NORMANDY

One day while in Normandy, Col. Eaton, Jim LaNasa and I visited the beaches where the troops had landed on D-Day, June 7th. It was amazing; there were hundreds of ships of all sizes in the water that had been hit and ruined by German artillery. The beaches ended at hills rising as much as 50 feet to the top, where the Germans had fortifications of cement with walls 2 to 3 feet thick, so that fire from the Allied ships had to make a direct hit to make any damage, if any. I recall that I mentioned to the Colonel and Jim that every soldier who survived deserved at least a Silver Star for bravery! The Allied soldiers after getting out of landing craft had to cross a wide beach where they were open to fire from the Germans about 50 feet overhead, and then had to scale the hill to get to the top, all the while the Germans were shooting down at them. It was a scene I never forgot. I have seen pictures of the beaches taken much later when the damaged ships had all been removed, but seeing hundreds of ships and landing craft at that date is something I never forgot.

A few days later our Colonel hosted a dinner for about 12 officers of the battalion at a restaurant he had located in his “travels”, a real French treat. There was a big sign on the building, “Off Limits To All Troops.” We parked behind the building where our vehicles couldn’t be seen. Had a great meal! Before we left for the front lines the Colonel and I went into Cherbourg to buy some shoes, the U.S.A. had already gotten into business in France!