Forrest was born on the 6th of February 1921 as a direct descendant of the 'Pennsylvania Dutch'. He is one of the original E Company members. Forrest passed the A-B-C en D stages of the Jump School, received his Jump Certificate, his Parawings and a golden Jump School ring. From Atlanta he went to Camp Mackall (North Carolina) where he was trained as a Flamethrower-operator (at one point during the training the Airborne considered the use of flamethrowers.)

Together with his his friends (r) Carl Fenstermaker en Roderick Strohl (all from Fogelsville, Pennsylvania), he enlisted as a volunteer for the US Paratroops. The three kids from the same hometown went through training together, were all three in E Co. 3th Platoon and all three would make it through the war! Fenstermaker's plane was hit above the Channel on June 5th 1944, going to Normandy. It came down and he was rescued by the British Navy.He landed in an area between Ravenoville and Utah Beach. Forrest also jumped in Operation Market Garden (A Bridge too far) and took part of the fighting in Bastogne. Guth was a

fantastic soldier without any doubt. He wasappreciated because of his humor and dedication and was known as someone who changed his uniform to make it more usable. He removed the pockets from his jump jacket and sewed 3 of them on the suit he was going to wear in Normandië.(r) His uniforms, photos and a lot of 'paperwork' and souvenirs were borrowed by the producers of the TV-series Band of Brothers to reproduce them. Guth is portrayed on the cover photo of the book "Band of Brothers" He's on the left and the only one that's still among us. (See below) The others are fltr: Francis J. Mellet, Pvt. David E. Morris, Pfc. Daniel B. West, Sgt. Floyd M. Talbert en Pfc. Campbell T. Smith. The three at the backrow are unknown soldiers from another unit.

Floyd Talbert and Walter Hendrix standing in the lane along which E-Company established its defensive positions before the attack on Carentan. That same spot was used to make the photo from Forrest Guth (r). The same helmet and spot (in front of the helmet) is on both photos. Talbert, Eubanks, Gordon and Guth were the four men who joined up with a group from 502d after they had been misdropped on D-Day. (June 6. 1944)A feways later they had to move south toward Carentan on the other side of the Douve river for the link-up with American forces coming West from Omaha Beach. The route was from Culoville through Vierville to St. Come-du-Mont, then across the river into Carentan.
During the week of D-Day 2002 there was a small exhibition with the equipmenty of Forrest Guth in Michel De Trez' shop at Ste. Mere Eglise named "Static Line" near the corner of the market square.

Forrest Guth and his wife Harriet during their visit at Bastogne (Spring 2002). Forrest was there to promote the book that was writen about him.

Above right: Forrest Guth (l) together with Francis Mellet in a ditch facing Carentan with Walter "Smokey" Gordon's machine gun.

Below right : Re-enactors Hans Ettes (l) and Hans Vrehen. 58 years later.

Left: a detail of a small reserve parachute displayed in Michel De Trez' shop in Ste. Mere Eglise, Normandy. In September 1944 it was signed by Forrest Guth's 3d platoon's friends. Among them Floyd "Bunny" Talbert.

Due to the overcast weather Forrest Guth landed in a cow pasture far from the dropzone between Utah beach and a village called Ravenoville. By than nobody knew that the Commander's plane (Tom Meehan) was shot down and that everybody was killed. While he was trying to hide he could hear the Germans talk. After he changed possition and was lying in a ditch, he heard some noise and he pulled his revolver. He thought it were the Germans who spotted him while he tried to hide from them. Suddenly he saw a face appearing over the ditch and he recognized Walter Gordon.Together they headed for Ravenoville to look for they others.While Forrest went on his way to Ravenoville after being misdropped (together wit Talbert-Gordon and Eubanks) he heard what he was certain was the howling and whining of a convoy of 2 1/2 ton G.I. trucks going past. He didn't understand because the invasion hadn't even started, much less put truck convoys ashore. The noise Guth heard came from the shells passing overhead, shells from the naval guns on the battleships offshore.

Photo below right they are standing in front of the Marmion farm in Ravenoville.
Forrest and Floyd Talbert together with some French locals in a Norman orchard.

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Photos courtesy Forrest Guth and Michel De Trez.(THANK YOU)
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Peter van de Wal ©