Weymouth Bay, South of England, 6pm, 5 June 1944
The rumble of anchor chains spread in Weymouth Harbor this early evening in June. The USS Samuel Chase (APA-26), USS Henrico (APA-45) and SS Empire Javelin[1] were all ready to sail. These belonged to "Strength O", whose mission was to land on Omaha Beach, punch a hole in the German Atlantic Wall and create a bridgehead there. If they are successful, they would be able to build up forces for a later outbreak, the liberation of France and the final defeat of Germany. Appropriate tasks were assigned to Strength U, G, J and S.[2]
The soldiers, who the day before had been transported to the ships in LCVPs[3], stood along the ship's railings and watched the number of ships in the harbor with wide eyes.
The soldiers from the 16th Infantry Regiment may have forgotten the dangers they would be exposed to just twelve hours later for a few minutes. The ports and bays between Portland and Weymouth were packed with ships of all shapes and sizes. The piers and quays were packed with landing craft all very close together. Over the impressive armada, countless barrier balloons swung in the wind to protect against possible German air strikes. Pennants and flags fluttered and snapped when the wind grabbed them. Full radio silence was introduced, and communication between the ships was accomplished by using flags and Morse lamps.
The wind was fresh out in the bay the afternoon of, June 5, 1944. Captain Charles M. Hangsterfer, commanding Headquarter Company,[4] lit a cigar as he stood leaning over the ship’s railing onboard the USS Chase. On deck, several LCVPs were placed ready for landing when in just over 9 hours they would receive the order to load on board. Good, he thought. At least the soldiers did not have to climb down the side of the ship using cargo nets.
The use of climbing nets always created situations where someone fell or was squeezed between the side of the ship and the landing boat. The 26-year-old Hangsterfer,[5] on the other hand, was worried that this time they would land on the coast of France in broad daylight. The previous landings in which he had participated, in Africa and Sicily, had been sheltered from the darkness. And he could well remember how naked he had felt when they were captured in Sicily by a German searchlight. Fortunately, it had been taken out of the navy in the first salvo. This time they were to land in front of the enemy's weapon in broad daylight.
On board the USS Samuel Chase was also the 30-year-old photographer for Life Magazine, Robert Capa. He had already been made famous because of the pictures he had taken during the Spanish Civil War, the Blitz over England, and of Italian children in the ruins of Naples.[6] Now he was one of four American photographers selected to cover the invasion of the European continent by American forces. He too was fascinated by what he saw, both out on the bay and on board the fully loaded boat.
Some cable lengths away, the USS Henrico was under way. The men on board belonged to the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Infantry Regiment. To them, it all seemed like a huge fleet maneuver in which all types of vessels participated. Slowly they steamed out along with hundreds of other ships. The wind and sea were increasing, and the soldiers at the ships rail sought cover. Many of them felt a creeping feeling of seasickness.
One of the soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, Captain Edward F. Wozenski, observed as the ships came together to form a tight line. The 29-year-old captain from Bristol in the United States had been called up as a reservist in 1937 and entered active service in July 1941. Wozenski was a seasoned company commander and highly respected by his soldiers in Company E. Eleven months earlier, on July 11, 1943, he and his 50 men and officers had repulsed a counterattack by the Germans against the Gela-Niscemi sector in Sicily. He had single-handedly knocked out two enemy tanks and inspired his men to fight in a seemingly hopeless situation. For that action he had been awarded a DSC (Distinguished Service Cross).
Second Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Hicks, consisted of Companies E (Captain Edward F. Wozenski), F (Captain John Finke), G (Captain Joseph Dawson) and H (Captain Robert Irvine). Companies E and F were to go ashore first, with G and H close behind. Along with Wozenski were Lieutenant John Spalding and T / Sgt Phillip Streczyk, who were to lead the 1st Section into the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach in the first wave of attacks, along with the rest of the E and F companies. H-hour was set for 06:30. Streczyk was a very combat-experienced soldier who had been with the regiment since North Africa, while Spalding was without combat experience.
Captain John Finke also alongeside the ship's railing on the USS Henrico and followed the ships that increased their speed into the English Channel. He quickly turned his back on the wind, fished out a cigarette and lit it. Unlike Wozenski, who was heavily built, Finke was of a relatively thin build. Finke was from Wicksburg, Mississipi. The year before, in August 1943, he was awarded the DSC for his heroic efforts at Troina, Sicily. Now he was on his way to another landing.
