My Time Travle

How it all started

It's 12:15 p.m. here in southern Norway. I’ve just returned from an invigorating hour-long walk with my dog, Gioia. Afterward, I made a quick trip to the recycling facility to drop off some waste.

As I sit down at my PC, I reflect on the simple joys of the morning: the crisp air during our walk, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and Gioia’s curious sniffing, accompanied by her happily rotating tail. With a warm cup of coffee at my side, I’m ready to organize my mission for the day. What meaningful tasks await me? Only time will tell, but I'm eager to make the most of this beautiful day.

As I reflect on my commitment to the Normandy campaign from decades past, I cannot help but wonder what initially sparked my deep interest in this significant chapter of history. While I took the first steps to cultivate my interest, it was the unwavering support, trust, and encouragement of the veterans that truly propelled me forward. Their steadfast dedication to the cause inspired me to persevere, even in the face of challenges and setbacks.

Without their encouragement, I might have given up on the project altogether. Looking back, I realize it was the collective passion and determination of everyone involved that ultimately sustained this endeavor. Their stories, sacrifices, and resilience created a powerful bond, reminding me that history is not just about events—it's about the people who lived it. This shared journey transformed my initial curiosity into a lifelong commitment to honoring their legacy.

How it all started.

In the early 1970s, the absence of the internet and email posed a significant challenge for an amateur historian like myself when attempting to trace veterans from various countries involved in the fighting in Normandy in 1944. Traveling to the United States by airplane was uncommon and not particularly affordable during that time, so I had to rely on traditional mail as my primary means of communication.

To begin my search, I contacted the embassies of the countries involved, who were kind enough to provide me with addresses and contacts in their respective nations. Additionally, I sought assistance from veteran associations, requesting them to include small notices in their journals about a historian and writer based in Norway who was seeking eyewitnesses and participants of the Normandy campaign.

It was indeed a laborious process, but through persistent efforts and assistance from various sources, I eventually managed to establish connections with American, Canadian, English, Polish, German, and Austrian veterans from Normandy. The absence of Technology certainly required patience, determination, and a reliance on traditional means of communication.

.A few weeks after it began to come letters directly from the veterans. Sometimes short and concise with "I was there. What can I do for you?" Someone sent page after page with exciting stories, copies of maps, photographs and documents. Never have I experienced anything like such helpfulness and interest. In periods I received 10-15 letters every single day. Postman wondered what was going on.

These letters were supposed to be read through and often answered with follow-up questions. Eventually it was many letters. Thick binders began to fill the shelves. New challenge was to keep track of what I had of "substance" and where. Which units (divisions, regiments etc.) the different veteran belonged to and where they had participated. Stories should be verified as well as it was possible.

Already in the seventies, I had clear thoughts that I would write two books based on interviews. One D-Day June 6 until July 24, 1944. The second book would cover the period 24 July to 24 August 1944.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

Then, one day in autumn 1979, I received a phone call from a publisher in Norway. The man at the other end of the line enthusiastically told me that he was sitting with a brick of a manuscript in front of him on his desk. He just wanted to inform that this was incredibly interesting and exciting and that they would be in touch later.

I had sent the manuscript only a few days earlier and was almost in shock at the quick response and enthusiasm. It was too incredible to be true.

And, that's exactly what it was. A few weeks later, the same person called me and was very upset. The book project had been processed and presented all the way up to the publisher's board. But, it was too big for them. Ok, it was a downer like no other of course, but with enthusiasm and encouragement from both the veterans, friends and family I hung on. The book was not rejected due to the story, but because the project was too big.  

Experiencing a big up and down is a rollercoaster of emotions, with “up” feelings of excitement, happiness, and pride but “down” feelings of disappointment, frustration, and anger, particularly if unexpected. Both experiences are temporary, and it's important to keep perspective, learn from failures, and celebrate successes to handle future challenges better.

Life is full of ups and downs, and it’s how we handle these experiences that shapes who we are. It’s important to stay grounded and keep perspective, even when things get though. We should celebrate our successes and learn from our failures, so that we’re better equipped to handle whatever comes our way in the future.

What I learned was that patience and perseverance had to be the basis for success. Maybe not before a year from now, maybe sometime far in the future. Before I carry on with more about book publishing, I would like to write a few words about some specific challenges of the research.

Combat Interviews and map references.

