William H. Nation
William H. Nation | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Bill" |
| Born | 1919 |
| Died | January 31, 1945 (aged 25–26) Lanzerath, Belgium |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | .svg){kind=small} United States |
| Branch |  U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1941—1945 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Service number | 0-1287569 |
| Unit | 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |  Bronze Star Medal (2) Purple Heart |
Captain William H. Nation (1919 – January 31, 1945)[1][2][3] was an officer of the United States 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment[3][4] (serial 0-1287569).[3]
Military career[edit]
Nation was from Arlington, Texas.[3] He was drafted into the United States Army in January 1941 and entered paratrooper training. He became a qualified parachutist on August 14, 1942. Nation was one of the founding officers of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on June 22, 1943.[3][5]
Nation was billeted at Wollaton Park, Nottinghamshire, England in World War II and shot color 8 mm cine footage of life there as well as in Nottingham[4] and Derby.[6]
Nation jumped on D-Day in the same paratrooper group ("stick") as 508th Regimental Commander, Col. Roy E. Lindquist.[3][4][5] He jumped at 0214 hours on June 6, 1944, landing in the Merderet River floodplain.[3][5] Additionally, Nation jumped into the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden on September 17, 1944.[3][4][5]
Nation was killed in action on January 31, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge, when an 88 mm German shell hit the building he was in while setting up a forward command post in the Lanzerath-Losheim area in Belgium.[3][4][5] He was 26 years old.[5]
William H. Nation was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Purple Heart.[4][1] He is buried in Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium,[3][4] at Plot D Row 10 Grave 49.[1]
Legacy[edit]
Nation's collected war-time letters were published in 1996: Letters from Captain William H. Nation : 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army : January 1941 – January 1945.[7]
The book The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Les Diables Rouges by Dominique Francois was dedicated to him in 2001.[8]
On June 4, 2004, Nation was covered by NBC's Today Show as part of the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day.[9]
Awards and decorations[edit]
 |
|
| Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster | Purple Heart |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Captain William H. Nation". Family and Friends of The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ "The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Trooper Pictures". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Lamberty, Eddy (August 15, 2005). "William H". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "BBC - Nottingham - History - Nottingham in 1944". BBC. October 29, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "William H. Nation". Family and Friends of The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ "BBC - Darby - Features - Darby 1944". BBC. October 28, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ Nation, William H. (1996). Nation, Bill C., ed. Letters from Captain William H. Nation : 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army : January 1941 – January 1945. Wichita Falls, Texas: B. C. Nation. Search this book on
- ↑ Francois, Dominique (2001). The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment – Les Diables Rouges. OCLC 71190015. Search this book on
- ↑ Nation, Bill C. (August 2004). "News From The 508 August 2004". Family and Friends of The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
External links[edit]
- Regimental Association
- Captain Nation's equipment list memorandum[dead link]
- Interview with Bill Nation Jr., Nation's nephew
Nation's 8mm films[edit]
At the BBC[edit]
Stills at 508pir.org[edit]
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