506 Parachute infantry Regiment in Normandy Drop by S. L. A. Marshall

Author:S. L. A. Marshall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2014-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

AT LE BARQUETTE

When the enemy fire stopped Johnson cold at Le Barquette, he found himself between the devil and the sea. He had no counter for their mortar and 88 batteries and if he stayed there he would certainly be destroyed. Too, he felt that the enemy observation was good enough that any attempt to move would be not less fatal.{12} Then he happened to remember that one card was still in his hand. On that morning, Lt Farrell, USN, had had the rare good fortune to retrieve his SCR 609 following the drop. Johnson crawled on back to Farrell who was at the rear of the column and asked if he could raise the USS Quincy, which was supposed to be maneuvering somewhere off the beaches.

Together, they crawled back along the ditch to the road intersection, which was a fair point of observation. Johnson told him what he knew. He thought that most of the mortar shells were coming from the high ground around St Come Du Mont and that the 88 mm battery was firing from a little to the east of Carentan.

Farrell got through to the Quincy almost immediately. At that time she was steaming in "figure 8's" not far off the coast. The Quincy promised to go to work. Five minutes later the first salvo of eight-inch shells whistled over Le Barquette toward the German positions. They were in pretty close; the necessary adjustments were made. Despite the range and the difficulties of SFC under even the most normal operating conditions, the work of the Quincy's batteries was uncannily accurate. The shells played right along the ridge at St Come Du Mont; it impressed Johnson that the German mortar fire fell off almost immediately. Maj Allen, watching the results from his position at Bse Addeville, said to Johnson, "That fire would help Ballard. How about getting some over to him?" It was arranged, but in roundabout fashion. Ballard gave his sensings to Allen by radio and in turn Allen relayed them to Farrell who in turn relayed them to the Quincy.

This naval action was sustained for one-half hour or so. The German fire had already taken toll of about 10 of Johnson’s men. After the Quincy's guns had spoken emphatically, the Germans went quiet.

Capt Sammie N. Homan came forward and joined Johnson in his ditch at the head of the column and was given the mission of holding the lock and blowing the Douve bridges; Lt Billy A. Turner was to go along with him to lay the explosives. They didn't know just how to dispose their own forces because of their limited knowledge of the enemy situation. But while they were discussing this problem, Lt Owen returned with his patrol. He said that he thought it would be impossible for Johnson to move any large portion of his force to the west.

The patrol had gone that way and had traveled about 500 yards, but it had been under intense small arms fire the whole distance.

The report put caution in Johnson.

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