The flow of both letters, documents and old maps resulted in challenges. Names of places could be written a little differently. Most of the letters were handwritten and could offer real "nuts" to crack. Such as the Combat Interviews were often very good primary sources. But also, there were challenges. These often contained "overlays", which is sketches the interviewed officers / soldiers made of the official map of the time and the situation. Often it was just entered a cross or two on the sketch indicating the coordinates of the place where the incident had taken place. The problem was that the coordinate system of maps in 1944 was different than today. The maps that were used in 1944 was based on a system called GSGS. It was not done in a jiffy to obtain such maps and it could be a sizable amount map if the detail would be helpful. See example on overlay under.

To work with the coordinates on 1944 issues GSGS maps and current tools is a major difference from the '70's when I did my research. Now there's a tool online that converts old coordinates till todays coordinates. Not only that. Once you have found the current coordinates can be entered it on Google Earth and "see" the place where the actual skirmish took place.

Let me take an example. In a Combat interview from 25th July 1944, it is stated: "Just before dark Capt. McCartney brought his company through the town of Grimesnil (Normandy) and set up his bivouac at (279469) just off the main road commanding ground east of Capt. Johnson’s I Co. CP and 2^nd Battalion, 67^th Armored Regiment CP.”

Previously, this reference was completely incomprehensible to me. Today I can feed the coordinate reference 273558 into a converter and then I get the following: Latitude: 49.04179 ° Longitude: -1.39442 °.

Then I can put these coordinates into Google Earth and ends up as shown below.

Okay. This is getting pretty nerdy, so let me return to my time travel story. After the setback with the book that grew too large, I continued with what I find truly exciting: research. However, this passion was put on hold somewhat due to my work situation. My job demanded so much of me that I fell a bit behind. Working offshore in the North Sea and overseeing projects in Russia (Siberia), Scotland, England, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, and many other places in Europe, the Normandy campaign project nearly ground to a halt. And the years passed by.

A wake-up call from Antoni

One evening, I sat with Antoni who had made considerable progress on his project, the "99th Infantry Battalion." It was the first time that we found ourselves completely agreeing with each other. However, Antoni was upset that I had considered donating my entire collection of correspondences and documents with veterans to the National Archive. He questioned my conscience toward those who had selflessly contributed their time, supported me, and hoped that their stories would be told. He wondered if I could so easily draw a line across the seven years of my life that I had dedicated to this project, spending every single hour of my free time visiting archives and trudging across battlefields.

It was a wake-up call for me, and Antoni's words hit home. I felt ashamed for even contemplating giving up on the project. Thanks to his straightforward words, I realized the magnitude of the task at hand and declared that I would follow through and complete the book project.

Back on track, I started working on the earlier manuscript. Made contact with one of Norway's largest publishers and had several meetings. But something was off. It wanted me to concentrate on a handful of men and their stories. A handful of men? What about all the others? From my point of view, it was about telling as many of the veterans' stories as possible. Of course, I realized that I couldn't manage to include everyone in the book, but as I said, as many as possible.

After a while I withdrew and contacted another publisher. This time things developed quickly and the feedback and collaboration with the publisher was to the satisfaction of both parties. Finally, more than 35 years after my early beginnings, it became a book. Two years later, book number two was published. Mission accomplished, I thought.

A never-ending story.

As I gaze out the window, the tranquil beauty of snowflakes gently descending onto the earth catches my attention. My mind meanders towards those who have bravely served, sacrificing their youth and lives so that future generations, like mine, can live in a free and democratic society. It fills my heart with gratitude and appreciation, knowing that their unwavering commitment has enabled me to have the life that I have today. Words cannot express the depth of respect and honor that I hold for those who have defended our liberty, and I vow never to take our freedom for granted. As the snow continues to fall, I can't help but feel humbled by the selflessness and sacrifice of these soldiers.

I am absolutely delighted and deeply humbled to have had the privilege of getting to know a multitude of time witnesses from the Normandy campaign. I am even more grateful that they were so willing and gracious in sharing their experiences during this harrowing yet decisive period in European history. Historically, the stories of high-ranking officers and generals have always been given precedence, while those of the young soldiers who fought for them have been forgotten and overlooked by countless historians. Given the sheer number of participants in the campaign, I am fully cognizant of the fact that my individual contribution is infinitesimal. However, I am committed to tirelessly striving to bring to light as many individual fates from this conflict as possible. I suppose one could say that it is a never-ending story.