Sgt Elmer Wayne Swartz

Sgt Elmer W. Swartz werd geboren op 3 juni 1924 in Woodville, Ohio als zoon van Clarence en Ethel Swartz.
Elmer studeerde af in 1942 aan de Woodville High School.
Hij diende bij het 504th parachute infantery regiment, 82nd Airborne Division als Sergeant in C company.
Elmer ontving tijdens zijn dienstjaren het ETO-lint met vijf gevechtssterren en een pijlpunt, Parachute Badge, Combat Infantrymen Badge, Bronze Star for Valor, WWII Victory Medal, Belgische Bouragerre, Nederlandse Orange Lanyard en Good Conduct Medal met een distinguished unit badge.
Swartz vocht mee in alle campagnes waar 504th aan deelnam. Hij overleed in 2011 op 87 jarige leeftijd.
In het boek "Those Devils in Baggy Pants" wordt Elmer “Destiny’s Tot” genoemd. 

 
“….  Lt. Toland recruited half a dozen volunteers to go out into the fog with him to see if some excitement could be stirred up. Sheraton, a lad we called "Destiny's Tot," Winters, the Master Termite and I went with him.

We slipped down a draw and slithered up some terraces which extended down under the north side of 687. We lay down along a terraced terrain behind the Krauthead defenses. I was posted as a rear guard to keep a lookout for encircling maneuvers.

The fog lifted, leaving us completely exposed in the middle of the enemy lines. It was a tense moment until another wave of fog covered us up again. Visibility was about ten yards. The boys rose up for a look, just in front of the Master Termite was a pillbox and standing on it with a rock in his hands was a storm trooper ambitiously engaged in building it a little higher.

In front of Winters, a soldier was shaking the water off a shelter half, and another was sitting on a rock smoking.
Just then the pillbox builder saw the Termite looking at him with his rifle lowered on his middle. The bearded-faced and glittering-eyed Master shot him in the stomach.

He swayed a second on the pillbox, then toppled on the ground where he lay jerking his legs until he died. Winters pinged second and Sheraton shot the third one through the heart.

A machine gun started to pour a leaden hail over the terrace. We got the hell out back to the huts late enough to miss an artillery barrage directed at them ….



(text from the book “Those Devils in baggy pants”) …. “


















Thanks to the Swartz family for providing the pictures
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