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LL I TEX 23

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 ? Harold Thomas Kennedy

What was your unit and division? 437th Troop Carrier Group 86 Sqd.
Where did you arrive in Normandy , and at what time ?
St. Marie Eglise, 0405 AM
What was your rank on June 6 44 ?
Flight Officer
What was your age on June 6 , 1944?
22
Were you married at that time ? yes
What is your wife's name ?
Opal Marie Kennedy
Did you have any children at that time ?
one
What do you do now?
Instructor Missile Dept, Sheppard AFB Texas
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion ?
I believe the crew's for the night landings were selected about
2 weeks prior to the invasion
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 trip was rough- I was flying as pilot with a co-pilot
name Frank Kology from Penn we had a jeep + a Capt
+ M/Sgt riding in the jeep from the 82nd airborne. we
were flying formantion at soft above the channel and
we spent most of our time dodgeing the gliders + towships
C-47's above us we only had 2 formantion lights to follow
on each tow ship it was also raining and at that time in the morning
it seem to be the darkest

What were the rumors on board the boat , ship or plane in which you made
the crossing? ( Some people remember scuttlebutt to the effect that the
Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when
the troops came in ).
as stated above we were to busy However we were only
thinking of the landing at night- which was a fear
of all glider pilots. Haveing never been shot at before
we really diden realize what was coming