Filthy Thirteen Inspired Dirty Dozen

The Filthy Thirteen were an unruly demolition section of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment whose exploits and embellished press coverage helped inspire The Dirty Dozen, although they were not condemned criminals like the fictional characters. On D-Day, enemy fire scattered them about eight miles from their objective, but survivors and other displaced paratroopers regrouped, destroyed two bridges over the Douve River, and held a third for five days. They had a reputation of drinking, fighting, ignoring regulations, and rarely bathing. During the Battle of the Bulge, Jake McNiece and several former members parachuted into the surrounded Bastogne as pathfinders, using beacons to guide more than 600 planeloads of critical supplies over five days.

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