Rolland Baribeau

He was the son of François Xavier and Germaine Baribeau. François Xavier was born in October 1876 in Québec. Germaine Edwige was born in June 1885 in Québec. They married in May 1902.

Roland had four brothers, Primat born in 1904, Roméo born in 1906, Barthélémé born in November 1908, Marcel born in 1909, and one sister, Thérèse born in 1912. They were all native from French Canada.

Germaine and her two younger kids Roland and Thérèse moved to Springfield in the 1920s where they made their home. Marcel, Barthélémé, and Roméo later joined them.

Roland attended Trade High School. He lived on Osgood Street and Worthington Street.

He met Helen and married her in 1938. They had two sons, Roland Jr born in July 1938 and William born in 1942. They lived on Jefferson Street and Grosvenor Street. He worked as a messenger in 1937, a salesman for a retail clothing store in 1940 and produce worker for the A&P supermarket in 1942.

Roland was an athlete and a competitor. He was a Football star and an amateur boxer in Springfield, participating in local competitions. He competed to the 1937 New England Golden Gloves (an annual amateur boxing tournament) in the Middleweight 160 pound class in January. Roland lost his bout, but he remained active in boxing, including as a sparring partner for Buddy Baer, whose brother Max had been the world heavy weight champion in 1934 and 1935.

Roland was drafted on November 17, 1942 and his service began on December 2, 1942. He had the grade of Private. He was first stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts and then assigned to Camp Croft, South Carolina, a US Army Replacement Training Centre from January 23, to April 1, 1943. There, he especially received specialty training as an explosive and demolition expert as well as infiltration techniques.

Roland volunteered to become a paratrooper, and attended the jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia where he earned his silver jump wings and his jump boots. At Fort Benning, he trained with H Company, 1st Parachute Training Regiment. He was injured right shoulder twice during landing from landing trainer and spent several days in hospital.

By summer 1943, he attended Camp Mackall and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Roland Baribeau was among those of the 506th Infantry Regiment who shipped overseas in September 1944, arriving at Liverpool onboard the SS Samaria on September 15, 1943. Then they boarded trains to southern England.

While at Fort Benning, Roland was subsequently court martialed, required to do extra duties by late June 1943. He escaped from extra duties but, hungry and exhausted, Federal Marshals found and arrested him. In hospital, he made a complete recovery and returned to service on July 4, 1943. Jack Agnew, a comrade of Roland recalled : "Just after jump school he went to town. He missed the bus back to camp. A MP came up and grabbed him. Roland knocked him down and they then took him away. In the meantime we moved across the river to another camp. Everybody thought Frenchy was AWOL, then we saw him working on a railroad chain gang. He ran across the train tracks, threw the chain on the track as the train came by and it cut the chain in half and Frenchy was back in camp with us".

In his memories, Jake McNiece remembered that Roland had a fight with another soldier who cut him up badly. He went to the barracks where he found Roland loading his M1 Garandt rifle and planning to go after the man who had wounded him. Jake convinced Roland that it was not a good idea, took him to the medic and then to sleep.

The Filthy Thirteen participated in rehearsals  : Operation Beaver by late March 1944, Operation Tiger by late April 1944 and Operation Eagle from May 10, to May 12, 1944. This was the last jump before the invasion. Herb Pierce recalled that he and Roland had to blow a hole through barbed wire entanglements during a rehearsal. As the charges were set, Herb ordered Roland to blow it. Roland said he had forgotten the lights so Herb ran and lit the fuze (likely during Operation Beaver).

Roland was injured once during his training in the UK : injured foot, on May 12, 1944 during a jump.

On May 27, 1944, they left Sir Wills’ Estate for the Exeter Airfield, where they were stationed with the 440th Troop Carriers Group, 95th Troop Carrier Squadron. They were isolated and settled in pyramids tents. They were briefed on their mission, studying a 1:25000 scale sand table reproduction map, learning every detail of the terrain so they could find their way by night in France. On June 3, 1944, they received orders and Eisenhower’s message. They knew for the first time the date of the assault even if it was postponed 24 hours.

Roland and his stick of paratroopers boarded the Douglas C-47 Serial Number 2100920, nicknamed "Mary Louise", of the 440th Troop Carriers Group. The aircraft had a 6Z large character painted on the side near the nose, an L on the tail and a 21 on the door. The planes of the group started to lift off one by one at 11:50 PM from the Exeter Airfield. They first circled the field, then assembled in formation and finally left Exeter at around 00:20 AM.

The flight over England and the Channel Sea was quiet. When they passed over the Jersey Island occupied by the Germans, they opened fire with colorful flak tracers illuminating the sky. Shrapnel flak exploded and ripped through the plane and around them. The plane was vibrating and jarring, the explosions outside were noisy and the confusion was incredible.

The C-47 began to zigzag, pitch and yaw. Second Lieutenant Mellen (commanding officer of the section) gave the jump commands and the two minute warning. As the C-47 began its procedure and dropped altitude, the stick thought that the airplane had been hit and was losing altitude. They started to jump too early under at a speed of 140-175mph instead of the planned 110 mph. The jump time was recorded as being between 1:40 and 1:43 AM.

The unit was scattered from Montebourg to Carentan, an 8 miles long area.

One group landed in the vicinity of Montebourg, Jack McNiece landed in the vicinity of Saint Mère Eglise and the others farther away. Roland was isolated of his unit and met some other paratroopers with whom he operated in the swamps. He might have landed in the vicinity of Montebourg. He jumped among the first paratroopers of his stick.

Roland was declared killed in action in Normandy. His Individual Deceased and Personal File says that he was declared killed in action on June 26, 1944 first, but the official date retained for his death was June 21, 1944. In fact his death date seems to be unknown.

What is known is that Roland was dropped over Normandy and was operating with a small group of paratroopers in a flooded area near a farmhouse. They had been there awhile when their rations ran low. Even if Roland was not fluent, he could speak a little French and was sent to the farmhouse to ask for food. Roland approached the farm and asked the farmer who said that his wife could feed him. Roland entered the house and went upstairs. When he was there, he was shot by German soldiers who were waiting for him.

Private Roland Rudolph "Frenchy" Baribeau was buried on June 21, 1944, Block Q, Row 6, Grave 101 in the temporary cemetery 3584 of Saint Mère Eglise . Roland’s dog tag were missing so he was identified by his uniform markers (soldiers used to write their names, serial numbers and laundry numbers on it).

In March 1948, his remains were disinterred, placed in a casket and finally transferred and interred to the Normandy American Cemetery in February 1949. He is buried Plot F, Row 9, Grave 20.