Joseph Lesniewski
Encyclopedia
Private Joseph A. Lesniewski (born August 29, 1920) is a former soldier
with Easy Company
, 2nd Battalion
, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
, in the 101st Airborne Division
during World War II
. Lesniewski was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Simon Schatzberger
. He is one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/ Berkley-Caliber.
, to Joseph and Ciechaka Lesniwski. He graduated in 1939 from Erie Technological High School. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps
and then worked on machinery for General Electric
. Joe enlisted and joined the Army Air Force on October 28, 1942. He tested and was accepted into the Cadet School to become a pilot. In August 1943, Lesniewski volunteered for the Airborne
.
. Because he was fluent in Polish
, he was sent to work with the Office of Strategic Services
. His mission was to jump into Nazi-occupied Warsaw
. The Russians
overran the area and the jump was canceled. Joseph was given the option of staying with his unit or being transferred to any other unit. He requested the 101st Airborne
. Joseph Lesniewski joined E Company in March 1944.
Lesniewski fought in Battle of Normandy
, Operation Market Garden
, and the Battle of the Bulge
.
Lesniewski jumped at approximately 0100 hours on June 6, 1944 in Normandy
. He landed near the town of Sainte-Mère-Église
along with fellow E Company paratrooper Ed Joint. After several days, Lesniewski linked up with the rest of his unit and began the assault on Carentan
.
During Operation Market Garden, Lesniewski was sent out on a patrol near a dike along with Art Youman, Joseph Liebgott, James Alley, and Roderick Strohl. After climbing to the top of the dike, Lesniewski came face-to-face with a German prepared to hurl a potato masher
at him and his unit. Joe warned his comrades of the live grenade
, saving many of the men in his squad, though he was lightly wounded in the neck by shrapnel from the grenade blast. Lesniewski began lobbing grenades over the dike toward the enemy soldiers. It turned out they encountered an entire company of German SS
.
During the Battle of Bastogne
, Easy Company was under constant artillery
barrages from the Germans. During one of the shellings, Joe took cover in a shallow foxhole. A shell came in and landed about 2 foot (0.6096 m) in front of Lesniewski. The shell was a dud. Lesniewski tied a handkerchief to a stick and stuck it in the ground where the shell was to warn of the danger.
. He is one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain
: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/ Berkley-Caliber.
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
with Easy Company
E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is one of the most well-known companies in the United States Army. Their experiences in World War II are the subject of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers based on the book...
, 2nd Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 506th Infantry Regiment is a unit assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. During World War II, the unit was designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment ....
, in the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Lesniewski was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Simon Schatzberger
Simon Schatzberger
Simon Schatzberger is an English television actor of Jewish origin. He has appeared on several television programmes in both guest roles and starring roles, including Your Mother Wouldn't Like It, Press Gang, Audrey and Friends, Comin' Atcha!, Band of Brothers, Black Books, Doctors and The Cottage...
. He is one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/ Berkley-Caliber.
Youth
Lesniewski was born in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, to Joseph and Ciechaka Lesniwski. He graduated in 1939 from Erie Technological High School. He was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
and then worked on machinery for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. Joe enlisted and joined the Army Air Force on October 28, 1942. He tested and was accepted into the Cadet School to become a pilot. In August 1943, Lesniewski volunteered for the Airborne
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
.
Military service
Lesniewski completed Airborne Infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Afterward, he was shipped to Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Because he was fluent in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, he was sent to work with the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
. His mission was to jump into Nazi-occupied Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. The Russians
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
overran the area and the jump was canceled. Joseph was given the option of staying with his unit or being transferred to any other unit. He requested the 101st Airborne
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
. Joseph Lesniewski joined E Company in March 1944.
Lesniewski fought in Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, and the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
.
Lesniewski jumped at approximately 0100 hours on June 6, 1944 in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. He landed near the town of Sainte-Mère-Église
Sainte-Mère-Église
Sainte-Mère-Église is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Founded in the eleventh Century, the earliest records include the name Sancte Marie Ecclesia, Latin for "Church of St. Mary", while a later document written in Norman-French mentions Saincte...
along with fellow E Company paratrooper Ed Joint. After several days, Lesniewski linked up with the rest of his unit and began the assault on Carentan
Carentan
Carentan is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France near the port city of Cherbourg-Octeville. Carentan has a population somewhat over 6,000 and is now administratively organized as a commune in the Manche department...
.
During Operation Market Garden, Lesniewski was sent out on a patrol near a dike along with Art Youman, Joseph Liebgott, James Alley, and Roderick Strohl. After climbing to the top of the dike, Lesniewski came face-to-face with a German prepared to hurl a potato masher
Model 24 grenade
The Model 24 Stielhandgranate was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War I until the end of World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to its being called a "stick grenade", or a "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily...
at him and his unit. Joe warned his comrades of the live grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
, saving many of the men in his squad, though he was lightly wounded in the neck by shrapnel from the grenade blast. Lesniewski began lobbing grenades over the dike toward the enemy soldiers. It turned out they encountered an entire company of German SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
.
During the Battle of Bastogne
Battle of Bastogne
The Siege of Bastogne was an engagement between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power...
, Easy Company was under constant artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
barrages from the Germans. During one of the shellings, Joe took cover in a shallow foxhole. A shell came in and landed about 2 foot (0.6096 m) in front of Lesniewski. The shell was a dud. Lesniewski tied a handkerchief to a stick and stuck it in the ground where the shell was to warn of the danger.
Later years
Lesniewski went to work for the United States Post Office as a mail carrierMail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
. He is one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain
We Who Are Alive and Remain
We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers is a military non-fiction book published in 2009 by Penguin/Berkley-Caliber publishers. Journalist Marcus Brotherton is credited with the book's authorship. Brotherton also co-wrote Call of Duty with Lt...
: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/ Berkley-Caliber.