Reneau Breard served with the 504th Parachute Infantry [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] during World War 2. He was born in Monroe [Annotator’s Note: Monroe, Louisiana]. His family had been there since the late 1700s. He attended Catholic school and graduated from Neville High School [Annotator’s Note: Neville High School in Monroe]. He then went to LSU [Annotator’s Note: Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana] for college in 1940. He did not finish college before the war broke out. Breard was on a date at the movies when they stopped the film to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The girl he was dating had a brother stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time, but he survived. He was later killed in the war. Breard did not know what to think except that this news was not good. Around Christmas time [Annotator’s Note: of 1941], he received a telegram from the military district in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] that he needed to complete his correspondence course if he wanted a commission as a second lieutenant. He was in ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps] while attending LSU. Breard also had previously military training when he went to Camp Beauregard [Annotator’s Note: in Pineville, Louisiana] for three summers while in high school. Breard finished his courses during the holidays and then went to the board in January 1942. He reported to Fort McClellan [Annotator’s Note: in Anniston, Alabama] in June 1942. He went through 13 weeks of basic training. He applied for parachute school at Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] and was accepted in early 1943.The training was tough because they had to do a lot of physical training. He was taught how to jump from towers and pack parachutes. Only 50 percent of his class completed the program. He was scared on his first jump, but he made it through. He completed five jumps before he received his wings. He always had to keep his shoes shined at all times.

After Reneau Breard [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] received his wings from the parachute program, he was sent near Phenix City, Alabama. They camped in primitive tents for a month even though the weather was horrible. He was put on C rations [Annotator's Note: prepared and canned wet combat food] during this time. He was then transferred to Fort Bragg [Annotator’s Note: Fort Bragg, North Carolina] and then to Camp Shanks [Annotator’s Note: Camp Shanks, New York] as a replacement personnel. He was issued equipment, and in April 1943, boarded the USS George Washington at Staten Island [Annotator’s Note: Staten Island, New York] and sailed across the Atlantic in a convoy with the battleship USS Texas (BB-35) as one of the escort ships. The ship docked as Casablanca [Annotator’s Note: Casablanca, Morocco] two weeks after they left New York. Breard was given winter clothing before he left New York, but when he got to Casablanca, he put on just a brown shirt and pants. His unit loaded into trucks and went to an old French fort. He received a message one day that the Army needed some volunteers. He decided to volunteer and the next day, he was on a train that took him to a battle school in Algeria for six weeks. He returned to the 82nd Airborne Division and camped again. The weather was very hot and dusty. In July 1943, Breard moved into Sicily attached to the 509th Infantry [Annotator’s Note: 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment]. Breard was then assigned to Company A as assistant platoon leader. His company began jump training again and felt they were ready. Their superiors kept changing the invasion plans and things became uncertain.

Reneau Breard and his unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] finally received orders of when they would make their first jump into Salerno, Italy at midnight. When he landed, he loaded into a truck and headed into the mountains. As he was digging in, he hit a large rock and had to dig around it to make a sufficient foxhole. The next afternoon, he and his unit went into an attack with the objective of taking hill 424. He caught the Germans coming up the east side of hill. They fought and secured the hill for about five days. On the first morning, Breard lost his platoon leader. He also lost his first sergeant and executive officer from a tree burst. When his unit was relieved from the hill, they went to the beachhead and loaded up on landing crafts and headed for the Tunisia pass. His unit loaded into trucks and went to Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. While Breard was on hill 424, they had support from the Navy. In October, his father sent him a newspaper article of the men listed in his unit and what they did.

Reneau Breard and his unit [Annotator’s Note: the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] were camped in Naples, Italy. In the unit’s first combat experience, they lost several leaders and medics. One of the men in his unit was named Schneider. He had immigrated to United States from Germany, so he spoke broken English. He taunted the German soldiers to get them to come out so the Americans could attack them. They arrived in Naples in October 1943. They were given immediate orders to patrol the town and disarm the police. The townspeople had no water and no lights because the Germans destroyed them. The 5th Army distributed flour to the bakeries so they could make bread for the community. There was a lot of chaos while distributing the bread. The post office blew up. The Germans sunk the ships at the harbor. Breard was admitted to the hospital because he contracted DT’s and had a high fever. He was treated by a doctor from his hometown. He was transferred to a convalescent hospital.

