Don Pratt
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Brigadier General Don Forrester Pratt (July 12, 1892 – June 6, 1944) was a
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
officer. He was the assistant division commander (ADC) of the 101st Airborne Division and was the highest-ranking Allied officer killed on D-Day.


Biography


Early life

Born in Brookfield, Missouri, Pratt graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1917. He received his commission as a second lieutenant after enlisting in the army during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in August 1917.Don F. Pratt
-
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
. - Retrieved: 2008-06-08
From 1932 to 1936, he served as adjutant, 15th Infantry Regiment, in Tientsin,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Next he was an instructor, for the infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1937 until 1941. Upon the United States entry into
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was named chief-of-staff, 43rd Infantry Division, 1941-1942. His next assignment, in August 1942, was as the deputy commander, for the newly formed 101st Airborne Division, at the rank of brigadier general. Pratt was named the assistant division commander on September 15, 1943, under Major General William C. Lee. Stationed near the town of Newbury,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, on February 9, 1944, Lee suffered a major heart attack. Pratt thought that he would be chosen to succeed Lee, but Maxwell D. Taylor, then 82nd Airborne artillery commander, was given command of the 101st Airborne.


Invasion of Normandy

For the American airborne landings as part of the Invasion of Normandy, General Pratt, originally assigned to command the division
train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
and reserve troops of the 101st to be landed by sea, received permission to land with a force of CG-4A Waco gliders assigned to Mission Chicago, the first American glider assault during the invasion.Eckert, David. -
Waco Drawings
- Tribute to the American Combat Glider Pilots of World War II. - (c/o www.pointvista.com). - Retrieved: 2008-06-08
Pratt flew as a passenger (along with his aide 1st Lt. Lee John May) in the lead glider, a quickly substituted CG-4A with a bolt-on Griswold nose protection device painted to represent ''The Fighting Falcon''. The original "Fighting Falcon" was moved to position #45 in the flight serial. It was a CG-4A paid for by War Bond funds raised by Greenville, Michigan students who intended to raise the $17,000 cost of one glider, but ended up raising over $72,000. Piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Mike Murphy, senior glider pilot of IX Troop Carrier Command, and Second Lieutenant John M. Butler, the #1 glider came down into its designated landing zone, LZ "E", west of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont,
Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...
,
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, between 0345 and 0400 hours on June 6, 1944. The Waco glider landed successfully but when Lieutenant Colonel Murphy applied the brakes, the wet tall grass caused the glider to skid without significant slowing, and it overran the landing zone, crashing into a hedgerow line of poplar trees. Lieutenant Colonel Murphy suffered severe injuries with both legs broken, one a compound fracture. A tree limb impaled through the co-pilot side of the cockpit, killing Butler. Pratt, sitting in the Jeep, died from a cervical fracture of the spine, resulting from whiplash. The Jeep was not chained but was tied down with nylon rope, and did not break loose. Lieutenant May was riding on the jump seat behind the Jeep and survived the crash. Pratt was first buried, wrapped in a
parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
, in Normandy until the end of the war, then re-interred at
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
(Section 11) July 26, 1948. He was succeeded by Gerald J. Higgins, making Higgins the youngest general officer in the Ground Forces during World War II.


Fictionalization

The incident was fictionalized as a scene in the film '' Saving Private Ryan'', with Pratt becoming Brigadier General Amend.Saving Private Ryan: Brigadier General Amend
- Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia. - Retrieved: 2008-06-08


References

*Neillands, Robert, and Roderick de Normann, (2004). - ''D-Day 1944 - Voices from Normandy''. - New York, New York: Cold Spring Press. - *Norberg, John, (2003). - ''Wings of Their Dreams: Purdue in Flight''. - West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. - pp. 159–160. -


Footnotes


External links



at
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum
at Fort Campbell,
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Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Don 1892 births 1944 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Brookfield, Missouri United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II Military personnel from Missouri United States Army Infantry Branch personnel University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni