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Carbondale, PA PA 51 [in margin] GREEN-not he rambles
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-day
THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND 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 ? ALBERT PHILIP MAZZA
What was your unit and division? 8TH INFANTRY REGIMENT 4TH DIVISION
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time ? LANDED ON THE NORMANDY BEACH HEAD CALLED UTAH BEACH 6:30 AM JUNE 4, 1944. THE LANDING WAS IN THE VICINITY OF MONTE BURG
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? SERGEANT ALBERT MAZZA
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 24 YEARS OLD
Were you married at that time? NO
What is your wife's name? NONE
Did you have any children at that time? NO
What do you do now? POLICEMAN (CITY OF CARBONDALE) PENNSYLVANIA
When did you know that you were going to he part of the invasion? ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR WE WERE BEING ORIENTED AND GIVEN SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THE LANDING
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 ? EVERYTHING CAME TO MY MIND, SORT OF FRAGMENTARY THOUGHTS SUCH AS WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE LIKE, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO, AM I GOING TO COME OUT OF THIS. THERE WASN'T MUCH CONVERSATION, MOST OF THE BOYS HAD THAT SULLEN LOOK DURING THE ENTIRE CROSSING AND GETTING SEASICK. WE WERE JUST PRAYING THAT WE WOULDN'T GET BLOWN UP BEFORE WE REACHED SHORE. SOME BOATS NEVER REACHED SHORE.
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) THERE WASN'T MUCH RUMORS, THE ONLY THING WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IS GAS WARFARE. WE WERE AFRAID THAT THE GERMANS WOULD USE GAS LIKE THEY DID IN PREVIOUS WARS. THE OTHER WAS TRY YOUR BEST NOT TO GET CAPTURED, YOU WOULD BE SHOT DOWN IN COLD BLOOD IF YOU DID. WE DID NOT HAVE SCUTTLEBUTT IN OUR LANE OF TRAFFIC TO THE BEACH.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Albert PHILIP MAZZA
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? A MENTAL DIARY, IN FACT. IT WAS A DAY I SHALL NEVER FORGET. DURING THE FIRST DAY NONE OF US KNEW WHAT TO DO OR WHERE TO GO.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? YES. DURING MANEUVERS WE WERE ON A PROBLEM IN ENGLAND, A PLACE CALLED THE "MOORS" A GRENADE WENT OFF THAT HE WAS CARRYING AND WAS ALMOST KILLED. WE THOUGHT HE HAD A CHARMED LIFE HE WAS KILLED THE FIRST DAY OF BATTLE
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? I DON'T REMEMBER SAYING ANYTHING TO HIM BEFORE HE BECAME A CASUALTY. WE WERE SO BEWILDERED AND DISORGANIZED DURING THE FIRST DAY WE HARDLY REMEMBER ANYTHING.
Were you wounded? Yes- TWiCE
Do you remember what it was like — that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were so surprised that you felt nothing? THE FIRST TIME I WAS HIT I DIDN'T FEEL A PAIN UNTIL A FEW MINUTES LATER. I FELT THE PAIN ON MY RIGHT FOOT. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW HALF MY SHOE BLOWN OFF. I WAS VERY MUCH SURPRISED WHEN I FELT NOTHING AND SO MY FOOT WAS STILL IN TACT.
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time? I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FUNNY OR NOT, BUT IN THE POSITION WE WERE IN NOT KNOWING THE FUTURE ONE NEVER KNOWS WHAT GOES THROUGH A PERSON'S MIND. WE HAD A SOLDIER FROM TENNESSEE AND OUR COMPANY. HE WOULD CARRY A PISTOL WITH HIM PLUS HIS RIFLE THE PISTOL WAS OF GERMAN MAKE. MANY OF US CARRIED GERMAN GUNS. EVERY TIME HE WOULD SEE A GERMAN SOLDIER DEAD HE WOULD FIRE A FEW MORE BULLETTS INTO HIS BODY. THEN HE WOULD "I'LL MAKE SURE THEY'RE DEAD. A GERMAN SOLDIER THREW A GRENADE AT ME. HE MISSED. THEN HE GAVE UP. BUDDY NEXT TO ME SAW THIS. HE SAID TO ME "AL HE TRIED TO KILL YOU. SHOOT HIM. I COULDN'T DO IT IN COLD BLOOD. HE KILLED HIM INSTEAD OF ME.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? YES. DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE WAR WE HAD RECEIVED SOME REPLACEMENTS JUST BEFORE WE WERE READY TO MAKE ANOTHER BIG PUSH. I SAID TO THIS ONE REPLACEMENT "HOW LONG ARE YOU OVERSEAS? HE SAID TO ME "6 DAYS." JUST CAME TO ENGLAND FIVE DAYS AGO AND EVER SINCE WE ARRIVED WE WERE PREPARING TO COME HERE TO HELP YOU FELLOWS. I SAID TO HIM "I BET YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET A CHANCE TO WRITE HOME." "NOT YET" WAS HIS REPLY THEN WE RECEIVED ORDERS TO MOVE OUT FOR THE BIG PUSH. JUST THEN A BIG BARRAGE OF ARTILLERY SHELLS CAME OUR WAY. THE REPLACEMENT I WAS TALKING TO HAD HIS ARM BLOWN OFF AND HALF OF HIS RIGHT SIDE. [inserted] Post D-Day [end inserted] KILLED INSTANTLY. (OVER)
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Your name Albert P MAZZA
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 from D-day? YES. WE WERE OFTEN TOLD TO LAY HANDS OFF EVERYTHING WE MIGHT ENCOUNTER, SUCH AS APPROACHING A DEAD BODY. SOME WOULD FIDDLE AROUND WITH THE BODY SOUVENIR HUNTING WITH LITTLE CONCERN AS TO WHETHER THE BODY IS BOOBY-TRAPPED OR NOT, AND IMMEDIATELY RUNNING INTO THE HOMES SEARCHING FOR SOUVENIRS WITH NO THOUGHT, WHATSOEVER, OF THE SNIPER LAYING IN WAIT FOR HIM.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? . WE WERE ON A LARGE SHIP AWAITING TALKING I COULDN'T SLEEP SOME DID WE WERE WAITING TO BOARD THE LANDING CRAFTS
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? WE WERE ALREADY A FEW MILES INLAND. I DO KNOW WE WERE CLOSE TO A TOWN CALLED MONTEBURG.
Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours of D-day, June 6, as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to? NO. DID NOT KNOW IF ANYONE PERSONALLY
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 TO 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