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For Cornelius Ryan
Book about D-Day

THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND IN THE AIR, PARTICIPATED IN THE
INVASION OF NORMANDY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT JUNE 5, 1944 AND MIDNIGHT JUNE
6, 1944. IF YOU WERE ONE OF THEM, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

What is your full name?
ROY WALTER NICKRENT

What was your unit and division?
First battalion, 502nd. Regiment
101st. Air-Borne Division

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time?
Our "stick" or plane load landed in vicinity of St. Mere Eglise- Men were
pretty badly dispersed. If I remember correctly,
I noticed the time at 1:30 or 1:40 A.M.

What was your rank on June 6, 1944?
Staff Sergeant

What was your age on June 6, 1944?
24yrs

Were you married at that time?
No

What is your wife's name?
Mary Evelyn Nickrent

Did you have any children at that time?
No

What do you do now?
Town marshall of Village of Saybrook, Ill
Also Supt. of waterworks in Village of Saybrook, Ill

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion?
Almost 3 months
before D-Day, I was one of several E.T.O. men who attended
an intelligence school at chelsea barracks in london where
we built exact scale models of the French Invasion Coast.

What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel? Do you remember,
for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time?
The air trip
in our plane across the channel was nearlyroutine, that is,
a good bit of silence, not much wise cracking & lots of smoking
we had been given air-sickness pill which in as much as I
was concerned took a lot of edge off & perhaps have me added courage.

While passing over the islands of Gurnsey & Jersey
a great amount of enemy ack ack fire was thrown at
us which caused a flurry of speculation. We all
marvelled that from the volume of fire that we wer'nt
blasted out of the sky.

What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made
the crossing? (Some people remember scuttlebut to the effect that the
Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when
the troops came in ).
One of the rumers or I should say facts that was mentioned
with some concern was that sharp pointed poles
& stakes were in fields of any size as anti-airborne
landing measures. Also most open areas were extensively
mined with "Shu Mines"

Aerial photos taken of the proposed drop zones
many weeks before D-Day definitely showed the pointed
posts & stakes.