[Annotator’s Note: There is a video break at 1:03:53.000.] While stationed in Naples, Italy, Reneau Breard [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] went to a hospital because he contracted yellow jaundice. The doctor told him to eat lots of sugar and come back in a week. During the night, he watched the air raid that came over the bay while he stayed at the convalescence home. After a few days, he asked the doctor if he could go to Capri [Annotator’s Note: Capri, Italy] and the doctor said yes. He stayed in the Morganza Hotel and ate a lot of fish for three or four days. When he returned to Naples, the doctor told him that his unit had moved to England, and he needed to discharge him from the hospital. Breard headed towards the rear echelon, then boarded a truck to meet his regiment in the mountains. When he reached his platoon, they were so happy to see him. His unit went up mountain 1017, which was difficult to maneuver across. They were relieved by the 100th Battalion [Annotator’s Note: 100th Infantry Battalion, comprised largely of second generation Japanese-Americans] once they crossed the mountain. The first night, the weather was cold and rainy, and they were in an area where they could still be shelled. One day while he was coming down the trail of the mountain, Breard stepped on a mine which blew into the air, but it did not blow up. As he went up a ravine of mountain 1205, the terrain became very steep. A boy ahead of him began rolling on the ground and yelled “grenade!” A grenade went off in the boy’s pocket. The medic attended to him and he was evacuated immediately. Later, Breard found out that he survived. When they reached their destination, they relieved the 104th Infantry [Annotator’s Note: unit unclear]. The terrain was very rocky, and it was difficult to dig a fox hole. They were shelled by the Germans not long after they settled in.

Reneau Breard [Annotator’s Note: with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] was stationed in the mountains of Italy. His unit experienced sniper shooting from the enemy. Breard was never shot at, but knew two officers that were killed by a sniper. Breard spoke about the difficulty of the terrain of the Italian mountains. He almost got shot at as he moved through boulders. He spent his Christmas [Annotator’s Note: of 1944] up in the Italian mountains. It was very difficult to evacuate the wounded out of the mountains. He became so tired moving through the terrain that he had to drop some of his mortar equipment. He finally got off the mountain on New Years Day [Annotator’s Note: of 1945]. They met up with an artillery unit that was serving pork chop sandwiches. He was so hungry, and the food tasted so good. He then took a nap under some blankets before leaving and heading into Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy] where he ran into his battalion. Breard had to collect some of his men out of the jail.

Reneau Breard was stationed in the mountains of Italy near Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. His unit was supposed to participate in a battle, but their mission was cancelled by his general. His unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] boarded an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] and later stormed the beaches at Anzio [Annotator’s Note: Anzio, Italy]. The unit disembarked under fire and was sent shortly thereafter to patrol in force along the Mussolini Canal. They dug in near a self-propelling artillery unit. Breard gave orders to the artillery to fire at a house. The artillery caused so much smoke that the soldiers were getting irritated. In the following days, his platoon secured a bridge over a canal and railroad track. By the end of the mission, he was so tired he slept for two days. He talked about the strategies of defense against the Germans and clearing the area while at Anzio.

Reneau Breard took part in the invasion and fighting at Anzio [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Anzio, Italy; 22 January to 5 June 1944]. On 16 February, the Germans attacked his unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division]. He saw three columns of Germans coming toward his direction. The whole country exploded and there was artillery firing everywhere. He was near a canal bank and patrolled the canal. He and his platoon stayed in foxholes during the night because the Germans tried to break through their lines. His unit was finally put back in reserves and sent back to England in late March 1944. They were greeted by English girls in Liverpool [Annotator’s Note: Liverpool, England]. His unit stayed in perimeter tents near a golf course in Leicester [Annotator’s Note: Leicester, England]. He did not know about Operation Overlord [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944], but he knew there was a plan for a big invasion because they began jump training, especially their replacement troops. The soldiers trained and exercised a lot at night and then drank beer before they went to bed. A few days before 6 June 1944, they were restricted from leaving their living perimeter. A day later, he saw all the planes take off with the glider units and his unit was left behind. He felt sad that he was not participating in the invasion. Around midday, Breard was allowed to go to town and visit his girlfriend. His unit continued to train and were given a five-day leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], so Breard and a friend took a trip to Glasgow [Annotator’s Note: Glasgow, Scotland].

Reneau Breard was in Leicester [Annotator’s Note: Leicester, England] training to jump into Europe. The training was very tough, with lots of marching and jumping. After a few cancelled jumps, in September 1944, his unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] jumped into Holland [Annotator’s Note: Operation Market Garden, 17 to 27 September 1944; the Netherlands also known as Holland]. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 2:07:57.000.] On the day of the jump, the weather was a little foggy, but other than that it was a good day of weather. The planes took off at 10 in the morning. As they came closer to their drop zone, they began to receive flak [Annotator's Note: antiaircraft artillery fire]. The Spitfires [Annotator’s Note: British Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft] that were flying with them counterattacked the anti-aircraft artillery. His unit made their drop between the Maas River and Mass-Waal Canal. One soldier in Breard’s unit broke his neck on the jump and died. Breard gathered the rest of his unit and headed for bridge number eight and spread out along the canal. As two other companies took the bridges, Breard’s company were put on patrol. When bridge number nine was taken over, his company crossed the bridge and went into some woods. Breard’s company continued to patrol as they headed toward Nijmegen [Annotator’s Note: Nijmegen, the Netherlands]. The local people were very nice to them and offered them sweets and coffee. His company was ordered to cross a river on 19 September. They changed their clothes into a green jump suit before crossing the river. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 2:19:53.000.] His unit came under fire as they made it to the other side of the bank. Breard described the chaos of how his men were split up during the mission and his BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] man was killed during combat.

