Carwood Lipton

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Lipton's journey began in hardship; at age 10, he lost his father and saw his mother paralyzed in a car accident, forcing him to become the 'man of the family.' After one year at Marshall College, financial troubles ended his education, leading him into war-related production. His path changed after reading about paratrooper training in Life magazine, prompting his enlistment on August 15, 1942, at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Assigned to Easy Company as a private, he quickly rose to Platoon Sergeant before D-Day. Following the deaths and transfers of previous sergeants, Lipton became company first sergeant. His leadership was defined by keeping spirits high and pushing men to their potential, an act recognized by officers. He later received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant in Haguenau after the assault on Foy, eventually reaching first lieutenant before leaving the army.

In Their Own Story

On June 6, 1944, Lipton served as jumpmaster on a C-47 Skytrain during the Normandy landings. After parachuting into the Cotentin Peninsula, he rendezvoused with First Lieutenant Richard Winters and others to secure objectives south of Carentan. During the assault on Brécourt Manor, where German 105 mm howitzers threatened Utah Beach exits, Lipton teamed with Private Mike Ranney. Climbing a tree, he used an M1 carbine to shoot a defending German soldier, earning his first Bronze Star. Less than a week later in the Battle of Carentan, shrapnel from a German 88 mm artillery shell wounded him in the face and groin, earning his first Purple Heart. Later, during Operation Market Garden, he helped rescue scattered British 1st Parachute Division troops near Arnhem. In the Ardennes, after Foy, he received his commission. He witnessed Holocaust horrors at Kaufering and captured Hitler's Eagles' Nest at Berchtesgaden, where he shared meals with POW Ferdinand Porsche.

Reader's Guide

Carwood Lipton's post-war life was marked by academic and professional success. After returning to the US, he enrolled at Marshall University, completing his final three years to graduate with an engineering degree. He joined Owens Illinois Inc., rising to chief operator by 1952. In 1966, he moved to Bridgeton, New Jersey, as an administrative manager, and in 1967 became general manager of Giralt Laporta in Madrid after a company acquisition. By 1971, he was Director of Manufacturing for eight glass companies in England and Scotland. In his later years, Lipton appeared on two television shows: the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and the documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company. He died on December 16, 2001, of pulmonary fibrosis in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Did You Know?

• Lipton was jumpmaster on a C-47 Skytrain during the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.
• He shot a German soldier from a tree using an M1 carbine while teamed with Private Mike Ranney at Brécourt Manor, earning his first Bronze Star.
• While a prisoner of war camp guard at Berchtesgaden, Lipton ate meals with Ferdinand Porsche, who spoke English very well.
• Lipton was the eldest child and became the 'man of the family' after his father died and mother was paralyzed in an auto accident when he was 10.
• He remained in the Army Reserve through the Korean War but was never deployed overseas again.