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Darrell Powers
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Darrell Cecil "Shifty" Powers (13 March 1923 – 17 June 2009)[citation needed] was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Powers was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter Youngblood Hills.
Key Information
Early life
[edit]Powers was born in Clinchco, Virginia. His father was an excellent rifle and pistol shot and taught him how to shoot when he was young.[1] Powers spent a great deal of time in the outdoors, hunting game.[2] He got to the point where he could throw a coin in the air and hit it with a rifle.[1] Such skills helped him as a soldier. His nickname "Shifty" originated from his basketball days from his ability to be 'shifty' on his feet.[3]
After Powers graduated from high school, he took a machinist training course at a vocational school in Norfolk, Virginia. It was there he befriended Robert 'Popeye' Wynn. After completing the course, both went to work in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.[4] When they found out their work was going to be deemed critical to the American war effort, preventing them (even if they wanted to fight), from leaving for the duration of the war, the pair decided to join the US Army. Powers enlisted on 14 August 1942, at Richmond, Virginia.[5]
Military service
[edit]Powers followed Easy Company to station in Aldbourne, England. He was shocked to see that the residents there were prepared to defend themselves against the Germans with only garden implements. He thought it would have been a massacre if the Germans had indeed invaded Aldbourne.[6]
Powers jumped into Normandy on D-Day. Missing his drop zone, he joined two others from the company and the three linked up with Easy Company several days later to fight in Carentan. Powers participated in the Allied military operation Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.
Powers also fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. On 29 December 1944, when Easy Company was staying in the woods, Powers noticed a tree that was not there just the day before and reported it to First Sergeant Carwood Lipton. The "tree" was ultimately discovered to be part of the camouflage the Germans put up for their anti-aircraft battery. Lipton got approval for full battery fire to attack the area despite the short supply of artillery ammunition and the area was deserted within an hour. Lipton commented, "It all happened, because Shifty saw a tree almost a mile away that hadn't been there the day before." It was one of Powers' most remarkable achievements and a testament to the extraordinary gifts his backwoods upbringing brought to Easy Company.[7]
On 13 January 1945, when Easy Company was attacking Foy, several of the men were pinned down by a sniper that nobody could locate. Suddenly, Powers yelled, "I see him!" and fired his rifle, killing the sniper. Later, when Carwood Lipton and Wynn found the sniper's corpse, they were shocked to see the bullet hole centered in the middle of his forehead. Wynn commented, "You know, it just doesn't pay to be shootin' at Shifty when he's got a rifle."[8][9]
Powers was one of the very few who was never wounded in combat. It was for this reason that Powers lacked the sufficient points to return home under the military point system, although he was there every day when Easy Company fought on the line.[10] Powers joined and won the lottery that was organized to allow one man from each company to return home early on a furlough.[11] During the trip to the airfield, the vehicle that Shifty was in was involved in an accident and he was badly injured.[11] He spent many months recuperating in hospitals overseas while his comrades in arms arrived home long before he did.[11]
Later years
[edit]Honorably discharged from the Army in the postwar demobilization, Powers became a machinist. He was married to his wife Dorothy for 60 years at the time of his death. He moved to California, got a machinist job there and stayed there for three years with his family. He was laid off when the company he worked for lost a government contract, so he returned home. He worked as a machinist for the Clinchfield Coal Corporation for more than twenty years.
Powers, in his later years, was in declining health and depressed. The Powers family noted the release of the Band of Brothers TV miniseries and the subsequent speaking engagements brought Powers out of the depression and speculated that the series bought Powers extra years of life.[12]
Powers is listed as one of 20 men from Easy Company who contributed to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin/Berkley-Caliber.
Powers died of lung cancer on 17 June 2009, in Dickenson County, Virginia. He is buried at Temple Hill Memorial Park, Castlewood, Russell County, Virginia.
