DEAR LAURENT

I AM SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY IN PROVIDING THE INFORMATION YOU REQUESTED. I WILL START FROM THE BEGINNING TO TRY TO ANSWER YOUR LETTER. SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED BY THE ENCLOSED LITERATURE.

1. I WAS ON LCT 539 THE 0/C WAS ENS LINWOOD RIDEOUT I WAS A GUNNERS MATE 3/C

2. WE ARRIVED IN ENGLAND THRU SCOTLAND ON THE TROOP TRANSPORT FREDERICK LYKES. WE TRAVELED BY TRAIN TO THE ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE AT DARTMOUTH DEVON. I WAS IN A CREW OF 12 WHICH WAS THEN SPLIT IN TWO GROUPS AND ASSIGNED TO LCT' S ALREADY IN TRAINING. AFTER THAT WE MOVED T0 VARIOUS AREAS AS TRAINING PROGRESSED. WE ENDED IN PLYMOUTH ENGLAND WHERE WE PREPARED FOR THE INVASION.

3. I HAVE INCLUDED A COPY OF OUR LOG INDICATING WE LEFT PLYMOUTH AT APPROXIMATELY 0330.
WE HAD ON BOARD MEMBERS OF THE 161ST INFANTRY OF THE 1ST DIVISION AND THE 37TH COMBAT ENGINEERS. A COPY OF THE DECK LOAD IS INCLOSED.

LIFE ON BOARD THE NIGHT OF (6/4/44) WAS QUITE NORMAL OTHER THAN CROWDED WITH TROOPS. AS WE HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED COMBAT WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT.

4. THE NIGHT (6/5/44) BEFORE THE INVASION WAS VERY TENSE AS WE HAD ALREADY EMBARKED AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME ON THE 4TH BUT WERE ORDERED TO RETURN DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS.

5. REFERRING TO THE LOG, WE BEACHED AT 0730 IN THE 8TH WAVE AT EASY RED OMAHA. I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE PORT 20 MM. WE WERE UNDER INTENSE FIRE FROM THE BEACH AND SUFFERED NUMEROUS HITS.

6. THE FIRST DAY, 6TH OF JUNE, AFTER WE LANDED AND DISEMBARKED THE TROOPS TIME WAS SPENT HOSING DOWN THE DECK OF ALL THE BLOOD OF THOSE KILLED. IT WAS A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. WE THAN CARRIED WOUNDED FROM THE BEACH, TOOK ON A COUPLE OF WOUND GERMAN PRISONERS AND THAN PROCEEDED TO THE SAM CHASE TO DEPOSIT BOTH WOUNDED AND DEAD.

THE SECOND DAY WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY SPEND ON THE BEACH. I REMEMBER THE ROWS OF THE DEAD AND PILES OF ARMS AND LEGS COLLECTED WITH NO OTHER REMAINS.

WE SPENT A FEW MONTHS TRANSPORTING TROOPS, SUPPLIES AND VEHICLES FROM LARGER SHIPS TO SHORE I ALSO REMEMBER THE SOUNDS OF THE SHELLS MAKING A SWISHING NOISE AS THEY PASSED OVERHEAD AS THE BATTLESHIPS FIRED AT TARGETS INLAND.

I REMEMBER THE OBSOLETE SHIPS BEING SCUTTLED TO PROVIDE A BREAKWATER HARBOR. I ALSO REMEMBER THE CONCRETE UNITS FLOATED FROM ENGLAND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BREAKWATER PROTECTION.

7. REFERRING TO THE LOG. WE HAD CASUALTIES OF TWO KILLED AND TWO WOUNDED SOLDIERS (AFTER ALL THESE YEARS I CAN STILL HEAR THE SOUNDS OF THE SHELLS HITTING, THE NEAR MISSES, AND THE SOUNDS MADE BY THE MEN WHO WERE HIT). FOR TERRIBLE DETAILS, ONE OF THE SOLDIERS WHO WAS KILLED WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WITH WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY LARGE SHELL AS HIS HEAD VIRTUALLY EXPLODED. PARTS OF HIS BRAIN AND SKULL MADE A PINK SHOWER IN THE AIR AND COVERED US WITH THIS MATERIAL. IT WAS A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE AS YOU MAY IMAGINE

8. I AM ENCLOSING A COUPLE OF PICTURES TAKEN IN NORMANDY

    1. J H KELLERS, GM3/C
    2. HANSON WEST, SM 2/C
    3. RICHARD RUNG MM 3/C
    4. CHARLES LAMPHERE SM 2/C (KILLED BY A TRAIN IN CALIFORNIA BEFORE DISCHARGE FROM NAVY IN l946)
    5. CHET RUTKOWSKI MM3/C

9. ACTION REPORT ENCLOSED. LOG OF THE LCT 539

10 . I KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DICK RUNG, CHET RUTKOWSKI AND LARRY BONDI LARRY WAS THE EXEC OFFICER ON THE LCT 546 AT NORMANDY AND REPLACED LINWOOD RIDEOUT AS OUR SKIPPER FOR OUR PACIFIC ASSIGNMENT.

I ENLISTED IN THE NAVY IN JUNE OF 1943 AT THE AGE OF 17. I WAS 18 YEARS OLD DURING THE NORMANDY INVASION. I HOPE I HAVE ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS, AND APOLOGIZE FOR BEING SO GRAPHIC, BUT MEMORIES OF THAT TIME HAVE NEVER FADED

SINCERELY

This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo