Germer, Philip.

Germer, Philip, born 29-10-1923, in Trinidad, Las Animas County, Colorado, United States, the son of Melvin Germer and Theodorita “Dora”, born Lucero, Germer and the the grandson of German immigrants who came to America in 1880  Philip attended Trinidad High School.    On 14-09-1942, Philip Germer, the 19 year old boy, went to Pueblo, Colorado and volunteered for the most dangerous jobin the military: jumping out of airplanes into combat. Philip played on the school’s golf team. He graduated in the class of 1941. While at Trinidad High, Philip began dating a beautiful Italian redhead named Esther Dipaolo, who later became his fiancée.  Philip was ordered to report for Paratrooper training in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, where he was then assigned to the Light Machine Gun platoon of Headquarters Company, 3rd battalion, of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment “Easy Compagny” . After training at Camp Toccoa, Philip and the 506th were sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for parachute jump training. This is where Philip made his five qualifying jumps and earned his paratrooper wings. The 506th then moved to Camp Mackall, North Carolina for night jump training. On 01-06-1943 the 506th under command of General Robert Frederick Sink was officially attached to the 101st Airborne Division.Media under comand of General Maxwell Davenport Taylor   On 15-09-1943, one year and five days after he’d volunteered for the paratroops, Philip arrived in Liverpool, England aboard the S.S. Samaria. n November 1955 the SS Samaria completed her last transatlantic crossing and was subsequently sold for scrapping, which was completed in 1956 at Inverkeithing, Scotland.

On 27-05-1944, Philip’s 3rd Battalion of the 506th quietly left their English camp at Ramsbury for the pre-invasion marshaling area at Exeter airfield. Philip’s platoon had the pleasure of meeting General Dwight  “Ike” Eisenhower, as he paid the Airborne paratroopers a special visit, joking with them and wishing them luck. With the black and white paint of the invasion stripes still fresh on his plane’s wings and fuselage , Philip climbed the steps toward the open door.

Death and burial ground of Germer, Philip.

When his C-47 reached the heavily defended coast and came under the violent anti-aircraft fire that lit the night and tossed the plane about in the sky. They were over land now and flying low. The ground fire intensified. When he jumped and his chute opened, it created a bright backdrop in the night sky. As he floated earthward, he was an easy target for the enemysoldiers who fired mercilessly upon him from below. Several days later Philip was found along with so many other unfortunate paratroopers, in a field near Saint-Côme-du-Mont. He was still in his parachute harness. It is likely he was machine gunned to death before he even reached the ground. In 1947 the government began the process of moving the soldiers buried at the temporary cemetery in  Blosville to the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. At this time the Germers were offered the opportunity to repatriate Philip’s remains. Philip’s parents decided to let their son rest alongside the men he served with and loved as brothers. Philip was moved to Colleville in 1949. Plot C Row 28 Grave 30

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