Unsung Heroes of World War II—Battles and People You've (Probably) Never Heard Of, Part I

The World War II Battle of La Fière

Introduction

When we think of World War II, certain images come to mind: storming the beaches of Normandy, the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, or Churchill’s defiant voice echoing across a war-weary Britain. These are the stories etched into monuments and textbooks. And deservedly so, because these were acts of intense heroism, blood loss, and courage.

But beyond the headlines and Hollywood epics, the war was shaped by quieter, lesser-known acts of courage with no less heroism, blood loss, and courage—small units, forgotten causeways, and unlikely soldiers that made a difference when the stakes were highest.

This post is the first in a series about those moments. We'll put the spotlight on largely unknown elements of World War II (except by you history buffs out there), ones where bridges were held against all odds, where roadblocks stalled elite enemy forces, and where intelligence won battles without firing a shot.

They may not be in your history class, but they should be.

First up: the Battle of La Fière.

I. A Causeway in World War II—Where and Why?

June 6, 1944. This day should be familiar to most: D-Day, the beginning of the end of World War II. Beaches stormed by a combination of forces primarily from Canada, the US, France, and Great Britain. However, just inland from the chaos of the beaches lies a narrow stone bridge and a flooded French countryside.

The bridge was known as La Fière, and the roads surrounding the countryside had been flooded by the Germans to create obstacles for an Allied invasion.

More importantly, the La Fière causeway led to Ste.-Mère-Église, a key French town under German occupation and a prime target of airborne troops during D-Day.

Before the first soldier ever set foot on the beaches of Normandy, thousands of airborne troops had already been dropped behind enemy lines in the dead of night. Most were scattered far and wide due to German anti-aircraft fire, but thankfully, the men tasked with taking La Fière—the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Company A, led by Lieutenant John J. "Red" Dolan—hit their marks.

He later recalled:

“We hit our drop zone right on the nose, because within twenty minutes to one-half hour, I knew our exact location." —Nordyke, Phil. Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II (pp. 169-170).

The La Fière causeway—along with Chef-du-Pont further south—had to be held by the 505th to prevent German forces from reinforcing Ste.-Mère-Église. But how did these men hold that thin stretch of wood and stone against German tanks and infantry?

II. The Battle—Of Heroes and Bazookas

The terrain was wet and reeking, the causeway a kill zone, and the cost staggering. Germans assaulted the causeway with captured French tanks and hundreds of infantry, but the men of the 505th—along with stragglers picked up from other Airborne units—held them at bay for three days.

Of particular note: a pair of two-man bazooka teams that continued to fight despite the barrage of enemy small arms fire and shots from tanks, even dashing from their dug-in cover and rushing through the open firefight to retrieve more ammunition.

Their names?

• Private Marcus Heim, Jr.

• Private First Class Lenold Peterson

• Private First Class John Bolderson

• Private Gordon Pryne

Lieutenant Dolan would comment on their bravery and, to some extent, the sheer luck that kept them alive:

“To this day, I’ll never be able to explain why all four of them were not killed." —Nordyke, Phil. Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II (p. 176).

Even Private Heim himself saw divine intervention behind their survival:

Why we were not injured or killed only the good Lord knows.” —Nordyke, Phil. Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II (p. 176).

Despite mortar fire, hundreds of infantry, and French tanks, the men of the 505th kept the German army from crossing. The stand at La Fière blocked reinforcements and helped secure the Allies' tenuous grip on Normandy. Without that bridge, without those men, Ste.-Mère-Église might have fallen, and D-Day might have unraveled.

III. In Conclusion

It wasn’t a victory of grand strategy. It was a victory of grit, blood, and brotherhood—won by ordinary men who refused to let go of a bridge no one remembers by name.