Joseph (Joe) Dawson, the company commander in Company G, followed what was happening around the ship. The darkness had begun to subside, and the visibility became less. Joe Dawson, 30, of Waco, Texas, was a former oil geologist. He thought about the tasks ahead of them the next morning. The men were ready. An intense training in recent months, and studies of table models in sand and photographs had almost made them "locally known" at the place where they were to go ashore.
Out in the English Channel, the sea became heavy. The wind tore the top of the waves off, turning the water into white veils. For most of the soldiers, this was more than what they could withstand at sea. Many became unwell and had to lie down. Others vomited on the deck and over the railing. The invading armada was enroute with its thousands of ships and soldiers.
Lieutenant David A. Bramlett, second-in-command of Company I, 18th Infantry Regiment, followed the commotion on the bay with crushing calm. The 28-year-old, powerful lieutenant had been through this twice before with "The Big Red One"[7] in Africa and Sicily respectively. His thoughts wandered for a moment to his wife at home in Shreveport, Louisiana, before he again mentally went through the tasks the company was set for the next morning.
David had been drafted into the service as early as June 17, 1941. Something he was very disappointed about. He had just completed his junior year in college and was looking forward to a wonderful senior year. He had just been elected President of the Student Senate and Alternate Captain of the football team. It was going to be the peak of his enjoyment of college life with his involvement in student organizations and position as alternate captain of the football team. He had really looked forward to a fantastic last year at the college. After his opinion the local Draft Board could have deferred his entry into the Army for at least one year.
He had at least been celebrated with a farewell party at the school in Natchitoches, Louisiana, before he left with the clear attitude that he would only serve one year of service, and then return to school. The United States was still not involved in the war at that time, but now three years had passed, and he was still in the service.
Among the many ships now sailing out into the English Channel was the SS Empire Javelin, a large landing craft and mother ship of the 551 Landing Craft Assault (LCA) Flotilla. The flotilla had six landing crafts on board the Javelin and two more on board the H.M.S. Prince Charles. The second in command of the 551 LCA Flotilla, Lieutenant Jimmy Green, was in charge of landing Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment[8] on the "Dog Green" sector of Omaha Beach.[9] 32 of the soldiers in Company A came from the small town of Bedford, Virginia.
Among them is Captain Taylor Nicholas Fellers, the company commander, who would turn 30 on June 10.
The first assault company was called "the suicide wave." They were to be landed at 06:30 right downhill where the road goes up to Vierville-sur-Mer. Fellers was skeptical of his mission. Yes, of the whole operation. The closer they got to the gangway, the more skeptical he became.
The planners kept telling them how it would be all over in an instant:
"The air force would remove the strongpoints and in the same operation ensure that the beach would be dotted with bomb craters which in turn would provide good coverage. Closest to count as finished trenches. Blasting experts would make sure to remove all mines and other fortifications that Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had deployed. If anything were to escape the bombers, the battleship USS Texas would take care of it. "
And the infantry would be supported by Sherman tanks on the beach. These were equipped with "skirts" of tarpaulin that allowed them to be launched from landing craft and "swim" onto the beach.
At one of the briefings, Fellers could not keep silent any longer.
"Sir, I could probably take an automatic rifle with me and hold the beach alone". He received no answer. After the meeting, he had told his friend Ray Nance, "We're all going to be killed, Ray."
Off the coast of the Ilse of Weight, the evening of June 5th
Along the entire south-east coast of England from Falmouth in the south to Newhaven in the north, the entire mighty armada was gathered and about to sail into the English Channel.
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Among the ships in the armada, which steamed out from Warsash, between Southampton and Portsmouth, was LSI HMS Princess Astrid. On board were top-trained soldiers from the 1st Special Service Brigade[10] with a course for Sword Beach. One of the commandos, Corporal Kenneth Phillott, followed excitedly what was going on at the sea. He studied the gray, dark shadows of countless ships almost disappearing with the Isle of Weight in the background. The sharp bows of the warships cut elegantly through heavy waves. Other types of ships took a more dramatic picture where the sea sprayed the deck, equipment and men with ice cold water. They were not yet completely out in the Channel, where the sea went significantly higher. He could not see any lighted lanterns. No other lights either. Phillott looked at the other commandos standing around him. He was proud to be one of them.
