Ronald Speirs

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Ronald Speirs (b. 20 April, 1920) was an officer in World War II with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and was a platoon leader of "D" or "Dog" Company. Speirs was reassigned to "E" or "Easy" Company in Bastogne at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Speirs went to Korea and commanded a rifle company and later became the American Governor for Spandau Prison in Berlin. He served as a Captain during the European Theater, but retired a Lieutenant Colonel.

Contents

1 Early life
2 World War II
3 After World War II
4 Rumors
5 Sources

Early life

Speirs was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but grew up in Portland, Maine. Speirs attended Military training in high school and it led to a commission in the Infantry but Speirs volunteered for the Paratroops. He served as a Platoon leader with "D" Company at Camp Toccoa and was shipped to England shortly before Operation Chicago.

World War II

Ronald parachuted into Normandy on June 6th, 1944 (or D-Day) and quickly met up with fellow troops at their makeshift command post at an empty farmhouse. He was able to round up a few men and moved out and assisted in the capturing of the fourth 105 mm howitzer at the Brecourt Manor Assault. Soon after, rumors began circling that Speirs had killed twenty POW's after handing them cigarettes and giving them a light. Speirs has never denied nor confirmed the rumors (for more on this, see section four "Rumors").

Due to Easy Company's role as primary assault Company, Dog Company did not see as much action as Easy, but still participated in a significant number of engagements during the war. Both Speirs and "D" Company were at Bastogne, and as "E" Company made the initial assault on the town of Foy, Speirs was ordered by Major Richard Winters to relieve Lieutenant Norman Dike of command. Speirs successfully took over the assault, and led "E" Company to a victory over the Germans, Speirs was reassigned to Commanding Officer of "E" Company and remained so throughout the rest of the war helping them take such monuments as Kehlsteinhaus (or the Eagle's Nest) near Berchtesgaden, Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat.

Though Speirs had enough points to go home after the end of the European Campaign, he chose to remain with "E" Company. Japan surrendered after the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before Speirs and "E" had to parachute into Japan.

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After World War II

Speirs returned home to England to find that his wife (the former widow of a British soldier who had been reported dead) returned to her first husband who turned up as a POW. The rumor is that she retained ownership of all the spoils of war that Speirs had sent home from his travels in Europe (things like silver platters, goblets, plates, and utensils gathered at different places throughout Europe like Haguenau, or Kehlsteinhaus). Speirs decided to remain in the army, later serving in the Korean War, where he made one combat jump into Korea, and led a rifle company until the war's conclusion.

Following the war, Speirs took a Russian language course in 1956 and was assigned as a liaison officer to the Red Army in Potsdam, East Germany. In 1958 he became the American Governor of the Spandau Prison in Berlin, the same place Rudolf Hess was serving his life term. In 1962 he went to Laos with the U.S. Mission to the Royal Lao Army.

In Albert Speer's book, ([Amazon Listing]) he mentions a hard-nosed, irritating U.S. Commandant, but not by name. This Commandant has been identified as Ronald Speirs.

Ronald Speirs remains alive to this day, though he does not attend the yearly Easy Company reunion.

Rumors

Matthew Settle as Ronald Speirs in Band of Brothers

Ronald Speirs was a legend during World War II because of rumors spreading that he had shot twenty to thirty German prisoners of war digging a hole on D-Day, under guard. It is rumored that he gave the prisoners cigarettes, gave them a light, and then shot all of them but one. This rumor has sparked much debate amongst veterans, and fans of Band of Brothers and Stephen Ambrose's book debating such things as:

Did it happen?
Where did it happen?
How many prisoners?
Was he ever called upon this by higher officers?

Stories from Easy veterans suggest it did happen, including Richard Winters saying that Speirs indicated the rumors were true, but never gave any details. There were other rumors as well. However, if the shooting took place, its exact location cannot be conclusively determined. Donald Malarkey claimed he heard a Tommy Gun firing on D-Day, but didn't actually see anything. Winters originally heard that the incident took place at Bastogne. Carwood Lipton claimed he heard it happened in Carentan. To this day, Speirs has never discussed the rumors publicly.

Ronald Speirs was portrayed in the HBO/BBC miniseries Band of Brothers by Matthew Settle.

Sources

[Matthew Settle's Website]

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