Lt. Col. Ronald C. Speirs passed away

[SeanAshi]

Captain Speirs from E company 101st Airborne division portrayed on Band of Brothers passed away on April 11 but I haven't been able to find much on line about it, anyone know of any info?

[Bombtrack]

Rest in Peace

[KillerBD]

RIP, this is some sadening news. I was just watching Band of Brothers earlier today.

[Caper]

Cheers to a long and amazing life...RIP.

[Kingswat]

Rip .

[Ballistic.]

I'm saddened to hear this, RIP.

[Kilo Golf]

R.I.P. I just finished watching Band of Brothers as well.


--KG

[MPNFL]

*salute*

rest in peace brother

[IndyShark]

Ronald Speirs
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This article is about American WW2 European theatre officer Ronald Spiers. For WW2 Pacific theatre American Ambassador, see Ronald I. Spiers.
Ronald Speirs
b. 20 April 1920, d. 11 April 2007

Ronald Speirs at Bastogne
Nickname Sparky
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Years of service 1942-1945, 1956-1958
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit Dog Company/Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Awards - Purple Heart
- Silver Star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation (2 OLC)
Other work Governor of Spandau Prison
Red Army Liaison Officer
Ronald Speirs (April 20, 1920 - April 11, 2007) was a United States Army officer who served in the U.S. 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He was initially a platoon leader in Company "D" ("Dog" Company) of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Speirs was reassigned to command "E" or "Easy" Company in Bastogne at the end of the Battle of the Bulge. Speirs also served in Korea where he commanded a rifle company, and later became the American Governor for Spandau Prison in Berlin. He served as a captain in the European Theater but retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 World War II
3 After World War II
4 Rumors
5 References



[edit] Early life
Speirs was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1920 and spent his first few years there until he emigrated with his family to Boston, Massachusetts, USA, arriving on December 26, 1924. He attended military training in high school, which led to a commission as a second lieutenant in the infantry; however, Speirs volunteered for the paratroops. He served as a platoon leader with Dog Company at Camp Toccoa, Georgia and was shipped to England shortly before Operation Chicago.


[edit] World War II
Speirs parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944 (or D-Day) and quickly met with fellow troops after landing. He assembled a small group of soldiers and assisted in the capture of the fourth 105 mm howitzer during the Brecourt Manor Assault. Soon after, rumors began circling that Speirs had killed twenty or thirty POWs after handing them cigarettes and giving them a light. Speirs has never denied nor confirmed the rumors (for more on this, see Rumors).

Due to Easy Company's role as primary assault company, Dog Company did not see as much action as Easy. However, it still participated in many engagements during the war, and both Speirs and Dog Company were at Bastogne. When Easy Company's initial attack on the German-occupied town of Foy bogged down due to the poor leadership of its commander (Lieutenant Norman Dike), battalion executive officer Captain Richard Winters ordered Speirs to relieve Dike of command. Speirs successfully took over the assault and led Easy Company to victory. He was reassigned as commanding officer of Easy Company and remained in that position for the rest of the war. He was in command during the capture of Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat (the Kehlsteinhaus or Eagle's Nest) near Berchtesgaden. Of the officers who commanded Easy Company from the start of the war, Speirs commanded the longest.

Although Speirs had enough points to go home after the end of the European Campaign, he chose to remain with Easy Company. Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, before Speirs and Easy were transferred to the Pacific Theater.


[edit] After World War II
Speirs returned to England to find that his wife (the widow of a British soldier who had been reported dead) had returned to her first husband who had turned up alive as a German prisoner of war. She apparently retained ownership of all the spoils of war (i.e., silver platters, goblets, plates, and utensils gathered at different places throughout Europe like Haguenau or Kehlsteinhaus) that Speirs had sent home from his travels in Europe. Speirs then returned to the United States and decided to remain in the army, serving in the Korean War, where he made one combat jump and commanded a rifle company until the war's end.

Following Korea, Speirs attended 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, where Nazi war criminals such as Rudolf Hess were imprisoned. In 1962, Speirs was a member of the U.S. Mission to the Royal Lao Army.

Albert Speer mentions in his book, Spandau: The Secret Diaries (Amazon Listing) a hard-nosed, irritating U.S. commandant, but not by name. The commandant has since been identified as Speirs.

