Capt. Dale Arthur Roysdon (SN O-414812), was born on 28 July 1919 at Red Lodge, Carbon County, Montana. His parents, Morris O. Roysdon and Lucy A. (Owens) Roysden, farmed and ranched at the time near Red Lodge below the towering peaks of the Beartooth Mountains.

Dale was the second child born to Morris and Lucy. An older sister, Dora, died in infancy in 1918. A younger brother, Glen Eugene, was born in 1922. The two brothers shared an “unbreakable bond” lasting throughout their lives (Glen’s obituary, 2013). When Dale was about 11 years-old the family moved about 45 miles to Laurel, Yellowstone County, MT, and operated Roysdon’s Furniture Store.

Dale attended school in Laurel and was active in school activities. The local newspaper often reported Dale’s participation in the high school activities and outings. He was also a Boy Scout.

In 1937 Dale graduated from Laurel High School and enrolled at Montana State University in Missoula (now the University of Montana). He was a part of the Army ROTC program in college and the local newspaper noted he was named a Corporal in 1938. Dale soon transferred to the University of Wyoming with plans to earn a business degree, and then to join the family’s furniture business.

However, upon graduating from college in 1941, Dale enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 9 and was called to active duty in September 1941. He entered the Army as a lieutenant. Lieut. Roysdon was stationed at Camp Roberts, CA; Camp Polk, LA; and later at Fort Benning, GA, where he received parachute training.

Lieut. Roysdon was a member of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), HQ Co., 1st Battalion, which was activated at Fort Benning in July 1942 under the command of Col. James M. Gavin. In February 1943 the regiment was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. In April 1943, Lieut. Roysdon’s family was notified that he had been promoted to the rank of captain.

The 505th made its first jump behind enemy lines on 10 July 1943 in the Allied invasion of Sicily. Captain Roysdon was part of a fierce fight against German infantry and Hermann Goering’s Panzer division for Biazza Ridge, led by Col. Gavin. The colonel sent a letter to Capt. Roysdon’s family commending him for his part in the battle.

Capt. Roysdon and the 505th made a second combat jump the night of 14 September 1943, in the assault on Salerno, Italy. They continued to fight in Italy, taking part in the capture of Naples in October. Soon afterward, the 505th and the rest of the 82nd Airborne Division was pulled back to the United Kingdom to prepare for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

The paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division were part of the spearhead of the invasion, “D-Day,” 6 June 1944. Poor weather plagued the C-47 troop carrying aircraft crossing the English Channel during the first hours of the day. Despite the conditions, paratroopers of the 505th PIR received their green light to jump at 3:00 a.m. They were among the first troopers to hit the ground. Capt. Roysdon was the 1st Battalion Operations Officer. The battalion was commanded by Major Frederick Kellam.

Despite some confusion upon landing, enough men were mustered to liberate the first town in France, Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Around daybreak the troopers converged with other units in a battle for a small stone bridge of strategic importance for inland movement, La Fiere Bridge. It has been called by one military historian “probably the bloodiest small unit struggle in the experience of American arms.” Capturing and keeping the bridge cost the lives of more than 250 paratroopers and glidermen, among them Capt. Roysdon.

The bridge was first taken in the early afternoon hours of 6 June, but became the object of a fierce German counterattack a few hours later with infantry and tank. During a momentary lull in firing, a forward bazooka team called for more rockets. Major Kellam along with Capt. Roysdon rushed forward with a bag of ammunition when a German mortar round hit close to the men, immediately killing Maj. Kellam and mortally wounding Capt. Roysdon, who died later in the day. The fierce back-and-forth battle for the bridge continued for the next three days until it was finally secured with the help of American tanks.

The Roysdon family in Montana was notified of Capt. Roysdon’s death about 8 July 1944. The last letter they received from him was dated 4 June 1944. The official correspondence with his family indicated Capt. Roysdon died on 7 June. However, a history of the 505th PIR and other paratroopers in his regiment state that Capt. Roysdon died on 6 June. His brother Glen was an aviation cadet at the time at Sheppard Field, Texas.

The body of Capt. Roysdon was returned home for burial on 13 May 1948, accompanied by U.S. Army Capt. Anthony M. Kamp; his funeral service was in Laurel, MT on Friday, 14 May 1948. He is buried in the Laurel Cemetery; Laurel, Yellowstone County, Montana. The Army’s Silver Star and Purple Heart were posthumously awarded to Capt. Roysdon.

The U.S. Army Reserve Training Center in Billings, Montana was completed in 1960, and was officially named Roysdon Hall at a dedication ceremony on Sunday, 15 May 1960, in honor of Capt. Roysdon. His mother Lucy and brother Glen were present at the ceremony. His father Morris had died in an automobile accident in 1952.

Sources:

Montana, U.S., Birth Records, 1897-1988; for Dale Roysdon

1920 United States Federal Census

1930 United States Federal Census

1940 U.S. Federal Census

U.S., Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945

Headstone application: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2375/images/40050_2421406271_0396-03294?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=159530

Burial information, photos: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14588091/dale-a-roysdon

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75313355/1938-rotc-corporal-at-um/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75313555/commendation-for-sicily-invasion/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75313862/promoted-to-captain/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75314378/death-announce/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75312930/billings-gazette-recounts-story/

https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Unit_history/Division_history/82nd-airborne-division.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/505th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

https://www.505th.us/index.php?/battalion/history.html/

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/seize-secure-battle-la-fiere

https://ww2fallen100.blogspot.com/2019/07/ww2-normandy-fallen-silver-star-hero.html

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75312930/billings-gazette-recounts-story/

photo: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/76/2a/cc762abacb071ff581a008f4fcf3ed36.jpg

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything that I missed in this profile, you can contact me at wesgibbs53@gmail.com

Dale A Roysdon