Reneau Breard dropped into the Netherlands for Operation Market Garden [Annotator’s Note: an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944]. His unit reached the town of Oosterbeek [Annotator’s Note: Oosterbeek, Netherlands]. The British tanks came in for support and they just shot up everything. Breard’s unit was relieved on 28 September. His unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] went to the back of the line and were told to grab their bed rolls. When Breard began searching in the pile for his bed roll, one of the soldiers was gutted by a German panzerfaust [Annotator’s Note: a German portable single-shot anti-tank and anti-personnel weapon]. His unit moved up to a hill during the daytime and stayed there for several days. The first morning, his unit received enemy shelling and a few men were wounded. They later moved further into some mountains and were ordered to find prisoners. Breard brought back three prisoners. One was a large man that was wounded in the stomach, so they decided to let him go. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 2:36:26.000.] His unit moved into a wooded area and set up an outpost called K House. His unit would go on patrols at dusk. One time after returning from a 24-hour leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], Breard found his unit on a patrol, and he got into a foxhole and listened to the radio and drank some liquor. His unit was relieved in November by the Canadians.

In November 1944, Reneau Breard and his unit [Annotator’s Note: with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] were relieved by Canadians after Operation Market Garden [Annotator’s Note: Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation in the Netherlands, 17 to 27 September 1944]. The Canadians did not arrive until 10 at night. When Breard took the Canadians to town they came under fire by the Germans. When they decided to move back, the Canadians offered him a ride to his platoon which Breard was most grateful for because the weather was so cold. His unit was then picked up by British trucks and drove through Brussels [Annotator’s Note: Brussels, Belgium] and into Sissone [Annotator’s Note: Camp Sissone, France]. Breard remarked on the various German resistance he faced while his unit was in Operation Market Garden. He does not recall fighting against many SS troops [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization].

Reneau Breard and his unit [Annotator’s Note: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] participated in the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. His unit arrived at Sissone [Annotator’s Note: Sissone, France], and one night was watching a show when several units including Breard’s were ordered to leave for combat. He prepared his clothing and equipment and loaded into a truck and headed for Werbomont [Annotator’s Note: Werbomont, Belgium]. After Breard left, his unit was ordered to go on a patrol on a mountain ridge. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 3:00:32.000.] They came across a train tunnel at its south end. Breard thought that the train bridge would have been blown away by the engineers, but it was not. Breard and his unit walked down towards a river. Later, Breard saw a buzz bomb [Annotator's Note: V-1 pulse jet flying bomb, German name: Vengeance Weapon 1; Allied names: buzz bomb, doodlebug] coming in their direction. Everyone quickly found cover. The buzz bomb hit just north of them. When Breard returned to his company, he learned that he was assigned to Company B and fought with them through the Battle of the Bulge.

Reneau Breard [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] was assigned to Company B and participated in the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. He met B Company in Cheneaux [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling]. The weather was a cold, hard freeze the first night. His company put up resistance towards Peiper’s Battalion [Annotator’s Note: SS-Oberstrumbannfuhrer Joachim Peiper’s SS Panzer Corps] as they headed towards Trois Ponts to meet the 505th Paratroopers [Annotator’s Note: 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment]. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 3:11:31.000.] His company moved towards Bra [Annotator’s Note: Bra, Belgium]. He put out a minefield outside of Bra and went into position behind a hill. He stayed there for about a week. Breard later led an attack against a unit of Germans, which made them scatter even though the snow was waist deep. Breard came close to being shot in the head, but the bullet came up just a few inches short and landed in the snow. His unit was later relieved by a company from the 75th Infantry Division.

Reneau Breard and his unit [Annotator’s Note: with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] were relieved by a company from the 75th Infantry Division near the end of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. He experienced more fighting as his company pushed through Belgium and France. The snow was waist deep. Different companies advanced forward with several casualties. The enemy counterattacks were repulsed, and the unit was relieved. The regiment moved back to Grand-Halleux [Annotator’s Note: Grand-Halleux, Belgium] where Breard was reassigned to Company A. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 3:31:51.000.] After a short reprieve, his company was trucked across the Belgian-German border. His unit was attacked by mortars and 13 of the 17 men that were with him were wounded.

Reneau Breard [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division] was relieved and sent to Laon, France. His company was then sent to Cologne [Annotator’s Note: Cologne, Germany] near the Rhine River. Breard’s company was chosen to cross the river, and immediately contacted the enemy. Under heavy fire and in a minefield, the first wave of 504th troopers were split into two elements, each of which fought its way independently to the predesignated objective. They had captured over 80 prisoners and sent them back across the river. Several of his fellow men were wounded and captured during this mission. His unit was taken up to the Elbe River following the 505th [Annotator’s Note: 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment] and waited to meet the Russians. They stayed in a German castle. He later visited a concentration camp and was surprised by what he saw. Towards the end of the war, Breard got a motorcycle. He was eventually sent back to England and married an Englishwoman. He was sent back to the United States after a short time in Berlin [Annotator’s Note: Berlin, Germany].