D-Day Survivors Share Memories

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had to take a gamble and hope the weather would hold June 6, 1944.

Allied land, air and sea forces worked together, storming five beaches in Normandy, France, against the Germans.

According to the National World War II Museum, “The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day. Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300.” These veterans offer memories of that day.

“We were shipped to Chilton-Foliat, England, which became our home while we trained for the D-Day invasion with night jumps and maneuvers. We were restricted to our camp and not allowed to have any interaction with the townspeople for fear of leaking plans for the invasion. “The evening of June 5, 1944, we knew it was the real thing when we put on our equipment and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower walked through the ranks and talked to the troops. As light began to fade, we walked to our places and put on the more than 100 pounds of equipment. ... “Approaching the coast of France, our plane began bucking and lurching as anti-aircraft fire started, mixed with machine gun tracer fire. The pilots were supposed to stay in formation and drop us in planned drop zones, but many broke formation and dropped troopers all over the peninsula. Our pilot dropped us relatively close to our drop zone, but much too low to the ground and at a speed that tore much of the equipment off our bodies when the parachute’s opening shock hit.

“The landing was very hard, but I was unhurt. The first person I encountered was a man in my squad who said he’d been hit and couldn’t get out of his chute. I cut him out and after checking him over we decided he landed so hard with all the equipment on top of him that he thought he’d been hit. There was machine gunfire over our heads, so we headed in the opposite direction and by sheer luck walked onto a lane where we soon bumped into four or five other members of our company. We then headed for the beach, where we were to secure the causeway.

“Just as it began to get light, we had our first casualty. A sniper in a farmhouse killed one of our men as he approached the house. We were sobered by the sight of many collapsed parachutes with boots protruding. “As we looked toward the beach, we could see hundreds of figures coming down the causeway ... and we realized they were Germans. They didn’t see us until we stood up and demanded they surrender. They did.”

“It was a cold day in February when we deployed from Boston Harbor for the European Theater of Operation. ... We landed in Llandudno, Wales, and soon after left by bus to Diss, England, home of the 365th Hospital and Air Base. Many of the nurses had been there before us and were dating officers from the 365th. They knew from their conversations that there was a big invasion brewing. “On June 6, we were awakened very early in the morning, and the sky was full of our planes. ... It was supposed to be a surprise to the Germans, but evidently not surprise enough, as they had made bunkers all up and down the mountain and killed many of our veterans when they first came ashore. It was a very sad time for us and the base, as they lost many men and planes.”

Roe got on an old British freighter in Southampton, England, and sailed into the English Channel. On June 6, 1944, at 2:25 a.m., 32 battleships and destroyers were behind him.

“Sitting there, I could see Omaha Beach. They were shooting these big shells over our heads — that concussion from the shells took the leaves off the trees and took my ears too,” Roe said. They were shooting at the Germans on the hills, so the troops could invade the beaches.

The Germans were prepared. Land mines were strung throughout the beaches and obstacles were scattered about. Ships would get caught on them, making the men easy targets. The Germans built a sea wall at the foot of a 150-foot bluff, with thick concrete walls with pillboxes. They were round, and when shells hit them, they’d bounce off. The Allied Forces had to throw rope ladders over the wall, sneak up and throw hand grenades to kill the Germans. Sometimes the Germans would cut the ropes, killing everyone on them.

The firing continued more than 24 hours. After things settled down, Roe boarded a boat that took him ashore about 7 p.m. Dead Americans were being hauled away as quickly as possible, but the Germans left their soldiers. As Americans walked through the bodies, some looked for keepsakes, especially the Germans’ pistols. As a result, the Germans placed fake guns in their belts with grenades attached. “There wasn’t anything they (Germans) didn’t do,” Roe said.

Sgt. Nienhueser’s unit, 819th Aviation Engineer Battalion, was scheduled to land on Utah Beach. “As we came into range of the enemy’s guns, German shell fire was being directed at us. Luckily, many of the shells hit the water, creating large geysers of water spouting upwards,” he said. The first assault force had only landed minutes earlier, at 6:30 a.m.

When the landing craft tank stopped about 500 feet from shore, Nienhueser drove his Caterpillar into the 4 feet of water. He carried an incendiary device, so if the Germans captured them, he could blow up the Caterpillar. “One German artillery shell hit within 10 feet of me,” Nienhueser said. “By the grace of God, the shrapnel blew upwards, but the concussion knocked me down, but I was unhurt.”

I think Kenneth Cordry is a relative of someone I know near Fort Leonard Wood; I may have met Kenneth Cordry recently at a funeral for a younger brother. If so, I regret not thanking him for his service in World War II. But regardless of whether I have met him or not, all of these veterans need to be thanked, and thanked often.

I see this often on bumper stickers around here since teaching is a common occupation of military wives: “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a soldier.”

Unlike many of our wars, World War II really was a war for survival of freedom and Western civilization. If it were not for our World War II veterans, we would today be speaking either German or Japanese. Not that other veterans aren’t important; they most emphatically are, and Vietnam vets especially need to be thanked since too many of them got anything but thanks when they returned. I know one Vietnam veteran who never received a single word of thanks until a few years ago, and literally broke down crying when hearing those words for the first time.

But with World War II veterans, many of whom are close to death, let’s never forget what they did for us. Our world would be a very different place if it were not for what they did.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.