Professor Shines Light on Normandy’s Lost Paratroopers

05.31.2024

Staff Sgt. Rene E. Rabe (right) is shown on March 24, 1945, just before embarking on a combat jump over the Rhine River into Germany. He and Staff Sgt. Stephen Liberty (middle) were saved by the Rigault family in Graignes, Normandy, during the Allied invasion of Western Europe in 1944.

Since his retirement from The University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Stephen Rabe, professor emeritus of history, has dedicated his time to telling the story of his father, Staff Sgt. Rene E. Rabe, a paratrooper of the legendary 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

By the end of his deployment, Rabe’s father had made 22 jumps, including two in combat: one into Normandy on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of Western Europe and one into Germany on March 24, 1945, during Operation Varsity, which remains the largest airborne operation conducted on a single day in one location. He also received four Bronze Stars and three battlefield promotions, earned two Purple Hearts, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

The respect he had with his fellow paratroopers would pass through generations, aiding his son when he wrote to the paratroopers’ relatives asking for letters and memoirs to complete what would become his book The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village.

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Rabe recently discussed his book, which was one of Cambridge University Press’ top sellers last year, and the importance of highlighting some of the lesser-known stories of World War II.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: My father was a charismatic person in his military unit. Officers constantly promoted him because they understood that the paratroopers would follow him into extreme danger. From Normandy to Berlin, he made one of the most epic journeys in human history, given the critical importance of defeating Nazi Germany.

Q: Were there stories you uncovered that surprised you while writing the book?

A: Most paratroopers did not like to jump out of “perfectly good airplanes.” Many of them were petrified when they jumped. It was very dangerous to jump out of C-47s. Even during practice jumps, men died. So why did soldiers volunteer to be paratroopers? The money — $125 a month was the equivalent pay of a midlevel British officer. The paratroopers were children of the Great Depression. They wanted to help themselves and their families.

Q: Why do these stories still resonate with us 80 years later?

A: People like to read about and view media on the war because the issues seemed clear-cut. A great evil was defeated. Since WWII, U.S. involvement in conflicts seems more problematic.

Another key factor is that many of the stories have not yet been told. Much of the early writing on WWII focused on elites: [Franklin] Roosevelt, [Winston] Churchill, Generals [Dwight] Eisenhower, [George] Patton, [Omar] Bradley, etc., but ordinary people, including women, won the war. Historians have now focused on telling their stories.

Q: Tell me about your personal connection (your dad) to World War II.

A: I knew about the story that is the genesis of this book for more than six decades. I was destined to become a historian based on my experiences with my father. Early memories include sitting on my father’s lap while he smoked and read the newspaper. He would rub his face and show me a fleck of shrapnel that worked its way to the surface. I actually have the medical aid station report describing the medical treatment he received.

Q: Tell me why D-Day and subsequent academic studies are still important for us to understand.

A: Dr. Jeff Engel [founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University] noted that D-Day probably represented the greatest organized human activity since the Egyptians built the Pyramids.

A handful of paratroopers had a bird’s-eye view of what was happening. They saw 5,000 ships heading to Normandy from England and “sheets of steel” in the sky. One paratrooper thought he could walk forever just moving from the tip of one plane’s wing to another because there were so many planes in the sky. They were awestruck by what they were seeing.

Q: D-Day is often referred to as the greatest military operation in history, but your book focuses on some of the lesser-known experiences, including those of people who assisted and rescued lost paratroopers. What takeaways do you hope readers will have?

A: The significant contributions of nonelite people are too often left out of history. Hopefully, my book demonstrates that in the days surrounding D-Day, nonelites played a leading role in contributing toward Allied victory.

The story of the village of Graignes, Normandy, is a tale of resistance, courage and solidarity. It shows that ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things – more specifically, women are capable of doing extraordinary things. Women are the lead characters in The Lost Paratroopers. The paratroopers that the villagers saved from certain execution at the hands of the Waffen-SS would be involved in freeing thousands of Eastern slave laborers in the Rhineland area.

Q: Do you have any new projects on the horizon?

A: The book has become quite popular, so I will be busy in the near future. Many reviewers have mentioned that the book should be transformed into a movie. I am hopeful.

Genice, my wife, and I plan to continue our philanthropic work, especially in higher education. Finally, we will focus on our grandchildren, Emma and Ethan. Without the courage of the villagers of Graignes, Emma and Ethan’s great-grandfather (my father) would have perished, and they, their mother and I would not have come into being.