MAKING HISTORY SKILLS BOOK


LPrivate First Class Willam Walsh, Pointe du Hoc On 1 June we boarded the transport Ben My Chree at Weymouth, England, 1944. Our mission was to begin 5 June 1944. The weather was so bad that it was delayed one day. Early that morning we were served pancakes and issued Puke Bags for the journey into Normandy.


LPrivate George H. Burr, Omaha Beach


LPrivate Harold Baumgarten, Omaha Beach As we approached the beach, the bullets started hitting our LCA [Landing Craft Assault, a type of boat]. The Company B boat on our left was hit by a shell and blew up. The splintered wood, metal, and body parts were raining down on us from about fifteen feet above … The water was bright red, from the blood of some of those who had been in front of me … Some of the fellows, who were able to exit the boat without getting machine gunned, were being dragged under by the wet combat jackets and heavy equipment. Their life preservers were of no value. The water was over the head of the average man in my boat.


LCaptain John R. Armellino, Omaha Beach As I was directing the tank commander where to fire, I was hit and knocked down by enemy fire. My right leg was gushing blood. A piece of shrapnel from an anti- tank grenade had severed the main artery. An anti-tank grenade is designed to pierce a tank and explode inside, killing its crew. In this case, it exploded prematurely and a piece of shrapnel hit me. A medic came to my assistance quickly. He applied a tourniquet [bandage or belt used to reduce blood flow] to stop the bleeding, treated the wound with penicillin, and wrapped it with bandage. He then told me to remain on the beach and I would be evacuated after dark. I stayed on the beach the entire day under cover of the bluff [overhang on top of the cliff] and witnessed the successive waves of our troops cut down … By dusk, the beach was covered with dead and wounded soldiers. You could hardly walk the beach without stepping on the body of a dead or wounded soldier …


The night before the landing we all met with our priest, or chaplain, and said prayers and received communion. On the way to the beach, men were mostly quiet – keeping thoughts to themselves. I prayed and thought about my home and my family. I asked God to keep watch over me. As we landed on Omaha Beach, I was in line to be the third man off of the boat. My Technical Sergeant, Melvin Taylor, told us all ‘there are only two kinds of men on the beach, dead men and men who want to die. So, get off the beach as soon as possible.’ I ran as fast as I could up the hill to where we would meet. My friend, Chick Evans, was right with me, when a rifle bullet from a German sharpshooter hit him. (They were trying to pick off men who carried heavy weapons.) He passed away there.


LJames L. Lockhart, Omaha Beach [The Germans] had the advantage in being previously prepared for defence. They had the advantage of height. They could look down at you. You would have trouble finding them when you looked up to search for them because the vegetation was giving them cover … You could feel and sense the rounds going through your uniform. I took four bullet wounds that day.


LPrivate Herbert Krieger, Omaha Beach


When I landed on the beach it was covered with bodies. Most were not covered and some had boxes over them while others looked to be covered with Indian blankets, which I thought to be strange. Still others were in pieces … One officer told us to make sure you step in the same footsteps as the man in front of you because of the mines. If you didn’t you would end up like the people lying around you … Progress was slow and bloody. It would be three days before I would get any sleep. No shower for three weeks. I had run out of food the third day and existed on my ‘D’ bar [chocolate].


To read the full versions of these accounts and more, visit americandday.org/Veterans. 170


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