During the turbulent years of World War II, countless acts of bravery were performed by soldiers whose stories often fade into history. However, some stories stand out, etched into the collective memory due to their extraordinary nature.
One such story is that of John Steele, an American paratrooper whose experience during the D-Day invasion turned him into a legendary figure.
John Steele: 16054501
John Steele, of Irish descent, was the son of John Steele, a freight boat pilot on the Ohio River, and Joséphine, a homemaker. The Steeles had seven children in total, and John was the eldest. He dreamed of becoming a hairdresser. In 1941, his destiny changed, as it did for hundreds of thousands of Americans. The United States entered the war, and its young men were sent to fight on land, at sea, and in the air. John Steele became a paratrooper at the age of 29.
In the spring of 1943, John Steele discovered North Africa as part of the 82nd Airborne Division. He jumped in Sicily and Italy. But the strategy for liberating Europe involved Normandy, under the code name: Overlord. Steele would be part of it.
The D-Day Invasion and John Steele
On the night of June 5, 1944, with the offensive imminent, freedom would also come from the skies. Among the 13,000 paratroopers aboard the famous C-47s was John Steele, a soldier in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division.
The plan was for him and his comrades to drop behind enemy lines to secure key positions and disrupt German defenses before the main invasion force landed on the Normandy beaches.
However, the operation did not go as planned. Strong winds blew many paratroopers off course, scattering them across the region.
Steele, instead of landing in a strategic zone, was mistakenly dropped into the heart of the small town of Sainte-Mère-Église, which was in chaos, with buildings burning and German soldiers fiercely defending the area. Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in history, was underway, and the sands of the nearby beaches were beginning to turn red with blood as Allied amphibious forces unfolded to liberate Nazi-occupied France.
The Famous Incident at the Church Tower
In an unexpected twist of fate, John Steele’s parachute got caught on the town’s church tower.
Dangling helplessly, he remained there for over two hours, a conspicuous target for the enemy soldiers below. Pretending to be dead, Steele stayed motionless—a tactic that likely saved his life.
Eventually, he was captured by German troops but managed to escape and later rejoins his unit.
This dramatic episode was immortalized in Cornelius Ryan’s book *The Longest Day* and its 1962 film adaptation, in which actor Red Buttons portrayed Steele. The image of Steele hanging from the church tower has become an enduring symbol of the bravery and unpredictability of the D-Day invasion.
The Birth of a Legend
The town of Sainte-Mère-Église embraced the story of John Steele, and it quickly became part of the local folklore.
To this day, a mannequin dressed as a paratrooper hangs from the church tower, commemorating Steele’s ordeal and serving as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by Allied soldiers. Steele has become a symbolic figure not just for the town, but also for the collective memory of D-Day, representing the courage and tragedy that marked that historic night.
The Final Account of a Hero
As for John Steele, he returned to Sainte-Mère-Église as a hero in 1964, following the release of the film The Longest Day, which helped to immortalize his experience. In the United States, Steele embraced the notoriety, fully leveraging his veteran status.
He participated in events and interviews, sharing his D-Day memories with the public. In May 1969, at the Fayetteville Veterans Hospital, Steele recounted his D-Day experience for the last time to the local newspaper, *Observer*, with a cigarette in hand. He vividly remembered the church tower and the fierce battles around the church, emphasizing that he had an “eagle’s eye view” of the place. Philippe Broussard, writing in L’Express on June 5, 2014, highlighted this final interview as a testament to the tenacity and emotional impact of his experience.
John Steele passed away in 1969, leaving behind a story marked by bravery and the horrors of war. His memory lives on in Sainte-Mère-Église and in the hearts of all who remember the sacrifices of Allied soldiers. Steele’s legacy serves as a powerful symbol of the realities of war and the human resilience in the face of suffering.