Remembering D-day: Personal Histories of Everyday Heroes

Remembering D-day: Personal Histories of Everyday Heroes
Martin Bowman

Seventy years on, D-Day remains the greatest combined military operation of all time. Published in association with the Imperial War Museum, this is a remarkable collection of the stories of those who took part.June 6th 1944 saw the greatest combined military operation of all time and subsequently D-day has become known as the single most crucial watershed of the last century. To commemorate this event, Martin Bowman has compiled a unique collection of personal narratives of those who were part of this extraordinary moment in history.Unique in its treatment, this book includes a range of experiences from civilians as well as all ranks from air, land and naval services reflecting the fact that this was a combined operation and not simply a land invasion as it’s often portrayed. Significantly these fascinating accounts, many sourced from Martin Bowman’s extensive contacts with international veterans associations, have been found from all the major nations that took part on the day to authentically represent the combined accomplishment of services and nations.The book also includes sidebars and information boxes of fascinating factual detail that both anchor the stories to the chronological history of the day and bring the events into pin-point clarity.

Memorial stained glass window in Portsmouth Cathedral.

Map (#ulink_2817073f-860a-5d11-a8b2-a68dfcfc0911)

Nations represented in the stained glass window in Portsmouth Cathedral.

Contents

Cover (#u021aef1d-9615-5098-8cab-8a45e52d00a8)

Title Page (#uecb0bbc0-2743-5896-9a3f-7dc2b00a42fb)

Map (#ulink_b217ac12-7304-5e1b-92fe-b19ec072cf1e)

Home Front – Second Front (#ulink_8d795f96-66b1-5d48-b5cf-bb74e906d015)

Screaming Eagles and the All Americans (#ulink_45900c18-2e28-53a9-97ae-fb7f7c67c3bc)

Winged Pegasus (#ulink_87948480-957f-501d-9c55-1733c465e868)

Bloody Omaha (#litres_trial_promo)

Utah (#litres_trial_promo)

Sword (#litres_trial_promo)

Gold (#litres_trial_promo)

Juno (#litres_trial_promo)

A Foothold on the Continent of Europe (#litres_trial_promo)

Glossary (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements and Contributors (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

A watercolour of the end of Mulberry ‘A’.

American troops embarking on LCAs at a south coast port.

National Archives

1 Home Front – Second Front (#ulink_9dae40c0-2687-59c5-af92-2aec56a71c93)

‘Unless we can land overwhelming forces and beat the Nazis in battle in France, Hitler will never be defeated. So this must be your prime task.’

Winston Churchill’s orders to Lord Mountbatten in 1942.

In spring 1943 at the Anglo-American TRIDENT conference the British Chiefs of Staff committed themselves to Overlord and the Combined Chiefs issued their Directive to General F. E. Morgan, who had been appointed Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (Designate) ‘COSSAC’ at the Casablanca Conference:

‘To mount and carry out an operation, with forces and equipment established in the United Kingdom and with target date 1 May 1944, to secure a lodgement on the Continent from which further offensive operations could be developed. The lodgement area must contain sufficient port facilities to maintain a force of some 26 to 30 divisions and enable that force to be augmented by follow-up shipments from the United States or elsewhere of additional divisions and supporting units at the rate of three to five divisions per month.’

The target date of 1 May 1944 for invasion was later postponed a month to enable extra landing craft to be built and the initial assault was expanded from three to five Army divisions. Overlord proceeded in London under the direction of General Morgan and Brigadier-General R. W. Barker, who set up an Anglo-American HQ for the eventual Supreme Commander and prepared an outline plan for the invasion of North-West Europe from Britain. But where would the attack take place?

General Eisenhower and senior officers during a visit to the 2nd TAF station at Dunsfold.

John Bateman

‘The Pas-de-Calais has many obvious advantages such as that good air support and quick turn-around for our shipping can be achieved. On the other hand, it is a focal point of the enemy fighters disposed for defence and the maximum air activity can be brought to bear over this area with the minimum movement of his Air Forces. Moreover, the Pas-de-Calais is the most strongly defended area of the whole French coast . . . Further this area does not offer good opportunities for expansion . . . the Caen sector is weakly held; the defences are relatively light and the beaches are of high capacity and sheltered from the prevailing winds. Inland the terrain is suitable for airfield development and for the consolidation of the initial bridgehead; and much of it is unfavourable for counter-attacks by panzer divisions. Maximum enemy air opposition can only be brought to bear at the expense of the air defence screen covering the approaches to Germany and the limited number of enemy airfields within range of the Caen area facilitates the local neutralization of the German fighter force . . . In the light of these factors it is considered that our initial landing on the Continent should be effected in the Caen area with a view to the eventual seizure of the lodgement area comprising the Cherbourg/Brittany group of ports.

Seine Bay, the area of Normandy chosen for the assault, is some 50 miles across and stretches from Barfleur eastwards to the mouth of the Seine. Because it was ultimately intended that American forces should be supplied directly from the United States, their troops were assigned to the western sector, while the British and Canadian beaches were in the eastern sector. The invasion would necessitate 24 different embarkation points spread over 1,000 miles of British coastline, made necessary by the total loading capacity in 24 hours, since the assault and follow-up had to load simultaneously. The British would load from Yarmouth to Portsmouth and the Americans from Southampton to Milford Haven. Each of the 24 points required its own embarkation camp, marshalling and concentration area and special road layout – many of which had to be either built or greatly improved.

Countdown

26 January 1942

PFC Milburn Henke, of Hutchison, Minnesota is the first of two million American soldiers to arrive in Britain during the buildup to D-Day.

March 1942

BBC broadcasts a Royal Navy plea for holiday snaps of French coast to help map coastal areas. 30,000 letters arrive the following day.

19 August 1942

In a disastrous rehearsal for D-Day of 6,100 men involved in the landings at Dieppe, France, only 2,500 return. One German company repels three battalions of mainly Canadian troops, taking 2,000 prisoners and killing 1,000. Enemy losses are less than 600. The raid proves the need for overwhelming force and heavy bombardment and that a floating harbour would need to be taken.

‘Phoenix Rising’.

U.S Navy Combat Art Collection

Brigadier Tom Collins

Director of Movements for Continental Operations October 1943–June 1944.

‘Broadly, the requirements for the coastline and hinterland where the huge embarkation operation was to take place, were: no tide, so that loading at the hards or ramps could take place 24 hours out of 24 and hinterland which was hard and flat, with good road access or surface with no need for road building or improvement, with loading points where one wanted them and not dictated by inland access. The hinterland also needed to be suitable for construction of embarkation camps, with marshalling camps behind them where men and vehicles were to get into their craft loads and – further back – concentration areas to which units were to proceed from their home stations. Good road access from one to another was imperative. Added to that, good depth of water at loading points was essential, so that craft could load without danger.

‘North Africa for the Sicily landings was perfect: no tide, no road problems on the hard sand, and camps and areas could be established precisely where required. England, on the other hand, could not have been worse. The change of tide around our shores is so great (24 feet each 24 hours), our coastline is intricate and deep water rarely lies close in. Also, the coastal roads and lanes are so winding and the country inland from the coast so enclosed for creating camps or areas, which could feed from one to the other . . . The operation, which could have been mounted on 15–20 miles of the African coast, was spread from Yarmouth to Milford Haven . . . spreading well over 1,000 miles with its estuaries and inlets. Even with the large number of embarkation points the loading of vehicles for the assault and follow-up had to begin six days before D-Day . . . D-Day was not only the greatest combined operation ever undertaken: it was the greatest that ever will be.’

US Supply Officer, May 1944