Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 013, folder 53: Americo John Lanaro

4th Div LANARO,Americo John Conn 4

Frank calling Box 13, #53

87th Mortar Bn

8th Inf. 7: Good Afternoon Stories

Must Story re little French boy with arm off

[*TIMES!! Stratford, CONNECTICUT V-E Good extract-deployed good stories LL CONN-4*]

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? AMERICO JOHN LANARO 'RICO'

What was your unit and division? 87TH MORTAR BATTALION (4.2 MORTAR) attached to 8th regt. 4th Division

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? UTAH BEACH ABOUT 55 MINUTES AFTER H-HOUR - all troops were heavily concentrated on the beach-dispersion almost impossibleT Ds and tanks pushed thru wall and troops followed (More detail on back sheet)

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? T5 radio operator

What was your age on June 6, 1944? 19 years

Were you married at that time? No

What is your wife's name? ---(now Dolores Lanaro)

Did you have any children at that time? No

What do you do now? Painter

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? about 1 week or more before June 6 - Col. strickland briefed us completely about our being assault troops at Seton Hall. Sand table with all details - recon photos and odds we were going in with against Germans.

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? Water was roughest ever - Unloading into assault craft was almost impossible. Most men I believe were too calmly confused to be sea sick. I felt good. I had radio silence so I talked to Navy man operating landing craft. I asked how close to shore he'd get us and if he went in before us. He said 1 trip before us. Machine gun fire cut down many. He said I'll get you as close as I can and as he spoke we hit a sand barge and had to unload right there - water thigh high but got chest deep as we went in. The beach was that way according to briefing we had they were right.

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). If you can think of a rumor you can be sure it was rumored in those days. Rumors of all kinds & degrees. Funny about rumors thou - you tell yourself it's just a rumor but you still wonder and with a rumor there's always that 'maybe'.

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? Yes - in my mind I can remember almost every detail including Gen. Roosevelt yelling at me for standing at a crossroads.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes - Smitty - direct hit on beach in his fox hole.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? Smitty slept next to me at marshalling area barracks after we were briefed on the invasion and just talked about his dreams about - when this is all over what I'm gonna do.

Were you wounded? Never by enemy fire but hurt my knee diving in cellar window to escape shell fire from German monster tank (320 mm self propelled gun)

[*D - day?*] 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? It hurt and swelled up but just torn ligament I went back to field hospital - had it xrayed. Major said I could go back to my outfit. After what I saw at hospital I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?

[*MUST D-day?*] Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? One I'll never foget - and old man came running down a hill. We were dug in - spoke French. Myself & two others went with him and he took us to his little farm house. This other G.I. (Boulay was his name)spoke French & asked him what happened & the old gent told & showed us. The three of us and the old man walked in the door and there I saw the worst thing I ever saw. A little boy about 10 or 11 laying on the bed. Not a tear in his eyes-not one-but he should have had. His hand and forearm was blown off. Just a raged torn up mess was there and he was looking right at it. My two G.I. friends -OVER-

couldn't take it (and I didn't blame them) Boulay stayed there talking to the grandfather while Sgt. Inman get sick and walked out. All I could do was take my sulfa powder and sprinkle it on and then I cut his shirt open and sprinkled it on his stomach wounds from the shrapnel. Here's how it happened. The Germans took one of our grenades & pulled the pin out. Put the grenade back in the container and set it on the table hoping a G.I. would pick it up instead the poor little kid did. Naturally when he took it out of the container the handle flew off & off it went.

All that little boy wanted to know was if it was going to hurt when we got him to a hospital. I said it in English, after Boulay translated what he said but I said God bless you you're the bravest one I've seen so far," and believe me he was.

- 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? We had a truck (2 1/2 ton) of 4.2 ammo blow up right on top of us. I was about 75 feet from it taking code on targets to fire on. Dead & wounded all over the place shells that didn't go off steaming and apt to go off any time. Yet those who weren't hit got up & walked right thru that inferno and aided the wounded. I dragged one man out who was crawling on hands & knees and black from head to toe. Burnt & wounded all over from bits of shrapnel. One man (Girton) standing at tailgate of truck never got scratched. Men two miles away got hit from flying shells. Machine gun landed 1 mile away.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? On board U.SS. Bayfield

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? Dug in on little dirt road outside St.Mere Eglise

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? Ray Pompei 3100 Wharton St. Philadelphia [*LL*]

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