This issue brings you Colonel Zink, the only regimental commander of the 506th Regiment during World War II
robert f sink
Robert Frederick Zink
Born on April 3, 1905 in Lexington, North Carolina, Zinke attended Duke University as a young man, joined the army in 1924 and was admitted to West Point, graduating in 1927 with the rank of second lieutenant. After graduation, Zink was sent to Georgia as an infantry lieutenant in the 8th Infantry Regiment. He began his military career for the next thirty-four years.
(Zink, who loves to smoke)
In the years that followed, Zinke served in different Army units:
Before 1929, he went to the Central American country of Puerto Rico to join the 65th Infantry Regiment.
In 1932, after completing the course at the Army Biochemical Warfare College, he was transferred to the 34th Infantry Regiment.
In 1933, he was assigned to form the Pennsylvania National Guard and returned to the 34th Infantry Regiment until 1935, when he went to the Fort Benning Army Infantry School in Georgia for further study.
In November 1937, Zinke completed his overseas service with the 57th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines, returned home and was promoted to captain and served as a company commander in the 25th Infantry Regiment at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
(Zink wearing a standard Ike jacket and wearing a boat hat)
After the outbreak of the European War in 1940, Zink volunteered to join the paratroopers and offered to transfer to the 501st Paratrooper Battalion in Fort Benning. He not only qualified as an airborne soldier, but also an ace skydiver.
In January 1941, he was promoted to major and commanded the 503rd Parachute Battalion, during which time he expanded the size of the Parachute Battalion to a regiment. In February 1942, due to his excellent work performance, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In July 1942, the division headquarters searched for a suitable commander for the newly formed 506th Parachute Regiment of the Tocoa Battalion in Georgia, and Sink was selected and appointed commander of the 506th Parachute Regiment. In the winter of the same year, he was promoted to colonel.
(Zink sitting on top of Kolashi Mountain)
At the Tokoa Paratrooper School, Zink was a never-wordy officer who strictly managed his subordinates and never allowed any breach of discipline. He also personally designed the paratrooper decathlon physical test.
In terms of management, Sink was very resolute about the overdue leave and late return of new recruits who had been qualified as paratroopers, disqualifying the soldiers of each company who returned as the latest and sending them to the 506 Regiment.
(Sink, wearing a pink-colored boat hat in a standard uniform)
When the 506 Parachute Regiment was about to leave for the Normandy landings in England after finishing its training in Tokoa, Zinke saw an article in Reader's Digest about a unit of the Japanese Army breaking the world record for the fastest march. But he disagreed, convinced that his troops could do better.
So he decided to let the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment walk 118 miles (about 190 kilometers) to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia. The march took 75 hours and 15 minutes, of which 33.5 hours were spent on foot, while only 12 of the battalion's 556 soldiers were unable to complete the march. In addition, 30 battalion officers also completed the journey, including Zinke himself.
Local newspapers quickly made headlines about the news, causing many Atlanta residents to cheer as the Second Battalion entered the city, expressing support for the soldiers of the Second Battalion of the 506th Parachute Regiment. The hard training not only cultivated the physical confidence of the 506th Parachute Regiment, but also enhanced the affirmation and trust of the whole regiment for Colonel Zink.
(Second from the right, the recipient is Zink)
(Zink on the far right was awarded the Order of the Silver Star)
Colonel Zink had been commanding the 506th Parachute Regiment to fight in various places since the beginning of the war, and after the D-Day airborne landing, the 506th Regiment's Zinke assembled more than 140 paratroopers scattered around in an hour, mainly from the regiment's 1st Battalion and regimental headquarters. The mission of the 506th Regiment was to capture the 1st and 2nd causeways to the south. Soon, Zinke sent Battalion Commander William Turner of the 1st Battalion to lead a team of paratroopers to Pupeville to capture Causeway 1. By 13:30 p.m., the paratroopers, after fierce fighting, finally reached Causeway 1.
On 7 June, Zinke launched a fierce attack on st.come du·mont with all his forces, engaging in a fierce battle with the paratroopers of the German 6th Parachute Regiment who had rushed to the area. The commander of the 1st Battalion of the 506th Regiment was killed in battle, and the deputy battalion commander was wounded and retreated. After fierce fighting, the 506th Regiment captured Saint-Marydimont and connected with the 501st Regiment.
(Synke's honors during World War II)
In addition to participating in the parachutes of the d-day and market gardens, the regiment commanded the battle in the extremely cold bastogne. Because of Zinke's excellent leadership and command ability, he was deeply appreciated by the division commander, General Taylor, and repeatedly proposed to promote Zink to the position of deputy division commander in 1944, but was rejected by Zinke, who once said: "I would rather command a regiment to participate in the battle" became the sole commander of the 506 Parachute Regiment in the entire Second World War.
