Who was William Guarnere? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Nick Name: Wild Bill

Also Known As: William J. Guarnere

Died At Age: 90

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Frances Peca

father: Joseph Guarnere

mother: Augusta Guarnere

siblings: Henry Guarnere

children: Eugene Guarnere, William Guarnere Jr

Born Country: United States

Soldiers American Men

Died on: March 8, 2014

place of death: Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Cause of Death: Ruptured Aneurysm

Ancestry: Italian American

City: Philadelphia

More Facts

awards: Silver Star
Purple Heart
Bronze Star Medal

Recommended For You

1

What military unit was William Guarnere a part of during World War II?

William Guarnere was a member of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
2

What was William Guarnere's nickname?

William Guarnere's nickname was "Wild Bill."
3

Where did William Guarnere participate in combat during World War II?

William Guarnere fought in various campaigns in Europe, including Operation Overlord (D-Day), Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.
4

Was William Guarnere portrayed in a popular TV miniseries about World War II?

Yes, William Guarnere was portrayed by actor Frank John Hughes in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers."
5

Did William Guarnere receive any military honors for his service?

Yes, William Guarnere was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for his bravery and valor during World War II.

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Childhood & Early Life

William J. Guarnere was born on April 28, 1923, in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., to Joseph and Augusta Guarnere. His was a huge family, and he was the 10th and the youngest child of his parents. His parents were of Italian origin.

Ever since he was a child, William had hoped to join the ‘U.S. Army.’ While, growing up, he witnessed The Great Depression, which had shot up the unemployment rate in the country. As a result, youngsters were increasingly enlisting in the army. In view of this, the ‘United States Government’ established the ‘Civilian Conservation Corps’ (CCC) and the ‘Citizens Military Training Camp’ (CMTC).

The ‘CCC’ was mainly a project to keep teenagers and youngsters away from the streets, as most of the youngsters back then were getting involved in petty crimes, owing to the strong wave of economic depression.

However, the minimum age required to join the ‘CMTC’ was 17, while William was 15 at that time. He made his mother lie about his age, so that he could enter the camp. He thus joined the ‘CMTC’ at 15. He spent three summers there and received extensive military training.

It was a 4-year program, after which William was to be hired as an officer in the army. However, the war that broke out in Europe cut short his training to 3 years. He then resumed his high-school education.

The Second World War was at its worst in the early 1940s, and following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S.A. had started to directly participate in the war. William was still 6 months away from finishing high school, but he dropped out and joined the ‘Baldwin Locomotive Works.’ There, he made tanks for the ‘U.S. Army.’

In mid-1942, however, he was recruited by the army.

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Army Career

He was initially assigned to the ‘506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,’ which was a newly formed unit. There, he was part of the ‘Easy Company, 2nd Battalion.’ He was trained at ‘Camp Toccoa’ in Georgia, where his regiment earned the motto “Currahee,” owing to their training schedule that involved a 6-mile round-trip run on the Currahee Mountain, which was near the training camp.

As the men from the ‘Easy Company’ completed their initial training, they were sent to join other American troops in England. This was to tackle the possible invasion of Europe by the Germans.

Just before he embarked on his first mission, he came to know about the death of his older brother, who was also in the army. Hence, William also had a personal reason to fight: to avenge his brother’s death. This led him to be extremely violent and reckless on the battlefield, which earned him the nickname “Wild Bill.”

He joined Lieutenant Richard Winters in Normandy, France, in June 1944. The soldiers were asked to secure a small village there, which would block the way leading to the beach. However, the German soldiers arrived unexpectedly to bring supplies, and William and his battalion took ambush positions. His commanding officer, Richard Winters, did not give any order to attack, but William opened fire on the Germans.

It was a reckless behavior that was punishable, but William successfully killed most of the German unit. He later said in his defense that he had thought Winters was hesitant to give a shootout order.

William later became involved in ‘Operation Market Garden,’ which was the largest airborne operation in the war till that point. The mission involved securing a series of bridges in the Netherlands, which would allow the ‘Allied’ armies to easily make their way into the German lowlands.

However, the mission failed, as the German troops were better prepared than the ‘Easy Company’ had imagined.

In October 1944, he was badly wounded while riding a motorcycle to join his troops on the south side of the Rhine. He had stolen a farmer’s motorcycle to reach the venue to motivate his troops. However, he was shot in the leg.

He was admitted to a hospital in England. However, he was so reckless that he became eager to join the ‘Easy Company’ without even healing completely and thus fled from the hospital. He came very close to being court-martialed. He later said that he feared that he would be assigned to a different company.

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He was thus demoted to the position of private after he was caught by a senior officer and then returned to the hospital. William was so stubborn that he told them he wished to go on an “absence without leave” (AWOL). He spent one more week at the hospital before he rejoined the ‘Easy Company,’ just before they were to start a mission to Belgium.

He was sent to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and was reinstated in his previous position in the ‘Easy Company.’ This was due to the late execution of the paperwork about him being court-martialed for defying orders.

While fighting, a bullet hit him on his right leg while he was trying to drag his friend Joe Toye to safety. This injury ended William’s stint in the war, as he ended up losing his leg.

Despite his eccentric behavior on the battlefield, he was admired for his bravery. He was decorated with a ‘Silver Star,’ three ‘Bronze Stars,’ and two ‘Purple Hearts.’

Lieutenant Richard Winters mentioned William as a “natural killer” in his book ‘Beyond Band of Brothers.’

Later Life & Death

William Guarnere married his girlfriend, Frances Peca, in 1945. They had two sons.

He used an artificial leg for a while but threw it away later.

He wrote a memoir titled ‘Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends’ along with journalist Robyn Post and his long-time friend Edward "Babe" Heffron.

He passed away from a ruptured aneurysm on March 8, 2014. He was 90 years old at the time of his death.

Facts About William Guarnere

William Guarnere, known as "Wild Bill," was a highly respected and decorated soldier who served in Easy Company during World War II.

Despite losing a leg during the war, Guarnere remained fiercely independent and continued to lead an active and fulfilling life.

Guarnere was known for his sense of humor and quick wit, which helped boost morale among his fellow soldiers during difficult times.

Guarnere's bravery and dedication to his comrades earned him the respect and admiration of all who knew him, both on and off the battlefield.

William Guarnere Biography

You wanted to know

What military unit was William Guarnere a part of during World War II?

What was William Guarnere's nickname?

Where did William Guarnere participate in combat during World War II?

Was William Guarnere portrayed in a popular TV miniseries about World War II?

Did William Guarnere receive any military honors for his service?