Although he did not normally attend the yearly Easy Company reunions, Speirs met with several Easy Company members several times and attended at least one reunion some years ago.

Spiers passed away suddenly on April 11, 2007.


[edit] Rumors

Matthew Settle as Ronald Speirs in Band of BrothersRonald Speirs was a legend to his fellow soldiers during World War II because of rumors 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 but one of them. This rumor has sparked much debate among veterans, and fans of Band of Brothers and Stephen Ambrose's book debating such things as:

Did it actually happen?
Where did it happen?
How many prisoners were killed?
Was he ever called upon this by his superior officers?
Stories from Easy veterans suggest the shootings did take place, including Richard Winters stating that Speirs suggested the rumors were true but never gave any details. However, if the shooting of the prisoners actually took place, its exact location cannot be conclusively determined. Donald Malarkey claimed he heard a Tommy gun firing near the location of the prisoners on D-Day but did not actually see anything. Winters originally heard that the incident took place at Bastogne. Carwood Lipton claimed he heard it occurred in Carentan. Speirs never discussed the rumors publicly.

Richard Winters, in his own book entitled Beyond Band of Brothers: The Memoirs of Major Richard Winters, detailed exactly what did happen when Speirs shot a sergeant in one of his squads for disobeying a direct order in combat. Winters notes that by shooting the sergeant, Speirs saved the lives of many other men. Winters also repeatedly calls Speirs "a born killer” and states that despite making occasional flawed decisions off the battlefield, Speirs was a superb combat commander, which Winters respected immensely. Winters also points out that Speirs did report this incident to his commanding officer and names the officer. However, that officer was killed in action the next day, and the incident was never pursued at any level. Winters suggests that officers higher in the chain of command were so desperate for competent field officers that they could not afford losing one of Speirs' caliber. The soldiers serving under Speirs respected him immensely, but also feared him. This incident eventually faded away officially but became legend among the troops.

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


[edit] References
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Stephen Ambrose, Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 0-7434-6411-7
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Speirs"

[The Starfox Kid]

RIP, this is some sadening news. I was just watching Band of Brothers earlier today.

R.I.P. I just finished watching Band of Brothers as well.


--KG

Same here.

Rest in peace Soldier, you will be always be remembered.

[wiking]

An incredible soldier, a true loss. Though dead, he shall not be forgotten so long as i live.

Requiescat In Pace

[Gothjod]

R.I.P. Will be remembered.

[gaijinsamurai]

Rest in Peace. I was impressed with his character, as portrayed in BOB, and always wondered if he really did excecute the German POWs (I hope not). Anyways, he was a helluva soldier, and a great leader of men.

[Lt. KoNAne]

Is he the redhead in BoB?

[The Starfox Kid]

Is he the redhead in BoB?

No, thats Sergeant Malarkey.

Ronald Spears had dark brown/black hair, and always carried a M1 Thompson and cigarettes...

[Bolovo]

Matthew Settle as Ronald Spiers in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Settle.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Ronald_speirs.jpg



RIP :(

[helomech]

RIP:-(

Slowly losing those who defended our country in dark times.....

[Alex-L]

RIP good job

[GorkoSan]

RIP paratrooper, tnx for the job well done.

[wormie]

the rumors part of that article off of wiki is rather interesting.. have a look.

rip soldier. you will not be forgotten.

[MetroN]

Rest in Peace.

[Jorge M.]

RIP

I was watching Band of Brothers yesterday...:-(

[Breakfast in Vegas]

RIP. All the best in the afterlife.

[sjsoon]

remember the run he ran across German army in Bastogne? Battle of the Bulge? ...... awesome.

....R.I.P....

[Digital Marine]

Rest in Peace

[Hypno85]

Incredible man!

Rest In Peace. You will never be forgotten.

[Navor]

RIP
If all things shown on BoB are right (never read the book so) a very astonishing man and a more astonishing career.
But one question is lasting on my mind.
In what manner did he become a Legend after the eventual shooting of German POWs,was it a positve or negative. Imean did they respect them for this eventual doing or did they feared him as a dont know hoe to they in English



P.S.
This Question is not intended as a start for a flame war.I checked witht DW58 before asking and he said if I feel to ask the question I should do in here.Please keep it civil I DO NOT want a flame war.

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

Eeehm this is odd?

As far as I know, Speirs died several years ago in a supermarket, when he tried to convince the robbers that crime is not the way to succeed, he was shot...

