2nd Lieutenant Clifford Carwood Lipton was a commissioned officer in Easy Company and a major figure in Band of Brothers. He is the focus in Part Seven of the HBO series adaptation, "The Breaking Point."
Biography[]
Lipton was born in Huntington, West Virginia on January 30, 1920.
Lipton was first seen being criticized by Herbert Sobel for an "Irish Pennant (loose thread)" on his chevrons (he had been promoted from Private to Sergeant) in Episode 1. He later ran up Currahee mountain with the rest of the men.
After receiving their jump wings and training at Camp Mackall, Company E then headed to Aldbourne, England for the invasion of Europe. There, Lipton and the other NCOs, headed by SSgt. Ranney and SSgt. Harris, proposed a mutiny against Herbert Sobel, saying they no longer wish to serve as a noncommissioned officer in Easy Company. Colonel Robert F. Sink, the commander of the 506th chewed them out, but let them go. Sobel was then transferred to Chilton Foliat, and was replaced by 1st Lt. Meehan.
At Upottery, England, Lipton was told by Sgt. Martin that William Guarnere's brother had been killed at Monte Casino, Italy. Lipton advised Martin to inform Guarnere, but Martin warned that it wouldn't be a good idea before the invasion. Guarnere eventually found out though, but seemed fit.
During the invasion, Lipton lost his weapons in the course of the jump, except for some explosives (grenades and TNT) and his knife. He tagged along with Privates McDowell and Olsen from the 82nd Airborne. He met 1st Lt. Richard Winters and Private John Hall from Able Company and tagged along. They then met up with Private Wynn, Sgt Guarnere, Pvt. Malarkey, and Cpl. Joe Toye. They met a German patrol, and were able to kill them all.
They then made it to a town called Sainte-Mère-Église, where Lipton and a couple others were ordered to attack a German battery of 88s at Brecourt Manor. There, he sniped a couple of Germans, before crawling to join Winters and his group. On his way, he met Warrent Officer Andrew Hill, who asked where Regimental HQ was. "Are you kidding!?" Lipton yelled. "It's back that way!" as he pointed behind. Hill looked up, and was hit in the head by a bullet, killing him. Lipton made it, but realized his TNT might not be needed, since they already destroyed three cannons. Lipton was able to use it on one though.
They then went to the town of Carentan in Episode 3. They met heavy resistance, but held on. As Lipton was directing men, a shell landed in front of him, and he was launched by the concussion into a wall. Talbert came to help. Lipton was bleeding in the cheek and hand from shrapnel. He then noticed blood at his groin. Talbert was able to open his pants up, and checked it. "You're okay, Lip. Everything's right where it should be." he reassured Lipton.
Lipton returned to Easy Company, recovering from his wounds, (with a scar on his cheek to show for it), and had been promoted to First Sergeant, replacing James L. Diel, who had himself replaced William Evans, who was killed during the drop on D-Day.
Later, Easy Company landed in Holland for Operation Market Garden, but met little resistance. That is, until the Germans attacked them at Nuenen with Tiger Tanks. As they were retreating from their first defeat, Lipton read out the casualty list to Winters from Easy. "We got four dead; eleven injured. Oh, and sir, Randleman's missing." Randleman later returned, and Easy moved out to Holland Crossroads.
At the Crossroads, Lipton and Easy quickly defeated a group of German soldiers, with one dead (Dukeman) and twenty two wounded (including Sgt. Boyle and Pvt. Webster).
Lipton and Easy then headed to the Ardennes forest in Belgium on the outskirts of the town of Bastogne. In the forest, the men were heavily undersupplied, and were suffering heavy casualties.
Lipton was sitting at a tree, when the Company's new commander, 1st Lt. Dike started asking questions. Where he was from, and if he missed it. "Honestly sir, I try not to think about it." He was then asked what made him decide to join the paratroopers. "I wanted to be with the best, sir." Lipton was about to ask where Dike was from, but noticed that Dike was walking away. Lipton chuckled.
During a bombardment, Lipton narrated a story saying that it reminded him of fireworks on the Fourth of July. He began laughing. He continued the narration by wondering aloud what had happened to Joe Toye. He heard someone saying "I need to get up." Guarnere knew that it was Toye, and went to help him. Lipton warned him, but Guarnere ignored him. Guarnere returned, dragging Toye, who had blood leaking from the stump of his leg. Suddenly, the bombardment started again, and Guarnere was hit by a shell, also causing him to lose his leg.
The real Carwood Lipton
Lipton later told T-4 George Luz that his mimicking of Dike was well done, but to not do it anymore. Just then, another bombardment began, and Luz jumped into Lipton's foxhole. "Muck and Penkala got hit!" he yelled. Just then a shell landed in Lipton and Luz's foxhole. But it was a dud. Luz lit a cigarette, and started smoking. Lipton took the cigarette, and for the first time ever, smoked. They then checked Muck and Penkala's ruined foxhole. There wasn't much to see. They had been blown up.
Lipton and Easy went on to capture Foy, and received a new commander, 1st Lt. Spiers, as Dike had been relieved for shell shock. Lipton had also received a commission as an officer.
Another photo of the real Carwood Lipton
While in Germany, he and Easy Company liberated a concentration camp, giving Lipton a shocking sight of the cruelty of the holocaust.
After the war, Lipton finished school, and became a manufacturer of glass products and plastics packaging at Owens Illinois Inc, eventually rising to Chief Operator in 1952.
He then moved to Bridgeton, New Jersey in 1966, and was made Administrative Manager. He eventually married a woman named Marie, and had three sons named Clifford Carwood III, Thomas, and Robert Dulain.
He and his family then moved to London, England in 1971, where he became the Director of Manufacturing for eight different glass companies in Scotland and England. He then retired in 1983 from his post as Director of International Development. He lived out his retirement years in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
He was interviewed for Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose in 1992, and was interviewed for the series in 2001.
C. Carwood Lipton died on December 16, 2001 of pulmonary fibrosis in Southern Pines, North Carolina. He was survived by his wife Marie and his three sons, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
An older Lipton