The D-Day Paratrooper Stranded on a Church Steeple

The unforgettable story of an 82nd All-American paratrooper who found himself stranded on a church steeple during Operation Overlord.

Liberators Arriving by Parachute

A key component of the Allied invasion of France in 1944 included dropping paratroopers behind the Atlantic Wall. Once on the ground, the paratroopers were to secure bridges and prevent any German reinforcements from reaching the beach.

Not every paratrooper landed where they intended. In fact, most didn't. But one American's landing spot was truly unbelievable - and it lives on in the town's memory to this day.

When the Allies launched Operation Overlord, the weather was less than perfect. Winds scattered paratroopers all over. Few men made their drop zones. One of those men was Private John Steele. 

Steele and the 82nd All-Americans

Born in Illinois, Steele was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division - specifically the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. His jump in support of D-Day was not his first.

Steele had logged combat jumps in Sicily and along the Italian Peninsula. They all had been successful, and as far as paratrooping in World War II went, uneventful. His D-Day jump wouldn’t be uneventful.

Steele and 12,000 other paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division leapt into the dark over occupied France. But like many of them, his trajectory took him off course.

Stuck in Sainte-Mere-Eglise

In the early morning hours of D-Day, Steele never made it to the ground. Over the small French town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Steele and his battalion had mistakenly dropped into the town. 

Below them, townspeople and German soldiers had filled the town square. As a part of the invasion, Allied forces had dropped an incendiary bomb on the town. The church bell rang to alert an emergency. They now scrambled to put out the fire.

With German soldiers on alert in the town center, the descending paratroopers were easy targets. Many were killed as they approached the ground. Those who survived likely died shortly upon landing in the town. But not Private Steele. 

Though Private Steele never made it to the ground, he survived. His parachute had caught on the town church’s steeple. Hanging there against the church, Steele realized he’d lost his knife. Unable to cut himself down, his next best option, play dead. 

For two hours Steele pretended to be dead. As he hung there, he watched fighting go on below. Americans and Germans both mistook him for dead.

A passing group of Germans saw him hanging there and wanted to search his body for intelligence. Only then did they realize that Private Steele was still alive. They quickly took him down from the steeple and took him prisoner.

Only a few hours later, the 3rd Battalion stormed Sainte-Mere-Eglise. With under 50 Germans posted to defend the town, they were no match for the Allies. Steele was freed and joined the fight.

The Liberation of France Had Begun

Sainte-Mere-Eglise was considered the first town in Europe to be liberated by the Allies. Tanks and additional forces poured in. The invading Allies made their way from the Normandy beachhead inland. 

Private Steele would live through the war. Five years before he passed, in 1964, Steele was invited back to the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. He was made an honorary citizen. He quipped that he ‘was excited to see the church and the town from the ground up.’

Remembering the Liberators

Today, if you visit the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise you’ll see amazing tributes to Private Steele and the Allies. Hanging from the church steeple is a parachute with a mannequin. It commemorates Private Steele’s unusual landing place. 

Within the church, as with many churches, there is a stained glass window featuring the Virgin Mary. Except, in this stained glass window the Virgin Mary is surrounded by falling paratroopers. A testament to the region’s ongoing gratitude to their liberators. 

History for the Hurried:

November 24, 1874: Joseph Glidden patented his invention of barbed wire.

November 25, 1783: At the end of the Revolutionary War, the last British troops left New York City. We nearly wound up back in battle with them over timber.

November 26, 1789: George Washington proclaims America’s first holiday to be Thanksgiving Day. It is meant to be a day of prayer and public thanksgiving in gratitude for the successful establishment of the new American republic.