Page 5

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 -

Your name RAFF

In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or
self-reliance; others do incredibly stupid things. Do you remember any
examples of either?
Glider pilots who had supposedly been
trained in infantry tactics were formed
in groups as infantry and ordered to
participate in the afternoon attack
to clear the enemy off the hill. They
suddenly discovered that the role of
infantry was not easy. This incident caused
a decree to be issued afterward that glider pilots
would be used in defensive roles only.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944?
On English Channel aboard British LCT

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944?
On beachhead line, south of Ste Mere
Eglise facing what later proved to be a German
Paratroop
Bn.

Do you know of anybody else who landed within those 24 hours (midnight
June 5 to midnight June 6) as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or
who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to ?
Landed on D-Day at
0113 -- Lt. Col. John Joseph Hq VII Corps APO 107 PM NY
0230 -- Capt. Savele Reed Hq VII Corps APO 107 PM NY
These two officers were members of G-1
Section VII Corps and available
for conference with [crossed out] Gen [end crossed out]Ryan
at anytime.

PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT WE CAN
INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE BOOK. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE YOUR
STORY ON SEPARATE SHEETS IF WE HAVE NOT LEFT SUFFICIENT ROOM. FULL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WILL BE GIVEN IN A CHAPTER CALLED ’’WHERE THEY ARE NOW;
YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

Cornelius Ryan

Frances Ward
Research, The Reader's Digest