Band of Brothers
[edit]In the first edition of the book Band of Brothers, author Ambrose wrote that on 23 December 1944, Powers disobeyed a direct order from Lieutenant Edward Shames to go out on patrol because he was discouraged. Both Shames and Powers denied that had happened, with Powers calling the insinuation "a slap in the face." Upon request and verification, Ambrose deleted that story from the later edition of the book.[13]
Powers was a character, played by Peter Youngblood Hills, in the HBO Band of Brothers TV miniseries. In the episode "The Last Patrol", Powers was shown to be one of the soldiers participating in the patrol mission; However, in reality, Powers was not on that patrol.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Location 269, Brotherton
- ^ Brotherton, p.5.
- ^ Location 3559, Brotherton (2011)
- ^ Location 758, Brotherton
- ^ WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database
- ^ Location 1624, Brotherton
- ^ Chapter 11, Ambrose
- ^ Location 3647, Brotherton (2011)
- ^ Ambrose, pp.211–212.
- ^ Location 2962, Brotherton
- ^ a b c Ambrose, p.282.
- ^ Location 3666, Brotherton (2011)
- ^ p.220, Brotherton, 2011
- ^ Location 3656, Brotherton (2011)
Bibliography
[edit]- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
- Brotherton, Marcus (2009). We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from The Band of Brothers. Berkley Caliber. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
- Brotherton, Marcus (2011). Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell 'Shifty' Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers. Berkley Caliber. ISBN 978-0-425-24097-7.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darrell Powers.
- Photos of Shifty Powers as he returns to Bastogne & Germany for the first time since World War II Archived 22 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- TriCities report on death
- Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers at Find a Grave
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Darrell Powers
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Childhood and family
Darrell Cecil Powers was born on March 13, 1923, in Clinchco, Dickenson County, Virginia, a remote coal mining town established by the Clinchfield Coal Corporation in the early 20th century.[7][8] His parents, Barnum Stevenson Powers and Audrey Frances Colley Powers, raised him in this Appalachian community where life revolved around the coal industry.[9] Powers grew up as one of four siblings—brothers Barney Jr., James, Frank, and sister Gaynell—in a poor, working-class household heavily dependent on his father's employment in the local mines.[10][9] The family faced the hardships of the Great Depression in a company-owned town, where economic opportunities were scarce, and daily life demanded self-reliance amid limited resources and isolation from larger urban centers.[11][3] His early education took place in the basic local schools of Clinchco, which provided fundamental instruction but were often constrained by the demands of family responsibilities and the town's modest infrastructure.[12] These interruptions reflected the broader challenges of rural mining life, where children's assistance with household or work duties was commonplace.[11]Development of marksmanship skills
Darrell Powers grew up in Clinchco, Virginia, a remote coal mining town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, where economic hardship during the Great Depression made hunting a practical necessity for supplementing family meals. From a young age, he spent extensive time in the surrounding woods pursuing small game such as squirrels and rabbits, using a family rifle passed down from his father. His father, recognized locally as an excellent rifle and pistol shot capable of remarkable precision, introduced Powers to the fundamentals of marksmanship and encouraged outdoor pursuits that built his confidence in the wilderness.[3] Powers quickly displayed a natural talent for detecting distant movement amid the dense foliage, a keen observational skill honed through practice. Lacking any structured training, Powers refined his abilities through self-taught methods, practicing quick aiming and tracking techniques adapted to the challenges of shifting light, unpredictable weather, and the rugged terrain of the Appalachians. This hands-on experience in the rural environment not only sharpened his accuracy but also surpassed the proficiency of many peers, fostering an intuitive understanding of the woods that became second nature.[3]Military career
Enlistment and training
