Henderson
- Rank: Corporal
- Occupational Specialty: Paratrooper
- Unit: 101st Airborne Division, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Company E
On June 13th, 1944 Corporal Henderson (Maximilian Martini), accompanied by Privates Toynbe and Ryan, was scouting in a field near the village of Ramelle when they encountered a recon element of the 2nd SS Panzer Division. After dispatching a German halftrack, the paratroopers discovered that a squad of Rangers were also in the field.
Upon learning that the Rangers had been sent to retrieve him because of the deaths of his brothers, Private James Ryan refused to leave his position. He and the other paratroopers had been charged with defending Ramelle and its bridge, which was one of only two bridges that crossed the Merderet River. Ramelle had been devastated by artillery fire, and the paratroopers were preparing for a German ground assault. Having lost their commanding officer, Captain Jennings, Henderson was the ranking NCO in charge of the paratroopers. With Ryan refusing to budge, Captain Miller's Rangers chose to stay and help Henderson and his men defend Ramelle.
Miller took the lead in designing a defense with the sparse equipment that could be assembled, and Henderson was paired with Private Mellish and a .30 caliber machine gun. As the Germans advanced on the village, Henderson and Mellish displaced and set up their machine gun on the second floor of heavily shelled building. After the ammunition for their machine gun ran out, Henderson was shot through the shoulder and throat. Fatally wounded and gasping for air, Henderson died as the position was overrun by Germans.
Fact vs. Fiction
Corporal Henderson is a fictional character.
