Editing 101st Airborne Division (section)

===== Drop Zone Charlie =====
The second wave, assigned to drop the [[506th Infantry Regiment (United States)|506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR)]] on Drop Zone C {{convert|1|mi}} west of [[Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Manche|Sainte Marie-du-Mont]], was badly dispersed by the clouds, then subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire for {{convert|10|mi}}. Three of the 81&nbsp;C-47s were lost before or during the jump. One, piloted by 1st Lt. Marvin F. Muir of the [[439th Troop Carrier Group]], caught fire. Muir held the aircraft steady while the stick jumped, then died when the plane crashed immediately afterward, for which he was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]. Despite the opposition, the 506th's 1st Battalion<ref name=turner group=notes>Lt. Col. William L. Turner, Colorado. Col. Turner was killed in action the next day.</ref> (the original division reserve) was dropped accurately on DZ C, landing two-thirds of its sticks and regimental commander Col. [[Robert Sink|Robert F. Sink]] on or within a mile of the drop zone.

Most of the 2nd Battalion had jumped too far west, near Sainte-Mère-Église. They eventually assembled near Foucarville at the northern edge of the 101st Airborne's objective area. It fought its way to the hamlet of Le Grand Chemin near the Houdienville causeway by mid-afternoon, but found that the [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Division]] had already seized the exit hours before. The 3rd Battalion of the [[501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States)|501st PIR]], led by Lt. Col. [[Julian Ewell|Julian J. Ewell]] (3/501), also assigned to jump onto DZ C, was more scattered, but took over the mission of securing the exits. An ad hoc [[company (military unit)|company]]-sized team that included division commander Maj. Gen. [[Maxwell D. Taylor]] reached the Pouppeville exit at 06:00.<ref name="utahii">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.history.army.mil/BOOKS/WWII/utah/utah2.htm |url=https://www.history.army.mil/BOOKS/WWII/utah/utah.htm |id=CMH Pub 100-12 |series=American Forces in Action |title=Utah Beach to Cherbourg |chapter=The Airborne Assault |date=1990 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |access-date=5 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916101848/http://www.history.army.mil/BOOKS/WWII/utah/utah2.htm |archive-date=16 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After a six-hour house-clearing battle with elements of the German 1058th Grenadier Regiment, the group secured the exit shortly before 4th Division troops arrived to link up.