Darrell Powers enlisted in the United States Army on August 14, 1942, at the age of 19 in Richmond, Virginia, alongside his close friend Robert "Popeye" Wynn, driven by a sense of patriotism and the allure of adventure in volunteering for the elite paratrooper role.[1][13] Their decision came shortly after completing a machinist course at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where they had been employed, but both sought the challenge of airborne service rather than routine assignments.[14] Powers was assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division, due to his physical fitness honed from an active outdoor lifestyle in rural Virginia.[1][3] His pre-war hunting experiences also aided him in passing initial marksmanship tests with ease. Basic training commenced at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, under the command of Captain Herbert Sobel, where recruits endured grueling physical conditioning including long hikes up Mount Currahee, obstacle courses, and intensive infantry drills designed to forge endurance and unit cohesion.[15][16] Following Toccoa, Powers attended parachute jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, mastering techniques for safe deployment, equipment rigging, and landing procedures.[14] He successfully completed the required five qualifying jumps from aircraft, earning his paratrooper wings and qualifying for airborne operations.[1] This rigorous preparation transformed Powers and his fellow volunteers into a disciplined force ready for airborne missions.[17]Service in World War II
Powers participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, as a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. His C-47 transport aircraft encountered heavy flak and cloud cover over the drop zone behind Utah Beach, causing him to be scattered far from his intended landing site; he lost his machine gun, entrenching tool, and other equipment during the descent but armed himself with a discarded rifle.[1] After evading German patrols in the early morning darkness, Powers linked up with fellow paratrooper Floyd Talbert, and the pair navigated through enemy-held territory to rejoin Easy Company near Hiesville.[1] The unit then pushed inland, engaging in fierce fighting to secure the port of Carentan, where Powers contributed to defensive actions against German counterattacks in the hedgerow country.[1] In September 1944, Powers deployed with Easy Company for Operation Market Garden, the large-scale airborne assault aimed at capturing bridges in the Netherlands to facilitate an advance into Germany. Dropping near Eindhoven, the company secured initial objectives but faced stiff resistance from German armored units during the subsequent ground push.[1] Powers helped establish defensive positions along the "Hell's Highway" corridor and participated in urban combat to repel counterattacks, including efforts to hold the line at Nuenen against elements of the 9th SS Panzer Division.[1] The operation ultimately fell short of its goals, stranding the 101st Airborne in prolonged defensive fighting around "The Island" near Veghel until late October.[1] Powers endured the harsh winter of the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945, as Easy Company defended the besieged town of Bastogne, Belgium, amid subzero temperatures, snow, and limited supplies. Assigned to forward foxholes, he performed sniper duties, using his exceptional marksmanship to spot and neutralize enemy movements, including identifying enemy positions that led to artillery strikes on German forces.[1] In the nearby village of Foy, Powers silenced a German sniper who had wounded three Easy Company men, providing critical cover for the unit's advance and earning praise as the company's best shot.[1] His vigilance in these roles helped the 101st Airborne hold the line until relieved by Patton's Third Army on December 26.[1] As Allied forces pressed the final offensive in Europe from March to May 1945, Powers advanced with Easy Company across the Rhine River near Wesel, Germany, encountering light resistance from retreating Wehrmacht units. The company captured the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, securing Adolf Hitler's planned retreat complex known as the Eagle's Nest, which Powers inspected alongside comrades, noting its opulent interior stocked with looted art and alcohol.[1] In the war's closing days, Easy Company conducted patrols in occupied Austria, mopping up scattered SS remnants and facilitating the surrender of German forces.[1] After VE Day, Powers was selected by lottery to return stateside due to insufficient points from lack of wounds but was severely injured in a vehicle accident en route to the airfield in June 1945, suffering a broken wrist, pelvis, and concussion.[3] Throughout his service in the European Theater, Powers took part in every major Easy Company campaign from Normandy to the occupation of southern Germany, demonstrating reliability in combat roles without sustaining any combat wounds.[3]Promotions and nickname
