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Westbury, L.I.
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-day Excerpt NY 90
THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AMD 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? Edward Wolfe
What was your unit and division? Co G 12 Inf. 4th Divisiion
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Utah Beach - 9:00 A.M.
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? P.F.C.
What was your age on June 6 , 1944? 26
Were you married at that time? No
What is your wife ’s name? Rosemarie (Sept., 1948)
Did you have any children at that time ?
What do you do now? An Asst. Mgr. Singer Sewing Co.
When did you know that you were going to he part of the invasion? May 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? Uneventful -- each Co. was aboard an L.C.I. under crowded conditions. Most of my time was spent in a compartment with four others. (We were fortunate as we each had a sack & the ships pantry was there with us.) We had forced the wire mesh door on the pantry & for two days ate a supply of salmon, canned pinneapple, & grapefruit juice. With 180 others aboard eating K Rations, we often spoke how well the Navy was feeding the favored few. This secret we five shared - even the Navy didn't know.
What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made I 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 ) The above mentioned rumor was one topic of conversation. However most of us felt that this was another dry run such as the manuver at Slapton Sands which we had participated in under similer conditions. Even when we were told Gen. Eisenhower's message it was still hard to believe.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Edward Wolfe
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No. We were told before crossing to destroy everything personal & under no conditions keep a diary
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes. From the L.C.I. we boarded assault boat - one boat with a platoon in it was hit as it neared the beach. I didn't see it hit, but several were wounded. As far as I know - no one was killed.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? No
Were you wounded? No
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?
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time? Yes, when I hit the beach. At that time I was a radio operator. I carried on my back a Type '300' radio. Each man was issued a life belt worn around the waist. By squeezing the belt, two Co2 cartridges would inflate the belt in any emergency. Being top heavy with the radio, I was issued two - one around my waist, and the other one slung like a bandoler over my shoulder and under the other arm. I was also armed with an M-1 and a cartridge belt heavy with 30 cal. ammo. In the assault boat I was comparable to a man in a [crossed out] life [end crossed out] straight jacket. Just before we beached - we were told to brace ourselves for the shock of landing. (Cont. on I)
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? Yes, my seeing a G.I. dead on the beach. He was the first I had seen. After moving up from the I.P. you soon saw him sitting with his back resting against a post with his left arm thrown across a small embankment. His head seemed to be resting on his shoulder and his left leg crossed under the right, which extended straight out. He sat facing the sea. He seemed asleep. There were no signs of any wounds. As I walked past him I had the urge to reach over and shake him awake.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name Edward Wolfe
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? OTHER THAN SOME BONERS WHICH HAPPENED DUE TO AN UNDERSTANDABLE CONFUSION NOTHING OF ANY IMPORTANCE. TO ME THE MOST INGENIOUS DISCOVERY WAS STRICTLY FOR COFFEE DRINKERS. THAT EVENING I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE HOT COFFEE UNDER BATTLE CONDITIONS AND AT NIGHT. SITTING IN A FOXHOLE, YOU TOOK THE WAX LINER FROM A K RATION BOX. PUT SEVERAL HOLE ON EACH SIDE NEAR THE BOTTOM. THROW A RAIN COAT OVER FOR BLACK OUT (CONT ON II)
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? OFF THE COAST OF NORMANDY
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? IN A FRENCH FARMYARD, MY FIRST COMBAT FOXHOLE - WAITING.
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?
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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 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
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I
WE WERE CROUCHED ON OUR KNEES, AND AS WORD CAME TO BRACE OURSELVES, I CROUCHED EVEN FURTHUR. THE FORCE OF THIS SQUEEZED MY LIFE BELT AND WITH A HISS IT INFLATED AROUND MY WAIST. JUST THEN WE HIT THE BEACH, THE RAMP WENT DOWN, AND WE TOOK OFF INTO THE SHALLOW WATER AND ONTO THE BEACH. EVERYONE WAS RUNNING BUT ME. I STOOD ON THE BEACH WITH THE REALIZATION THAT I WAS LOSING MY PANTS. THE INFLATED LIFE BELT HAD PULLED MY WAIST IN THAT I FELT MY STOMACH PRESSING ON MY BACKBONE. THE WEIGHT OF MY CARTRIDGE BELT PULLED ON MY PANTS SO THAT BOTH WERE SLIDING DOWN ON MY REAR END. WITH MY M-1 (WRAPPED IN WATERPROOFING MATERIAL) IN MY LEFT HAND, THE RADIO PHONE STUFFED IN MY SHIRT FRONT, THE EXTRA LIFE BELT CROSSED OVER MY CHEST, A 35LB RADIO STRAPPED TO MY BACK THERE WASN'T MUCH I COULD DO TO KEEP A PAIR OF PANTS UP. BILL MCWILLIAMS (MAIL CLERK) RAN UP ALONG SIDE OF ME, & I TRIED TO CALL HIM FOR HELP. JUST THEN A SHELL CAME IN AND WE BOTH HIT THE DIRT. IT WAS VERY CLOSE, AND WHEN IT WAS OVER HE TOOK OFF, AND SOMEHOW I FOLLOWED. RUN, FALL, RUN FALL. DODGING SHELL FIRE, BUT TRYING TO KEEP MY PANTS ON. I MANAGED IN THE END TO KEEP THEM ON. I WAS [crossed out]SCARE[end crossed out] FRIGHTENED THAT DAY, BUT IT DIDN'T QUITE SCARE THE PANTS OFF ME. IKE GOT HIS BEACH, AND I KEPT MY PANTS.
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