Schaeffer, Charles H.

Description

Charles Harrison Schaeffer

Charles Harrison Schaeffer was born on June 29, 1916, in Christiansburg, Virginia, to Mary Johnston Graham, age 23, and Charles Harrison Schaeffer. He had two sisters and one brother
Burns Allen Schaeffer and in Rye the family lived on Overdale Road.

Before the war he was working in NYC for Surpless, Dunn & Co.. Charles enlisted and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Charles served as a captain in the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

The 101st Airborne Division (“Screaming Eagles”) was a pivotal U.S. Army unit in World War II, famous for its parachute and glider assaults during crucial operations like D-Day (Normandy), Operation Market Garden (Netherlands), and the defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, where they famously held out against German forces, refusing to surrender. Activated in 1942, they earned their legendary status by executing high-risk missions, capturing key objectives, liberating areas, and culminating their service by seizing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, fulfilling their “rendezvous with destiny”.

The 327th Glider Infantry Regiment in WWII : Unlike the paratrooper regiments of the 101st, soldiers of the 327th were transported into combat via Waco CG-4A gliders, which were towed by planes and then released behind enemy lines. The landings were often hazardous, with high casualty rates in some operations.

For their heroic and stubborn defense during the Siege of Bastogne in late 1944, the regiment earned the famous nickname “Bastogne Bulldogs”.
Major Operations included Normandy (D-Day): The majority of the regiment landed by sea on D+1 (June 7, 1944) at Utah Beach due to a shortage of aircraft for glider towing, although some elements did land on D-Day itself. They played a crucial role in securing the beachhead and the push to link up with forces from Omaha Beach near Carentan.

Operation Market Garden: In September 1944, they participated in the airborne invasion of the Netherlands, enduring heavy fighting and an intense German artillery barrage near Opheusden.

Battle of the Bulge (Bastogne): The 327th held a critical sector of the perimeter during the German siege, successfully repelling numerous assaults by German Panzer divisions and preventing the enemy from breaking through the American lines.

Charles stayed in the Army after the war retiring in 1953. He died on February 9, 1956, in New York City, New York, at the age of 39, and was buried in his hometown, Christiansburg, Virginia.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary J. Schaeffer, New York: Burns A. Schaeffer, Hendersonville.
N.C:. two sisters, Mrs. T. Allen Phillips Sr., Laurel, Del.: Mrs. Russell O.
Ellis. New York.