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Texas
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day
THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND IN THE AIR, PARTICIPATED IN TH 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? Jack Fox What was your unit and division? Medical Detachment, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Utah Beach near St. Martin- de- Vaneville 0700 hours, 6 June 1944.
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Technitian 3d grade (Staff Sargent) What was your age on June 6, 1944? 26 Were you married at that time? No What is your wife's name? Joyce E. Fox Did you have any children at that time? No. What do you do now? Plane Officer, Plane Branch, Army Medical Service School. I am a captain, medical service corps.
When did you know that you were going to he part of the invasion? Shortly after we arrived in England on January 1944.
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?
What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made the crossing? (Some people remember souttlebut to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in). Above example was one of the rumors. Another was the use of gas warfare. The big rumor was that we had some of our own secret weapons that we were going to use.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name Capt. Jack Fox
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No, but its still pretty vivid in my mind.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes, Sgt. Jack [?] medical aidman for Co.B, 8th Inf Regt. was killed in the beach. He landed in the [?]
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? Just that we wished each other luck before going over the side of the landing craft. Were you wounded? Not at this time but was wounded about 3 Dec. 1944 in the H[?] forest. Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing? Felt very little pain, received slight wound from a mortor shell. Was shaken up a bit from the blast.
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? We were carrying medical equipment weighing about 50 pounds + by the time we hit the beach it seemed considerably heavier, particularly when one tried to run through the sand to [?] the sea wall which was about 40 or so yards from the waters edge. Most of the fire was [?] from our side but we didn't knoe that [?[ consequently every time a roynd passed overhead we hit the dirt.
Do you recall any incident, sad -or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? I administered my fine unit of [?] to a wounded solider but to no avail as he died before the plasma could be of effect. I'll always remember the pleading and frightened look on his face as if to say this can't be happening to me.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name
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? I remember seeing Brig Gen. Teddy Roosevelt, our assistant division commander with a big stick in his hand directing troops over the sea wall. He landed with the first wave and organized the operation. Incidentally he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for this. Another incident I recall is an MP directing vehicles through a lane that was cleared of mines. He cautioned drivers to stay within the tape but one driver ignored him & went over one side of the tape and hit a mine. The driver lost a leg.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? On the English Channel aboard the troopship "Dickman"
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? In a ditch alongside a dirt road several miles inland from the beach.
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? [*LL*] Frank Fillion Richland Road RFD 2 Gibsonia, Pa. I do not recall any other addresses.
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.
Hope this has been of some help. If you would like I could elaborate a bit more on my units experience the first day. Capt J. Fox
Cornelius Ryan [*Frances Ward 4/23/58 Recd 4/29/58*] Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest
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7 April 1958 Dear Miss Ward, I am writing you in reference to an item in the Fort Sam Houston Daily Bulletin of 7 April 1958 in regards to the Readers Digest DDay history. I participated in the Normandy invasion 6 June 1944 as a member of the 8th Infantry Regiment, Fourth Infantry Division. I was attached to the 1st battalion that landed on "H" hour in the "Utah" beach area. I am presently assigned to the Army Medical Service School in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. I will be very happy to offer you any additional information concerning our past in the invasion