Darrell Powers enlisted in the U.S. Army as a private in August 1942. He received his first promotion to corporal during the Normandy campaign in June 1944, in recognition of his reliable performance under fire. Following Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Powers was elevated to sergeant for demonstrating strong leadership in small reconnaissance teams. His final wartime promotion came in early 1945 to staff sergeant during the recovery phase after the Battle of the Bulge, acknowledging his steadfast contributions as a sniper and scout throughout the European theater.[18] Powers earned his nickname "Shifty" in his youth from playing basketball, due to his quick and agile movements on the court; it carried into his military service, where comrades also noted his vigilant observational skills for early threat detection.[19][18] Anecdotes from his service underscore this vigilance; for instance, Powers repeatedly alerted his unit to approaching German patrols by identifying distant visual cues, such as subtle movements or glints of equipment, thereby preventing ambushes and bolstering overall unit safety.[18]Post-war years
Professional life
Following his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant during the postwar demobilization in late 1945, Darrell Powers returned to his hometown of Clinchco, Virginia, a coal mining community in the Appalachian region.[1] Initially, he pursued work as a machinist in California for approximately three years, capitalizing on skills developed during his military service, before being laid off due to the loss of a government contract by his employer.[2] Seeking greater stability amid the postwar economic recovery, which brought increased demand for labor in industrial sectors like mining, Powers relocated back to Virginia around 1949.[20] Powers then secured a long-term position as a machinist with the Clinchfield Coal Corporation in nearby Dante, Virginia, where he remained employed for more than two decades, performing precision tool maintenance and operating machinery on factory shifts in support of coal production.[3] This role aligned with the blue-collar trades prevalent in his family's background and the region's economy, bolstered by the post-World War II industrial expansion that provided job security without necessitating higher education.[21] His steady hands, honed through marksmanship in the military, proved advantageous in the detailed work of machining components for mining equipment.[1] Powers continued in this capacity through the 1970s, retiring in the early 1980s after over 30 years in machining, supplemented by Veterans Administration benefits that supported his later years.[2] Although he occasionally shared insights on military history with local groups, he did not engage in formal veteran advocacy or public roles, preferring a quiet transition to retirement focused on personal stability.[3]Family and personal interests
After returning from World War II, Powers married Dorothy Lenore Stamper, with whom he enjoyed a devoted partnership spanning 60 years until his death.[22][23] The couple had two children—a son, Wayne, and a daughter, Margo—whom they raised in their hometown of Clinchco, Virginia.[22] Powers' long tenure as a machinist at the Clinchfield Coal Corporation for over 30 years provided the stability that enabled this focus on domestic life.[2] A charter member of the Clinchco Missionary Baptist Church, Powers maintained deep involvement in his local faith community throughout retirement.[12] He cherished a quiet country existence centered on family, rarely discussing his wartime service at home to protect his loved ones from its grim realities—a reticence that persisted until the publication of Band of Brothers.[24][25] In his later years, Powers occasionally joined Easy Company reunions, such as those in 1999 and earlier gatherings, but favored intimate family time over widespread publicity, embodying the unassuming life he always desired.[3][26]Legacy
Portrayal in Band of Brothers
In the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Darrell Powers was portrayed by British actor Peter Youngblood Hills as Staff Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers, the skilled sharpshooter of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.[3] Hills' character appears in all ten episodes, often in a supporting capacity that underscores Powers' role as a reliable but understated team member.[3] Powers contributed to the production's authenticity as an on-set consultant during filming in 2000, advising on details such as uniforms and parachute jump procedures.[27] He met several cast members, including David Schwimmer, who played Captain Herbert Sobel, and shared brief personal anecdotes from his wartime experiences.[27] The character's arc emphasizes Powers as a quiet, observant marksman whose exceptional eyesight proves vital in combat. Key scenes highlight his sniper duties, including spotting camouflaged German artillery positions during the siege of Bastogne in episode 6 ("Bastogne") and taking out an enemy sniper from a window in Foy during the assault in episode 7 ("The Breaking Point"). These depictions draw from actual events in Powers' service but incorporate dramatic elements to heighten narrative tension.[28] Hills' portrayal received acclaim for authentically conveying Powers' humility and gentle demeanor, as reflected in the actor's foreword to Powers' authorized biography.[27] The miniseries elevated Powers' public profile considerably, leading to widespread recognition and correspondence from admirers worldwide in his later years.[3]Biography and honors
