Brannen, Malcolm Dodge.

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Brannen, Malcolm Dodge.
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Brannen, Malcolm Dodge, born 14-10-1910 in Athol, Massachusetts, His father, James Eugene Brannen, was 39 and his mother, Minnie Warren Dodge, was 33. Malcom was married with Esther Louise “Sunny” Davis Brannen, who died age 82, on 15-04-2003. Born in Brunson, she was a daughter of the late William Calvin and Louise Caroline Chitty Davis, She attended Lander College and was a homemaker. Mrs. Brannen was a member of Buncombe Street United Methodist Church. Surviving are two daughters, Carol Tate, and her husband, SSG Bill Tate (Ret.), of Easley, and Jean D. Brannen, of Greenville; five grandchildren, TSGT Eric M. Tate, Mike Tate, SFC Mark Tate, Rob Seigler and SSGT Christopher Humphreys; and nine great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a granddaughter, Joya Tate Humphreys; two sisters; and one brother. Malcom was a lieutenant colonel in the US Army with the 82nd Airborne Division ” All-American under command of Major General Matthew Bunker Ridgway “Old Iron Tits”. . He became known for the fact that he killed the first German General, Wilhelm Falley and his adjutant Major Joachim Bartuzat    , during Operation Overlord  during Mission Boston. Brannan told about the meeting with Generalleutnant Wilhelm Falley.   I parachuted into Normandy with the 82nd Airborne Division  in the early hours of June 6th, 1944 and landed in a tree,  from which I hung for an hour, while men passed on a nearby road. I did not know if the boot steps were those of friends or German Soldiers.

After cutting myself loose from my harness, I crawled through the fields until I found three other parachutist, as Jack W Schelge   now 91 years old, who was the last man to jump from his stick over Normandy on the night of 5/6 June 1944,  and a Lieutenant. When dawn eventually arrived we knocked on the door of a French house

and asked the farmer for directions. At that very moment a German staff car approached. I jumped into the road and ordered the car to stop.

The car started to speed up and refused to stop, so the paratroopers opened fire. The car veered and smashed into the farm house.  The German officer was thrown into the road unhurt. The driver jumped out unhurt and crawled into the cellar window of the farm house. I walked to the German officer who shouted, “DON’T KILL, DON’T KILL!”. At the same time his hand began to move towards his Luger Pistol.  I called out “STOP, STOP!”  When the German officer’s hand touched the Luger, I shot him dead. I inspected the dead German officer. He was dressed in field-grey German officer’s uniform with the General officer ivy insignia that we had been taught to recognise. Inside the officers hat was the name Generalleutnant Wilhelm Falley. By killing this General I was told that I played a large part in disrupting the German defenses in the area. The casualties of the 82nd Airborne Division  during their European campaign  Total battle casualties 9.073, killed in action 1.619, wounded in battle 6.560, missing in action 279 and prisoner of war 615. 

Death and burial ground of Brannen, Malcolm Dodge.

 

After the war he became manager of the hospital store in the hospital of Greenville. Malcom Dodge Brannen died age 88, on 10-03-1999 in.Hendersonville, NC and was buried first in Greenville, SC (grave marker shown). In 2009, his daughters had their parents moved to Arlington as their dad always wanted. Now is buried, with his wife Esther “Sunny” who died 15-04-2001, age 80, on the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, Plot: Section: 59, Site: 3852.

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  1. Jean Dodge Brannen

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    LTC Malcolm Dodge Brannen of this article did NOT die in NY. He died in Hendersonville, NC and was buried first in Greenville, SC (grave marker shown). In 2009, his daughters had their parents moved to Arlington as their dad always wanted.

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