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Lyall, Clarence Odell, MSG USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Orange County
Date of Passing Mar 19, 2012
Wall/Plot Coordinates Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Great Mills, MD
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Clarence Odell Clancy Lyall served with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. This unit would be popularized in the mini-series Band of Brothers based on the book by the same name. Clancy later served in the 82nd Airborne Division in post-war Germany and in 187th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat team The Rakkasans in the Korean War.
He also served in Indochina. Clancy Lyall was born in Orange, Texas. His father, Arthur Edward Lyall, who worked on ships transporting oil from the United States to Scotland, was a Scot. His mother, Beulah, was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian from Oklahoma. His father met his mother on a trip to the US after wanting to see the native peoples in Oklahoma. They married and Beulah eventually moved to Orange Texas to set up a farm. Clancy was raised for a time with his maternal Grandfather on the reservation while the farm was being built. Once the farm was completed Clancy attended a one-room school and worked on his parents' 120 acre farm in Orange until they moved to Pennsylvania in 1939.
In the summers he would also cross the Sabine river to work in Louisiana, earning some money by picking Spanish moss for use as mattress batting. The skills he learned from the Cajuns in how to survive in the swamps would prove useful in his later military career as did the hunting and tracking skills taught to him by his Cherokee grandfather. Clancy also hunted cougar to bring in extra money for the family. World War II Clancy enlisted in the Army in November 1942 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
He received basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida. He then moved to Fort Benning for Paratrooper training. Clancy shipped overseas to England later in 1943 where he was assigned as an instructor for A Stage of the Airborne School at Chilton-Foliat. In March 1944 he was transferred to Headquarters Company, Second Battalion, 506 PIR, heavy weapons platoon. He jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944 as part of the Airborne component of Operation Overlord.
He landed near Sainte-Mère-glise, 23 miles from his intended drop zone and fought with the B company, 508th PIR, 82nd Airborne, for the first few days before making his way back to the 506th. On June 13 he was bayoneted in the stomach while fighting in Carentan, France, and was evacuated to England for recovery. In Shifty Powers' biography, while recounting this incident, Clancy is described as, "a goodhearted farm boy from Texas." In August he was officially transferred to E company, Second Battalion,506th PIR.
A fellow soldier and author of his own World War II experiences, David Kenyon Webster also took note of Clancy and described him as, "very young, likable, and chatty."Webster also recorded their Platoon Sergeant Floyd Talbert's view of Clancy as, "a bright and eager younger brother who....would turn into a great soldier." Introduced with Clancy was Mike Massaconi, who Clancy would call his closest buddy during the war. In September 1944, Clancy jumped in the daring but doomed Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.
He was wounded in the leg in fighting there in October. Clancy recovered from his wound and returned to his unit now located at Mourmelon, France. In December they were moved to the front in Belgium and fought in Bastogne, Belgium into January 1945. During the fighting there he was wounded a third time. It happened on the day after Christmas December 26, 1944. He was wounded in the head. It was bandaged up and he was further treated for his wound in a building. It would be the only time he saw the inside of a building during the entire Bastogne campaign.
He lost a good friend and fellow soldier Donald Hoobler to a tragic accident there. Easy Company, 506 PIR Zell am See, Austria. June, 1945. He took part in the fighting at Hagenau, in Alsace. In Germany they liberated a Nazi concentration camp at Landsberg near Memmingen, Bavaria. It was one of the most difficult moments of the war. Men wept at what they saw in the camps.
He remained with Easy company in Austria through the end of the war. He was among those who took Berchtesgaden and Hitler's Eagle's Nest in the closing days of World War II and was with the 506th in Zell am See. He reenlisted in 1945. He was transferred to the 82nd Airborne in Frankfurt, Germany. He served there through 1948. On January 12, 1946, he marched in the Victory Parade in New York City. He married his first wife Violet that same year.