(Zink at the Battle of the Salient)
In order to remain in the 506 Parachute Regiment, Colonel Zinke refused to be promoted twice during the war, so the regiment was sometimes called "five-oh-sink" rather than "five-oh-six", as evidenced by Colonel Zinke's popularity in the army. In addition, he also had good relations with many of the regiment's subordinates, especially with Major Richard Winters. In a conflict between Captain Sauber and Lieutenant Winters, Colonel Zinke twice intervened for Winters, eventually transferring Sauber away from E-Company.
(Brothers Even Stills)
After World War II, on August 12, 1945, Zinke was promoted to deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division.
After returning home in December 1945, due to the disbandment of the 101st Division, Taylor, who was already the principal of West Point, recruited Zink into his command, after which Zink was transferred to Fort Bragg in North Carolina as the commander of the base and the commander of the 18th Airborne Regiment. The force had a strength of 125,000 men and two airborne divisions. Under Zink's strong leadership, the force became a well-trained and highly qualified offensive force capable of global tactical tasks.
(Zink and the Surrendered German Officers)
In August 1948, Zink was promoted to major general and enrolled at the National War College in Washington, D.C. After graduating in June of the following year, Major General Zinke was appointed commander of the Ryukyu Islands, responsible for dealing with the post-war issues of the Japanese archipelago in the western Pacific. In October of the same year, he was promoted to army staff officer.
(Zink signs promotion order on charles dix of the 506th Regiment)
In January 1951, the 7th Infantry Division stationed in Korea was in urgent need of a senior deputy division commander, and Sink went to take up his post. At the end of the year, he returned to Japan as deputy commander of the 11th Airborne Division in Kentucky.
In January 1952, he returned to China as the deputy commander of the 11th Airborne Division.
In February 1953, he was transferred to the 7th Panzer Division.
In November 1953, he was appointed commander of the 44th Infantry Division.
In October 1954, he entered the Joint Airborne Forces Commission at Fort Bragg. The following year, he went to Brazil on a military assistance mission.
In May 1957, he returned to China and took over the post of commander of the 18th Airborne Army.
In 1958, he became commander of the Army's Strategic Corps (stationed in the Continental United States in preparation for a global strike) and promoted to lieutenant general the following year. Served as Commander of U.S. Forces in Panama.
Sink retired in 1961 with the rank of Lieutenant General of three stars.
(Lieutenant General Zink with 3 stars on his shoulder)
Sink died on 13 December 1965 in Fort Bragg, a complication of chronic emphysema. He was sixty years old.
(Market-Garden Battle, walking in the middle is Zink)
Zink in the film and television drama
The HBO Brothers drama colonel Zink is played by Dale. Day, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, as the military director of the film and the rescue of Private Ryan, in the play he shows Colonel Zink calmly, competently, strictly demanding the approachable personality of his subordinates, and the talent for team management, employment, and command.
(Stills vs. real people)
In the World War II panoramic airborne combat film "The Distant Bridge" filmed in the 1970s, there is a depiction of a colonel wearing an eagle-label steel helmet, holding a carbine, holding a cigar in his mouth, leading a team of paratroopers to run to a bridge, and personally commanding the British engineers to build an engineering bridge, and the person in the play is Colonel Zink.
(Colonel Zink in the film "The Distant Bridge")
Both films portray Colonel Zink's character traits and mannerisms from different perspectives. But for Zink, who was only 39 years old in 1944, thanks to Dale. Dey's own age is a problem, and the image played makes Zink too old; and Zink in the distant bridge, although similar in age and actionable, is too comedic and cute. But in any case, Colonel Zink's screen image has left a deep memory for the vast number of military fans, and Zink and Tocoa have become synonymous with 506.
Colonel Zink has also appeared in the Company of Brothers - Hell Highway game, Dale. Not only is Dyy the game's military adviser, but he also voices Colonel Zink in the game. The producer deliberately placed Dell. Day's appearance in the bros. brawl is brought into the game.
(Colonel Zink on the left side of the game screen)
The rank of Colonel Zink
(Note the rank on the left side of the collar)
During World War II, the rank of Colonel of the United States Army was a pair of silver eagles, which were worn with their heads facing forward, one claw grasping an olive branch and the other grasping 13 arrows. The overall section is slightly curved, and the back is worn in a pin style, made of sterling silver.
(The author's collection of World War II originals)
Thanks to my friend "Julian" for providing some of the pictures, and thanks to the White Hawk Club members for the "three d" copy proofreading.
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Past Period Review:
"Serial" American drama "Company of Brothers" character unlocked by captain "Bourbon drunkard" Captain Nixon
Captain Winters, the "Quaker" of the "Serial" American drama "Company of Brothers", is unlocked
Army Captain Sauber, who unlocked the "Can't Find North" character of the "serial" American drama "Company of Brothers", looks back at the star face in the airborne Normandy "Company of Brothers"
Costumes in classic American World War II films are hard wounds