The authorized biography Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers was published in 2011 by Berkley Caliber and written by Marcus Brotherton. Based on extensive interviews with Powers conducted in the years leading up to his death, the book reconstructs his life story in a first-person memoir style, drawing directly from his recollections to provide an intimate perspective. It addresses gaps in Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers by incorporating underrepresented personal details, such as Powers' pre-war hunting trips with his father in the Virginia woods that developed his exceptional marksmanship, and his thoughtful end-of-war reflections on the human cost of combat.[29][30] Powers received significant posthumous honors following his death on June 17, 2009. In July 2009, U.S. Representative Rick Boucher entered a tribute into the Congressional Record, commending Powers' heroism, humility, and contributions to the 101st Airborne Division's legacy during World War II. He is commemorated annually at 101st Airborne Division Association events and local Virginia gatherings, such as the Clinchco Days/Shifty Powers Days festival, which features exhibits on his life and service. In 2024, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, various tributes across military history platforms and veteran organizations highlighted Powers' role in the Normandy landings and his remarkable survival without major injury until the war's final months.[31][32][3] Powers garnered public recognition through interviews in WWII documentaries during the 2000s, including the 2001 HBO production We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company, where he shared firsthand accounts of his Easy Company experiences. Known for his aversion to self-promotion, Powers maintained a low profile despite his fame from the Band of Brothers miniseries, with his family endorsing memorials and publications after his passing to preserve his story. The biography Shifty's War further reveals overlooked elements of his life, such as a minor shrapnel wound sustained in early 1945 near the war's end and his postwar humility in downplaying personal motivations rooted in duty and camaraderie, offering a fuller update to prior incomplete narratives.[3]Medals and decorations
Darrell Powers received a series of military decorations for his exemplary service and valor during World War II as a staff sergeant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. These awards, typical among Easy Company veterans who endured intense combat in the European Theater, were conferred upon his honorable discharge in December 1945 and reflect his proficiency as a sharpshooter and reliable soldier.[5][14] Powers was awarded the Bronze Star Medal twice, with oak leaf clusters denoting subsequent awards, for meritorious achievement in combat. These honors recognized his critical sniper roles, including during the Battle of the Bulge near Bastogne where his vigilance spotted enemy movements, and the Rhine River crossings, enabling early warnings that saved fellow soldiers' lives.[1][5][14] In addition to the Bronze Star, Powers earned the following decorations:| Medal/Decoration | Description |
|---|---|
| Presidential Unit Citation with one oak leaf cluster | Unit award for extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy.[1][2] |
| Combat Infantryman Badge | Awarded for satisfactory performance of duty in combat against enemy forces.[2][5][14] |
| Parachutist Badge | Qualification badge for completing airborne training and participating in parachute assaults, including the D-Day Normandy invasion.[5][14][1] |
| European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with three service stars) | Service in the Normandy, Rhineland (including Operation Market Garden), and Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) campaigns; includes arrowhead device for assault landings.[5][14][1] |
| Good Conduct Medal | Exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity during three years of enlisted service.[5][14] |
| American Campaign Medal | Service in the American Theater during World War II.[2][5][1] |
| World War II Victory Medal | Participation in World War II service.[2][5][1] |
| Army of Occupation Medal | Postwar occupation duty in Germany in late 1945.[5][1] |
| French Liberation Medal | Recognition for participation in the liberation of France.[2][5] |
| Belgian World War II Service Medal | Awarded for service in the Belgian campaign.[2][1] |
| Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 (with Palm) | French award for heroic actions in combat.[5][1] |