Page 7

Belt No. 11, page 1.

[*CO.F, 506TH PIR, 101ST AB*]

a concrete room and then up to a machine gun emplacement and there were two dead Germans
in it in a dug out emplacement. They noticed too that these big blunt clumps of bushes
were on fire as they passed through the bluff beyond which they found the dead machine
gunners."

This is the A COMPANY of the 116th REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM on D-Day from a group of
combat interviews of the 29th INFANTRY DIVISION taken by Colonel S. L. A. Marshall.

This was the company of the 29th Division which was apparently gradually annihilated
as it hit the beach. I think this will substantiate General Purnell's remarks about
the company in an interview with him done in April. There were no disagreements over
facts. The places of landing, as marked on the overlays, were readily pointed out by
the men. There was no disagreement. These men had the notes.

These notes are prepared by G. C., the seven survivors of the company.

"When the company was still 5000 yards out, the men saw the barrage from the
rocket boat striking the water about 1000 yards to the right front. They saw nothing
hit on their beach or anywhere near it. A came on in six assault boats. As they
drew to within 700 to 800 yards of the beach, artillery and mortar fire began to fly
among the boats. They would all of them have been lost; one boat foundered 1000
yards out from shipping too much water; one man had drowned and the others had been
picked up by Naval craft. At first the enemy shell fire wasn’t effective but as the
first boat proceeded within 50 yards of the sand one was struck by an artillery shell
and two men were mortally hit, the others taking to the water.

"The men recognized that they were coming straight in to the designated landing
point. They were at the sides looking toward the enemy’s shore. What they saw was
an absolutely unblemished beach, unpocked by artillery or bomb fire and wholly barren
of shingle or any other cover. The first ramps were dropped at 06D6 in water that
was waist deep to over a man's head. As if this had been the signal for which the
enemy waited the ramps were instantly involved in a crossing of automatic fire which
was accurate and in great volume. It came at the boats from both ends of the beach.
A had planned to move in three files from each boat, center file going first then
flank files peeling off to the right and left. The first men tried it. They crumpled
as they sprang from the ship, falling into the water. Then order was lost. It seemed
to the men then that the only way to get ashore with a chance for safety was to dive