be true if the veterans themselves were "wrong" somehow?

at that time, you wouldn't wear a lanyard if you hadn't taken part in the operation as opposed to modern US Army's habits, so, whether you like it or not, Blithe took part in operation market garden...how do you explain the affidavit then? These two pictures do exist and you should take them into account, rosters, you might know, are not exhaustive...you gotta admit that, and they were not updated in time...everybody will tell you that...

i personnally am in the military and i'm a scholar for the university and my job is to rely on historical documents and analyze them, not to rely on interviews done after 60 years...

Now you think what you want man...

[Mooch]

Lesniewski was the first man on the scene after Blithe was shot. He told me it was the shoulder. Hell, I'm not arguing with you about the shoulder vs the neck.

In the US military, there are such things as unit awards, like a Distinguished Unit Citation...like the ones the 101st received for Normandy and Bastogne.

whether you like it or not, Blithe took part in operation market garden...how do you explain the affidavit then?

ahahahah like it or not...whatever you say. Take a look at the affidavit...the date of the last jump cited is AFTER the date the paper is signed...there's something not right about it...plus it took place in the 50's.

The rosters I have are unaltered and correct. Major Winters kept meticulous records...but go ahead and question his intergrity. But they were assembled while the operation was taking place.

Do what you want. Put out incorrect information. The official 506th documentation states that he did not serve in Holland. Pat Christenson who was a machine gunner, squad leader and later platoon sergeant in 1st Platoon kept precise records and Blithe does not show up in the 1st Platoon roster after Normandy. Major Winters said he didn't serve there. I keep in touch with Gordon and I would never bother him with this but it's obvious you did not put in enough research on this. But what the hell, everyone thinks they are an expert on E Company these days...I'm done here. Too many experts for me to bother anymore...

PS I hope you are giving all the proceeds from the sales to the Blithe family. It's the least you could do.

[101Currahee506]

i'm not giving the Blithe family the earnings for i'm not making any from the sellings of the book. I gave Gordon a copy and so i did to his sister.

I put a low cost on this book on purpose for it's the actual cost of the copy. As i said to Gordon, I'm in the military and i'm not eager to make money out of telling the life of such a man who fought and died while on duty - i'm not saying at war huh. I'm no E Co expert man, i never said so and never will.

anyway, you got your own point of view and i thank you for that and i got mine, no need to make endless debates...it's not my intent

take care

[padraigmc]

E15 or USD20 isn't cheap by any standards ! With the costs of getting a publisher involved, never mind the actual printing surely it would have been better to publish your findings on the internet where it would be available to anyone worldwide at little or no cost ?

But to get back to the dates for those jumps, have you any thoughts about the issues around the typing on that letter and why final jump date is after the date of the letter ?

[Mooch]

This whole episode is another reason why I rarely post here anymore. Too many people without direct knowledge making assumptions and ridiculous statements.

If anyone else has a wild hair up their a$$ and is thinking about writing an E/506-related book, do yourself and everyone else a favor and don't do it. Most people aren't diligent enough in researching these things properly and end up make a ton of factual errors.

A good writer will research all avenues before putting pen to paper. This includes personal documents, unit documents, pictures, interviewing witnesses or fellow service members, etc...just looking through the personal papers of a single individual is insufficient and truthfully does a disservice to the person in question. In war and in life, the viewpoint of a single individual is too narrow to take at face value. When you apply that view along with the views of those they served with and include the unit/official documentation, you end up having a more holistic view and by extension, a more accurate view. If you can't or won't do that, then you are taking the lazy way out and dishonoring the individual you are writing about.

But hell, what do I know...I'm obviously not smart enough about Easy Company to counter all the experts out there...

[kniezone]

"To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and its inevitable ambiguity."

- Roy P. Basler

[csnow]

Lastly, take a look at Peter van der Waal's website. He did a bang up job writing about Albert's career.
http://members.chello.nl/~p.vandewal/bl ... engels.htm

Great website by Peter...I concur, he did a great job!

Chris~

[Connie]

Joe, I have no doubt that you have more knowledge about Easy Company in your little finger than the rest of us have in in our brains. You could probably write your own book; but I can't imagine how you would have the time.
Connie