He was stationed in Germany while the Nuremberg Trials took place. During this time he found and took in a former German paratrooper and his wife. He shared his own living quarters with them. He also provided a stamp book he had found in Berchtesgaden, which listed names of those who joined the Nazi party, to the judges there. In 1949, he received Recondo training, which ultimately included six weeks of Commando training in the UK. Korean War In 1950 Clancy was assigned to the 187th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team.
Serving in the Korean War, he made two combat jumps one at Suk chon in October 1950, and one at Musan-ni in March 1951. The primary purpose of the Suk chon jump was to intercept retreating North Korean forces and free American POWs. Indo-China In March 1954, Clancy saw first hand the unfolding of the siege of the French Foreign Legion in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. He was assigned as an adviser and intelligence gatherer for the French forces positioned there.
He evaded the closing ring of Vit Minh besiegers, escaping a few weeks before the French fortifications fell in May of the same year. Clancy's escape culminated under the cover of darkness with a painfully slow belly crawl across the flood plain which took him down to the banks of the Nam Yum River. The several hundred yard crawl took a few hours to complete. The current of the river carried Lyall silently downstream to his freedom. In 1955, Clancy was reassigned back to E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. Clancy retired from the service in 1959 after an injury from a training jump. He had made four combat jumps in two wars.
Other Comments:
After leaving the service, Clancy initially worked for a carpet firm. He moved to Florida where he worked for Carvel Ice Cream as a marketing director. He remarried in 1971. He eventually moved to Lexington Park, Maryland. Clancy had six children, nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. He continued to be very active in the service to his community and to fellow veterans.
Among numerous positions he held, he was VFW Commander Post 2632, American Legion Vice Commander, Lions Club President, President of Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, and member of Southern Maryland Veterans Advisory Board. In 2005, Clancy was recognized as Native American by a chief of the Cherokee Nation and given the name "Silver Eagle." In 2008, he traveled to Kuwait with several other fellow E/506 veterans in coordination with Valor Studios and the USO to show their appreciation for the US troops serving there.
He died in the morning of March 19, 2012, at age 86 at St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, Maryland. He was buried at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Great Mills, Maryland on March 24, 2012.
Lyall, Clarence Odell
Birth: 1925-10-14 in Orange, Texas Residence: Lexington Park, Maryland Death: Monday, March 19, 2012 Laid to Rest: Saturday, March 24, 2012 in the Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Lexington Park, Maryland
Clarence Odell "Clancy" Lyall, 86 of Lexington Park, MD died March 19, 2012 at St. Mary's Hospital. Born October 14, 1925 in Orange, TX, he was the son of the late Arthur Edward Lyall and Beulah (Mitchell) Lyall.
Clancy is survived by his wife Isabel (Dasilva) Lyall; his children, Wayne Lyall (Gloria) of Round Rock, TX, Linda Fitzgerald (Tommy) of Brooksville, FL, Tonia J. Gibson of Lexington Park, MD, Roy C. Adams of Supply, NC, and Arthur E. Lyall (Julie) of Great Mills, MD; grandchildren, Valerie Lyall, Danielle Gibson, Chelsea Gibson, Cody Gibson, Mason Lyall, Sydney Lyall, Christina Adams, Faith Adams Helms; and great-grandchild Dylan Beaver.
In addition to his parents, Clancy was preceded in death by his son, Ronald Lyall.
Clancy enlisted into the Army in 1942. He was assigned to the Second Battalion, 506 Regiment, 101st. Airborne Division. After fighting in Normandy he was assigned to Easy Company in Aldbourne, England in 1944. In Holland he was involved in the liberation of Eindhoven. On March 15, 1945, the 101st. Airborne Division received the Presidential Unit Citation. This was the first citation given to an entire division. In November 1945, Easy Company, was de-activated, and Clancy was honorably discharged.
Family will receive friends for Clancy's Life Celebration on Friday, March 23, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home, 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. A Memorial Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. with Bishop Joseph Dobson officiating. Interment will be on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Lexington Park, MD.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256. Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, MD.
Clancy enlisted into the Army in 1942. He was assigned to the Second Battalion, 506 Regiment, 101st. Airborne Division. After fighting in Normandy he was assigned to Easy Company in Aldbourne, England in 1944. In Holland he was involved in the liberation of Eindhoven. On March 15, 1945, the 101st. Airborne Division received the Presidential Unit Citation.
