D-Day General by Noel F. Mehlo Jr

Author:Noel F. Mehlo Jr. [Noel F. Mehlo Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 7.3. German timber ramp obstacles with mines (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA]).

The solitary craft entered its landing lane at the right western edge of Dog White Beach, located approximately seven hundred meters northeast of Vierville, when it was noticed by the coxswain that the beach was under heavy enemy fire. They altered course slightly to avoid floating mines. This craft approached the shore alone and made land-fall amid the breakwaters at the Dog White and Dog Red boundary. While nearing shore, Coxwain Ricardo Feliciano lost seaway and cut the throttle before beaching as they began navigating the maze of beach obstacles not previously destroyed.7 The craft sideslipped and was swept against an angled-timber groin by the three-knot easterly crosscurrent traversing along the face of the beach. The waves were four to six feet high and thrust the LCVP into the timber obstacle multiple times. These collisions dislodged an attached Teller mine, which failed to explode. The coxswain gunned the motor and maneuvered the boat free, advancing closer to shore, and then LCVP 71 grounded on a sandbar approximately seventy-five yards from the high-water mark at 7:26 a.m. (H+56). The boat skipper dropped the ramp under heavy machine-gun, mortar, and light-cannon fire and called to the men, “Disembark!”8

Between the sandbar where the ramp went down and the high-water mark at the seawall was a runnel with a varying depth of three to six feet, requiring some soldiers to swim or wade ashore. Several men found themselves immersed to their armpits. As the men emerged from the runnel, many made their way to the shelter of the tanks of the 743d Tank Battalion. Lieutenant Shea’s report continued:

Moderate small arms fire was directed at the craft as the ramp was lowered. This consisted of rifle, and judging from the sound, machine gun fire. It continued to cover the group as they made their way inland. Having landed in about two or three feet of water, it was necessary to cross a runnel (about five feet deep and thirty feet wide) which ran parallel to the high water mark. During this phase of the landing which necessitated wading through about 40 yards of water, Major John Sours, Regimental S-4, was killed. He was hit in the chest and upper body by automatic fire, fell face down in the water. His body was later recovered as it floated in the shallows.9

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.