US awards to Arnhem soldiers?

Doing a bit of research on Cpl Robert C Lambie after coming across a photo at the Airborne Museum recently. He was 7 KOSB, attached to 1st Airlanding Bde HQ and was awarded the Bronze Star. The first time I have come across a US award to British or Canadian troops, can anyone explain the criteria for these awards? Unless I miss the mark, there would have been no support or assistance to American troops from within the Arnhem perimeter. 14 additional Bronze Stars and several other US awards were made to 1st Airborne Division.

Kudos to the Pegasus Archive for info that has allowed me to make a start.

 

klambie,

Apparently there was some kind of co-operative agreement with the U.S. according to this statement from a ParaData page devoted to Sgt James Walton:

"It was for his actions on the perimeter that Sgt Walton was recommended for a Military Medal. However, in a co-operative agreement with the United States, ten British airborne soldiers had their awards substituted for the American Bronze Star."

If you search using "Bronze Star" you will find other examples on ParaData. In the case of Major Michael D. Green it shows both medal citations with the Military Cross one being unendorsed.

http://www.paradata.org.uk/people/michael-d-green

Is Cpl Robert C Lambie a relation by any chance ...

Regards ...

 

Thanks Cee. Curious if this was a unique arrangement or whether it occurred elsewhere when there was no direct support to US troops.

Subsequent research shows no known relation, but the name caught my eye.

 

klambie,

There were U.S. Medals awarded to Airborne men who took part in the jump over the Rhine. However, the greatest concentration of U.S. medals of various kinds went to 1st Airborne members who took part in Arnhem which must have been when it was first instituted. You can see that on the Peg Archive under the awards section for Arnhem as you know. I would be very surprised if this arrangement was restricted to just the British Airborne?? Also I wonder if U.S. service members received equivalent British awards in return?

The impression I get is they just missed on a British Medal and were given a U.S one in recognition of their brave actions. It's a good question and hopefully someone can shed some more light on it.

Regards ...

 

I think that any decoration to a British service man from another Nation had to be matched by an equivalent medal to the country that awarded it .
This was a two way arrangement I believe

 

I have sort of a tangent story. About 30 years ago a co-worker told me that he pulled an ARVN soldier into his helicopter after the man clung to the skid during a medical evacuation. He was in the American Army. He said a short time later he got word that he was being awarded a South Vietnamese medal (I can't remember what it was called) for saving a South Vietnamese soldier and also an invitation to witness him being shot for desertion.

I clearly remember asking him, "You didn't go, did you?"

He said, "Yeah, I had nothing else to do that day. They hit that guy every place but in the head and the heart."
It was pretty startling to me the way he just casually said that while wearing a three-piece suit and eating a sandwich in an office in New Jersey.

 

Dave,

I hate to admit it but your story appealed to the blackest side of my sense of humour. If written down it would no doubt qualify as one of the most unique notifications of award ever. Of course there's always the possibility your c-o-worker may have embroidered the truth just a little ...

South Vietnamese decorations for United States Service Members - Wikipedia

With regard to American Medals awarded to the Arnhem Airborne Geoff has compiled various award lists. The "FOREIGN TO BRITISH" one contains a number of the Arnhem men, but not all.

http://www.********.co.uk/WW2data/WO373-Foreigh%20to%20British.html

 

Is there any chance that US medals were issued to 1st Airborne Division troops as they were part of the 1st Allied Airborne Army?

Cheers

Tom

 

Good evening all,

I have an interest in this subject and can say that I have, somewhere, a document copied from one of the 1 Airborne Division War Diaries that shows how many awards of each award could be awarded ........... also the various 'foreign' governments would offer to decorate a number of officers/men with certain awards.
So if an officer/soldier was recommended for a British award and it didnt get through, it is likely that he might be awarded a foreign award instead if they were available.

There were a number of awards of DSO/MC and MMs that I have discovered awarded to American Airborne troops etc.

If anyone wants/needs me to have a look for anything specific let me know and I will have a look through my records

Regards

Andy

 

Tom,

I never thought of that and it may very well have played a role. The command structure of the Allied Airborne Forces changed significantly in the summer of 1944 on the lead up to Arnhem.

Andy,

I don't need anything personally but your info appears to be exactly the kind of confirmation klambie is looking for.

Thanks guys ...

 

The Bronze Star was awarded for heroic actions by those involved with military operations against an enemy of the United States, under US Army Regulation 600-45. It may be that there was some sort of executive order that stipulated that so many be awarded to British and Canadian Troops so employed.

It was not just awarded to Airborne troops...

You will find the document in Message # 1 of this link interesting: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/51731-sapper-eric-reginald-uzzell-2006257/

Notice the citation is signed by the US Adjutant General on behalf of the Supreme Commander, DD Eiseshower and his Chief of Staff, WB Smith.

Best,

Steve.

 

Not sure if you have the citation but if not here it is

Lambie/Robert Cpl 14211440 7 Kings Own Scottish Borderers LG 14/11/1947

Cpl Lambie was the medical orderly attached to HQ 1 Air Ldg Bde from Sept 19 – 25th during the battle of ARNHEM. His skill, zeal and powers of endurance during this period were second to none. All casualties as they occurred were quietly and efficiently dealt with and no amount of enemy fire prevented Lambie from doing his duty. Under the heaviest enemy fire, he moved around succouring the wounded and supervising their evacuation to the MDS. His devotion to duty and unfailing good humour had a most impressive and steadying effect on his comrades.

Regards

Andy

 

Thanks all for the assistance. It would seem that there was some larger reciprocal agreement that went beyond Market Garden or even the Allied Airborne Army and did not require the action to be in direct support of the other's forces. While some of the citations in the link in Message 11 indicate such direct support, others make it seem unlikely. I suppose you would need to check each of those actions in detail to confirm. Implementation of this would obviously happen at a much higher level HQ, explaining why I have never bumped into this before at the Bn level I usually work at.

 

I just came across this topic and it reminded me of a passage in the book I'm reading now (The Guns at Last Light) by Rick Atkinson. Sorry to be late to the party, but that's what we Americans do as pointed out several times before on this board. Anyway, Atkinson writes that Eisenhower offered an assorted group of American medals to be awarded to British paratroopers after the conclusion of Operation Market Garden. Here's the quote:

The occasion did inspire heroics and displays of combat leadership as stirring as any in modern warfare; Eisenhower offered Montgomery a fistful of American valor decorations to be awarded in the 1st Airborne Division as the field marshal saw fit: ten Distinguished Service Crosses, ten silver Stars, ten Bronze Stars.

There was no mention of a reciprocal effort in awarding British medals to American paratroopers. Hope this helps out.

 

Not WWII, but worth mentioning you sometimes see British Korean War medal groups with a bronze star included, usually for 41 Independent Commando RM who fought with the US Marines.