This was the first citation given to an entire division. In November 1945, Easy Company, was de-activated, and Clancy was honorably discharged. He re-enlisted and was reassigned to B Company 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd. Airborne Division in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1950 he was assigned to the 187th. Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team. In 1955, he was assigned to E Company, 506th. Para Infantry Regiment, 101st. Airborne Division.
During his military career he made four combat jumps and earned 25 decorations and citations that include the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/3 Bronze Service Stars and a Bronze Arrowhead, American Campaign Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Purple Heart, World War II Victory Medal and Belgian Fourragere. After his military career ended, Clancy was heavily involved in local organizations.
He was the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2632 Commander, American Legion Post 255 Vice President, Lions Club (Ridge) President, President of Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge; and a member of the 40/8's, Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, Fraternal Order of Police and Southern Maryland Veteran's Advisory Board.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Rhineland Campaign (1944-45)/Siege of Bastogne
From Month/Year
December / 1944
To Month/Year
January / 1945
Description The Siege of Bastogne was an engagement in December 1944 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 harbour at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways through eastern Belgium. Because all seven main roads in the Ardennes mountain range converged on the small town of Bastogne, control of its crossroads was vital to the German attack. The siege lasted from December 20–27 when the besieged American forces were relieved by elements of General George Patton's Third Army.
Initial combat at Noville[edit]
On 19–20 December, the 1st Battalion of the 506th PIR was ordered to support Team Desobry (Maj. William R. Desobry), a battalion-sized tank-infantry task force of the 10th Armored Division assigned to defend Noville[7] located north-northeast of both Foy and of Bastogne just 4.36 mi (7.02 km) away. With just four M18 tank destroyers of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion to assist, the paratroopers attacked units of the 2. Panzerdivision, whose mission was to proceed by secondary roads via Monaville (just northwest of Bastogne) to seize a key highway and capture, among other objectives, fuel dumps — for the lack of which the overall German counter-offensive faltered and failed. Worried about the threat to its left flank in Bastogne, it organized a major combined arms attack to seize Noville. Team Desobry's high speed highway journey to reach the blocking position is one of the few documented cases wherein the legendary top speed of the M18 Hellcat (55 mph (89 km/h)) was actually used to get ahead of an enemy force as envisioned by its specifications.
The attack of 1st Battalion and the M18 Hellcat tank destroyers of the 705th TD Battalion together destroyed at least 30 German tanks and inflicted 500-1,000 casualties on the attacking forces in what amounted to a spoiling attack.[citation needed] A Military Channel expert historian[who?] credited the M18 tank destroyers with 24 kills, including several Tiger tanks, and believes that, in part, their ability to "shoot and scoot" at high speed and then reappear elsewhere on the battlefield and therefore appear to be another vehicle entirely played a large part in confusing and slowing the German attack, which subsequently stalled, leaving the Americans in possession of the town overnight. The 3rd Battalion was ordered forward from a reserve position north of Bastogne to ease the pressure on 1st Battalion by occupying a supporting position in Foy to the south.
The heavy losses inflicted by the tank-destroyers induced the German commander into believing the village was being held by a much stronger force[7] and he recoiled from further attacks on the village, committing a strategic error while seeking tactical advantage — significantly delaying the German advance and setting the stage for the Siege of Bastogne just to the south. This delay also gave the 101st Airborne Division enough time to organize defenses around Bastogne. After two days, the 2nd Panzer Division finally continued on its original mission to the Meuse River. As a consequence of its involvement at Bastogne, and its failure to dislodge the airborne forces, the column ultimately ran out of fuel at Celles, where it was destroyed by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division and the British 29th Armoured Brigade.
