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H ? O-1 Didn't lane on 6 June, tho' scheduled to.

For Cornelius Ryan
Book about D- Day He might be a horizontal character LL NEB 3

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.

Columbus NEB3

1. What is your full name? Keith Bryan

2. What was your unit and division? Company "A", 348th Engineer Combat Battalion.
(The battalion was one of three battalions that made up the 5th Engineer
Special Brigade). This was an amphibious engineer outfit.

3. Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Finally landed about 7:30
a.m. June 7. Craft on which I was a passenger came in on schedule at 9:30
a.m. H plus 3) June 6 but was driven out by gun fire. Was driven out again
about 3 in the afternoon. These two attempts were on Easy Red Beach of Omaha
Beach. Final landing was on Fox Green of Omaha Beach.
(See answer to #23).

4. What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Sergeant.

5. What was your age on June 6, 1944? 23

6. Were you married at that time? No

7. What is your wife's name?

8. Did you have any children at that time?

9. What do you do now? County Veterans Service Officer (veterans' counselor).

10. When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? From about
the time we arrived in Wales in November 1943. "Sweepstake" betting on the
exact invasion date began possibly in March.

[*What?*]
11. 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? There was the
tenseness that can always be felt when the Army knuckles down to business, but, really,
the trip was rather relaxing. The weather was fine, the sea calm, we always ate
better when aboard Navy craft, and the ceaseless grind of training --through Sundays,
holidays and all -- was over. I was aboard an LST which was crowded to the point of
men stepping over one another on the deck. The trip was not long enough to get
boring -- something like 36 hours on the water before H-Hour. As I remember I talked,
watched the sea, and read one of the pocket-size novels that were being distributed
to us then. We sailed from Weymouth harbor on Sunday evening, June 4. Sometime during
the trip a storm struck. (Remember the landing was postponed 24 hours because of this
storm). The LST rolled quite a bit, and men lucky enough to have bunks had difficulty
in staying in them. Morale was very high, and, in spite of the storm, I can recall
not a single case of seasickness. At 3 a.m. June 6 everyone was sent topside and all
hatches and bulkheads were battened. The cooks had sandwiches and coffee ready. (cont.
on
back)

12. 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).
Yes, I remember the burning-oil-on-the-water rumor. The precautions against use of
poison gas were so elaborate some of the men were certain these would be encountered.
But I don't remember any other wild guesses. We had been thoroughly briefed. We
had even run a dress rehearsal of the invasion on Slapton Sands in southern England,
so we knew pretty well what we were about.