Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 017, folder 51: Donald Monroe Duquette

DUQUETTE, Donald Monroe

254th Eng. V Corps O

Ger 9

Box 17, #51

GER 9 black APO NY LL Letters? nothing much

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? Donald Monroe Duqeutte What was your unit and division? Co C 254th Engineer (Combat) Bn V Corps Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? OMAHA RED. H + 4 HOURS 6 June 1944 What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Sargent What was your age on June 6, 1944? 24 years old Were you married at that time? NO What is your wife's name? Mary E Did you have any children at that time? no What do you do now? still in service- stationed in Germany- M/Sgt- 7th Army Support Unit.- (Maint & Supply) When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? We had been making practice landings near Torquay & Plymouth from marshalling area, rendezvous on channel, announcement over loud system (by Eisenhower) 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 smooth, many of us slept fitfully on top of canvas. Between bows of trucks not much was said about the actual landing all seemed to be engrossed in the French handbook, and the wine we heard so much about. small group singing, attended short church services, regardless of faith, what would the beach be like 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) Heard much about German torpedo boats and they were no rumor, they were actual, so was his dive bombing and strafeing, and the use of wooden bullets by the enemy which would splinter and cause blood poison heard many rumors about his 88mm dual purpose gun + minefields and also his no-metalic mines. (regal box mines) and us with metalic detectors only- I think the loudest and least effective was the one on snipers being all over.

-for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Duquette

association of persons with happenings would idendtify unit

any chronilogical record of happenings or events was not permitted. Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No I didn't have time, but remember it all as though it happened yesterday (diary was against reg's)

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes. Lt. Richards, William. KIA. Beach, first wave.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? no personel contact that day

Were you wounded? not on the beach- later in Belgium & Germany.

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? no pain at once, to scared to feel it. I guess.

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? Yes, one time while taking cover from enemy machine gun and mortar fire, I deliberately stopped to pick up a fountain pen which I saw lying in the road. Apon reaching cover inspection of item in question showed it to be only the case. (still have it.) what made me stop I will never know.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? Our own dead floating in rolling surf and tangled in barbed wire, signal men dead and still in linemens belt hanging on pole. All American dead and wounded, no enemy seen until about 1/4 mile in from water. (fright that accompanied all men even to the point of forgetting to load rifles.) unidentified man attempt to save a wounded driver of a 1500 gal gasoline tanker which was hit and on fire, truck exploded. Destroyed rescuer & rescued plus several other. He knew he didn't have a chance, but still went on.

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name DUQUETTE

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 ? NATURAL ABILITY TO LEAD WHEN UNDER TERRIFIC PRESSURE NEGLECTED TO LOAD RIFLES WHEN IN BEACH APPROACHES

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? ON LST ON ENGLISH CHANNEL Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? ABOUT 1/2 -3/4 MILE IN FROM BEACH ON APPROACH TO TOWN OF (ISIGNY) FRANCE 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? MR. RICHARD BALL NEGAUNEE, MICHIGAN MR. RICHARD WILLS NEGAUNEE, MICHIGAN /out MR HOWARD DAVEY NEGAUNEE, MICHIGAN

PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE BOOK. VIE 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

May 8, 1958

M/Sgt Donald M. Duquette Headquarters Company 521st Engineer Group ( M & S) APO 227, New York, New York

Dear Sergeant Duquette:

Thank you very much for your letter of April 9 and for your apparent interest in Cornelius Ryan's book about D-Day. I hope you will forgive my long delay in replying, for we are really deluged with mail resulting from the Army requests for information. Please believe that we want very much to have your story, I should say, by way of clarification, that this will not be another strategic history but a story of twenty-four hours of D-Day as men lived them and remembered them. For this, we must depend upon the people who were there and their willingness to let us share their memories. As the Stars and Stripes article probably indicated, Mr. Ryan will be interviewing many of the people who contribute to the book. He will do this here and in Europe during the next two or three months of this year, and I should like very much to know whether or not you would be available for interview at Kaisers Lantern during that period. In the meantime since we are dealing with literally hundreds of people, we are finding it necessary to keep an individual file on each person who writes us with information; and so we should much appreciate your com- pleting the enclosed record and returning it to me at your earliest convenience.

We hope very much to hear from you again; we really need your story. Thank you so very much for any help which you can give us.

Sincerely yours,

Frances Ward Research Department FW:LL Enclosures