By the time the 1st Battalion pulled out of Noville on the 20th, the village of Foy half-way to Bastogne center had been captured from the 3rd Battalion by a separate attack, forcing the 1st Battalion to then fight its way through Foy. By the time 1st Battalion made it to the safety of American lines, it had lost 13 officers and 199 enlisted men, out of about 600 troops, and was assigned as the division reserve. Team Desobry lost a quarter of its troops and was reduced to just four medium tanks when it passed through the lines of 3rd Battalion.
Battle
19–23 December 1944
The 101st Airborne formed an all-round perimeter using the 502nd PIR on the northwest shoulder to block the 26th Volksgrenadier, the 506th PIR to block entry from Noville, the 501st PIR defending the eastern approach, and the 327th GIR scattered from Marvie in the southeast to Champs in the west along the southern perimeter, augmented by engineer and artillery units plugging gaps in the line. The division service area to the west of Bastogne had been raided the first night, causing the loss of almost its entire medical company, and numerous service troops were used as infantry to reinforce the thin lines. CCB of the 10th Armored Division, severely weakened by losses to its Team Desobry (Maj. William R. Desobry), Team Cherry (Lt. Col. Henry T. Cherry), and Team O'Hara (Lt. Col. James O'Hara) in delaying the Germans, formed a mobile "fire brigade" of 40 light and medium tanks (including survivors of CCR 9th Armored Division and eight replacement tanks found unassigned in Bastogne).
Three artillery battalions were commandeered and formed a temporary artillery group. Each had twelve 155 mm (6.1 in) howitzers, providing the division with heavy firepower in all directions restricted only by its limited ammunition supply. Col. Roberts, commanding CCB, also rounded up 600+ stragglers from the rout of VIII Corps and formed Team SNAFU as a further stopgap force.
As a result of the powerful American defense to the north and east, XLVII Panzer Corps commander Gen. von Lüttwitz decided to encircle Bastogne and strike from the south and southwest, beginning the night of 20/21 December. German panzer reconnaissance units had initial success, nearly overrunning the American artillery positions southwest of Bastogne before being stopped by a makeshift force. All seven highways leading to Bastogne were cut by German forces by noon of 21 December, and by nightfall the conglomeration of airborne and armored infantry forces were recognized by both sides as being surrounded.
The American soldiers were outnumbered approximately 5-1 and were lacking in cold-weather gear, ammunition, food, medical supplies, and senior leadership (as many senior officers, including the 101st's commander—Major General Maxwell Taylor—were elsewhere). Due to the worst winter weather in memory, the surrounded U.S. forces could not be resupplied by air nor was tactical air support available due to cloudy weather.
However, the two panzer divisions of the XLVII Panzer Corps—after using their mobility to isolate Bastogne, continued their mission towards the Meuse on 22 December, rather than attacking Bastogne with a single large force. They left just one regiment behind to assist the 26th Volksgrenadier Division in capturing the crossroads. The XLVII Panzer Corps probed different points of the southern and western defensive perimeter in echelon, where Bastogne was defended by just a single airborne regiment and support units doubling as infantry. This played into the American advantage of interior lines of communication; the defenders were able to shift artillery fire and move their limited ad hoc armored forces to meet each successive assault.
The 26th VG received one panzergrenadier regiment from the 15th Panzergrenadier Division on Christmas Eve for its main assault the next day. Because it lacked sufficient troops and those of the 26th VG Division were near exhaustion, the XLVII Panzer Corps concentrated its assault on several individual locations on the west side of perimeter in sequence rather than launching one simultaneous attack on all sides. The assault—led by 18 tanks carrying a battalion of infantry—pierced the lines of the 327th's 3rd Battalion (officially, the 1st Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry), and advanced as far as the battalion command post at Hemroulle.
However, the 327th held its original positions and repulsed infantry assaults that followed, capturing 92 Germans. The panzers that had achieved the penetration divided into two columns, one trying to reach Champs from the rear, and were destroyed in detail by two companies of the 1st Battalion 502nd PIR under Lt. Col. Patrick F. Cassidy and four tank destroyers of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
Allied control of Bastogne was a major obstacle to the German armored advance, and the morale of Allied forces elsewhere on the Western Front was boosted by news of the stubborn defense of the besieged town.
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