Can anyone clear this up?

[Jelle H.]

Ronald C. Speirs:

1944
http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=speirsdg2.jpg

2007
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9466/pasfotospeirslj4.gif

[FutureMcDonaldsEmployee]

rip warrior

[DeltaWhisky58]

RIP
If all things shown on BoB are right (never read the book so) a very astonishing man and a more astonishing career.
But one question is lasting on my mind.
In what manner did he become a Legend after the eventual shooting of German POWs,was it a positve or negative. Imean did they respect them for this eventual doing or did they feared him as a dont know hoe to they in English



P.S.
This Question is not intended as a start for a flame war.I checked witht DW58 before asking and he said if I feel to ask the question I should do in here.Please keep it civil I DO NOT want a flame war.

My reply to Navor's question - he wished to open a separate thread to ask about the alleged incident mentioned above:


If you feel it is essential to bring up this topic, then please keep it on the same thread, I can see no advantage in opening an additional thread. Be aware however that this may bring a degree of hostility, therefore consider carefully whether introducing this angle to the discussion is really a good idea.

If you do decide to run with it, remember the buck stops with you if it turns into a flame war.

[Knollepops]

R.I.P. and condolences to his familiy.

[Klatuu]

Thank God that such men lived.

[bersaglieri]

Yet another of the greatest generation gone forever. Men like these burned both bright and long. RIP.


Band of Brothers was a historical drama - not history. Several parts of it have been altered from the facts to create a "better" story - such as Blythe who is portrayed in a poor light, being initially combat shy, then wounded then dying, when in fact Albert Blythe fought bravely and survived the war,staying in the Army and qualifying as a jumpmaster.
The Speirs/POW incident is one which remains very unclear throughout the series. No-one is actually portrayed as witnessing the incident and when Speirs and Lipton talk about it , Speirs will not comment other than to remark that 2000 years ago Roman troops probably talked about whether their centurion had killed prisoners and how the centurion would like his troops to think he was the baddest toughest leader ever so would never tell them one way or another.

[Mike Keenan]

I didn't know he was born in Scotland.
R.I.P

[budgie]

Rest In Peace

[WARPIG]

In reply to Navor's question.. I don't think any of his men nor the soldiers that heard the rumor had a wholly postive or negative view of it. Spiers was feared. Just the rumor that a combat leader like Spiers had the capacity of ruthlessness that the rumor depicted was enough to intimidate as well as impress. The incident with the NCO being shot just supports that level of intimidation. When all other accounts of his leadership are positive and his men respect him otherwise.. the added intimidation seemed to simply support the legend of Spiers.

[dlat83]

It's amazing how a war can bring out the true character of a person. And the caliber of the soldier it forms can be imense. These WW2 vets have given so much, most definetly born at the right time in history. Thank you to all are vets...

[darklands]

rest in peace trooper!

[devilpupone]

Man, he was an amazing soldier. That is just too bad. We lose many veterans everyday, and he was just one of them that day. Rest in peace, you deserve it.

[loganinkosovo]

Yet another of the greatest generation gone forever. Men like these burned both bright and long. RIP.


when in fact Albert Blythe fought bravely and survived the war,staying in the Army and qualifying as a jumpmaster.

Yes...I know. Blythe's youngest Brother is with the Customs Department and I had the room just down from him in Kosovo. He said his brother was livid until the day he died about that. His brother was one of the toughest SOBs in the unit.

I'm sure higher said something about not being able to care for pows and being the soldier Spiers was he just said "I'll take care of it" and did.

This is not an isolated incident. The Germans wiped out our pows too. Especially the units we started hitting during and after Bastone since these were sent from the Russian Front where slaughtering pows was a common practice on both sides.

[loganinkosovo]

Eeehm this is odd?

As far as I know, Speirs died several years ago in a supermarket, when he tried to convince the robbers that crime is not the way to succeed, he was shot...

Can anyone clear this up?

That sounds like something an Ambassador would do........

Our Speirs would have just killed them. :)

[wicked_hind]

Rest well and forever in peace, fellow soldier.

[mas36]

R.I.P.
He did more than his share of the fighting.

I wonder if he attended any of the reunions? I bet his funeral was packed too.

[Mike Keenan]

I wonder if his son Robert, who I think was a major in the Green Jackets is going.