Bill Guarnere

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Guarnere earned his nickname "Wild Bill" due to a reckless attitude toward the enemy, fueled by hatred for Germans after his older brother Henry was killed as a medic at Monte Cassino. On D-Day, he defied First Lieutenant Richard Winters' order to hold fire, opening up with his Thompson submachine gun on an approaching German platoon near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont because he feared Winters might hesitate. Later that morning, Winters named him 2nd Platoon's sergeant during the assault on Brécourt Manor, where 13 paratroopers took on about 50 Germans defending four 105 mm guns. Richard Winters later described Guarnere as a "natural killer" in his autobiography. The nickname reflected his fierce loyalty and willingness to engage the enemy immediately, traits that made him a feared and respected figure within Easy Company.

In Their Own Story

In mid-October 1944, while securing "The Island" south of the Rhine River, Guarnere stole a Dutch farmer's motorcycle to check on his men spread over a mile-long line. A sniper shot him in the right leg, fracturing his tibia and lodging shrapnel in his buttock, forcing his evacuation to England. Refusing assignment to another unit, he covered his cast with black shoe polish and walked out of the hospital, only to be caught, court-martialed, demoted to private, and returned to duty. He rejoined Easy Company at Mourmelon-le-Grand around December 10, just before the Battle of the Bulge; because his demotion paperwork never arrived from England, he was reinstated as sergeant. Shortly after, while holding a line southwest of Foy, a massive artillery barrage struck. Guarnere lost his right leg trying to drag his friend Joe Toye, who had also lost a leg, to safety. This injury ended his war.

Reader's Guide

Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, 1923, Guarnere tricked the government into accepting him at age 15 for the Citizens Military Training Camp by claiming he was seventeen. He worked at Baldwin Locomotive Works before enlisting on August 31, 1942, training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. He served with Easy Company from D-Day until a final artillery barrage in early 1945 cost him his right leg near Foy. After returning to the US in March 1945, he wore an artificial leg briefly before discarding it for crutches once full disability was secured. In 2007, he co-authored *Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends* with Edward "Babe" Heffron and Robyn Post. Guarnere remained lifelong friends with Heffron, serving as his best man in 1954 and godfather to his daughter Patricia. He died of a ruptured aneurysm on March 8, 2014, at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Did You Know?

• Guarnere entered the Citizens Military Training Camp at age 15 by telling the government he was seventeen.
• He defied a direct order from Richard Winters on D-Day to open fire immediately on a German platoon because he thought Winters might hesitate.
• After being wounded and demoted, Guarnere tried to walk out of the hospital with his leg covered in black shoe polish to rejoin Easy Company.
• He lost his right leg trying to save his friend Joe Toye during an artillery barrage near Foy in 1945.
• Guarnere co-wrote *Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends* with his best friend Edward "Babe" Heffron.