For many of them, it was the first time they were going into battle. For Phillott, it was far from the first time. He had taken part in the fighting in France in 1940 and was left there after Dunkirk. The evacuation was something he first heard about when he later returned to England. In September 1940, he joined the commandos. Phillott received his baptism of fire as a commando soldier during the Lofoten raid in March 1941.
Another aboard Princess Astrid was the soon-to-be 21-year-old William Hubert Bidmead. Unlike Phillott, he had no fighting experience. He wanted to be a sailor when the war was over. Although he felt a hint of sea sickness, he firmly believed that was what he wanted.
Bill Mills, coxswain on one of the landing crafts that was to lead the 4th Commando into Sword Beach, was also on-board Princess Astrid. He was a little bit nervous about the landing. Would it be a success, or a failure like Dieppe, he had heard so much about. Would they face a lot of resistance? Mines? The Germans' infamous 88 mm and machine guns? The best thing was to try not to think so much about it. Mills did not yet know where to land the soldiers.
A large fist lay down on his shoulder. He turned and looked straight into the face of Sergeant Sidney Mullard, one of those he was to lead onto the beach.
Mullard smiled and said, "Remember to put us ashore dry-shod." The sergeant disappeared as soon as he spoke.
On board another landing craft, Jack Arnall was already getting seasick. He stayed close to the Sherman tank standing on deck. Arnall's unit, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment was to land at Sword Beach. Four years earlier, on June 1, 1940, he had been evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk. The seasickness, on the other hand, took all his attention. He was downright miserable.
The troop commander[11], Captain M. E. Roose, watched his crew. He was especially worried about Arnall, who seemed to be suffering terribly from seasickness. The others, driver Charlie Weeks, gunner Jackson and Curtiss, radio operator, seemed to be doing well. Arnall was an assistant observer under Roose in his chariot nicknamed R.E. The tank was in reality an observation post that was to observe and direct fire for the field artillery. Many of these "observation posts" were equipped only with light weapons. R.E. on the other hand, had both machine guns and a 75 mm cannon.
Not far from the ship with Arnall and Captain Roose, Corporal Robert S. Shann, of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers,[12] observed the huge invasion fleet. Not in his wildest thoughts had he thought that there were so many ships. Behind them, the entrance to Portsmouth disappeared, and he noticed that the boys around him were a little quieter than usual. Everyone had their own thoughts. Robert wondered what lay ahead of them and whether he would be alive the next night.
His brother James, who was in the same squad as he was, had contracted the flu and remained in the camp in England. The two had been together since before Dunkirk, so it felt strange that he was not there now. Shann obviously had some idea of what awaited them on the other side of the Channel. At the age of 22, he had taken part in the fighting in Belgium and France and had been evacuated from Dunkirk. Now, four years later, they were finally on their way back to teach the Germans a lesson. He found a quiet place sheltered from the wind and sat down to write a final letter to his mother. They were allowed to write that they were in the middle of the Channel waiting to invade the coast of France. The letter was sent afterwards, of course.
According to the plan, the Kings' Own Scottish Borderers would land on Sword Beach and take part in the capture of Caen on D-Day.
Another of Kings' Own Scottish Borderers, Field Chaplain Iain Wilson, looked out across the foam-whipped Channel. Behind them, the Isle of Weight disappeared. Although the sight of the invasion fleet was impressive, his thoughts were on what was to happen the next morning. Would they succeed in landing? How many would have to pay the ultimate price? He tried to shake his worries off and went below deck.
The armada sailed into the darkness on its way to the fate that awaited them far ahead.
[1] Was a LCI (Landing Craft Infantry)
[2] O for Omaha, U for Utah, G for Gold, J for Juno and S for Sword. These were the five Beaches which according to plans should provide the Allies with a big enough concentration area for the outbreak from the Bridgehead.
[3] Landing Craft Vehicle & Personnel
[4] 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
[5] Correspondence with Author
[6] http:// www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/06/photographer-robert-capa-d-day (By Marie Brenner 2014
[7] Nick name for 1st US Infantry Division.
[8] 29th Infantry Division
[9] Jimmy Green, WW2 People›s War, contributed by Kevan Elsby
[10] 1st Special Service Brigade bestod av Nos 3, 4, 6 and 45 (RM) Commandos
[11] E-troop
[12] 9. Brigade, 3. Britisch Infantry Division