World War II D-Day Accounts from the Cornelius Ryan Collection

I hereby agree that Mr. Cornelius Ryan has all rights whatsoever in the interview with, and the questionnaire and letter from me regarding D-Day.

SIGNED Richard J. Walsh DATE 8 July 58

[*Neg - Brit

American 8th AF 452 Bomb Grp.

Sgt.*]

17th July, 1958.

Sergeant R.J. Walsh, 3rd A.F. Headquarters Squadron, ADO 125, South Ruislip.

Dear Sergeant Walsh,

I felt that 1 should personally write to thank you for the wonderful contribution which you have made in the preparation of the D-Day book which I am writing. The material in the questionnaire you sent me has been a great help in filling in many of the details of the work done in Normandy that day by members of the Services.

It will probably be a full year before the book is completed and on its publication in The Reader's Digest under the story "The Longest Day", it will give us great pleasure to send you a copy.

Yours sincerely,

(Cornelius J. Ryan)

STURDIVANT, Hubert Nelson

492 Bomb Group SC 6

Box 17, #23

Groups Communications Officer for Bomber Group, stayed in England saw flights going over & coming out.

[*SC 6 Shaw AFB S.C. LL GREEN*]

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? HUBERT NELSON STURDIVANT, COLONEL USAF

What was your unit and division? 492nd BOMB GROUP (HVY) (B-24S)

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? I DID NOT ARRIVE IN NORMANDY- THE AIR CORPS DID ITS EFFECTIVE JOB FROM BASES IN ENGLAND. I WAS AT NO. PICKENHAM AERODROME STATION (NEAR SWAFFHAM IN NORWICH) ON 5-6 JUNE 1944 WORKING AS GROUP COMMUNICATIONS MAINTENANCE OFFICER

What was your rank on June 6, 1944?

What was your age on June 6, 1944? THIRTY NINE (39)

Were you married at that time? SEPARATED

What is your wife's name? REMARRIED IN 1952- WIFE'S NAME MARY A.

Did you have any children at that time? TWO BOYS.

What do you do now? REGULAR AIR FORCE OFFICER- ACCEPTED REGULAR COMMISSION JULY 1946 UNDER 1st AUGMENTATION

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? AS COMMUNICATIONS MAINT. OFFICER OF 492ND BOMB GO I RECOGNIZED SEVERAL DAYS IN ADVANCE THAT SOMETHING BIG WAS BEING PREPARED. THE INCREASED AIR ACTIVITY AND THE TYPE OF LOCATION OF TARGETS INDICATED THE OBJECTIVE.

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? N.A. AS TO CROSSING. ON afternoon of June 5th word came down that a maximum effort was to be undertaken that nite. This meant having communications equipment working properly in every flyable aircraft. I put my people to work checking out communications gear in the B-24s and we worked right up until the crews came to their assigned birds. This was about midnite. They began taking off around 0100 hours. All the airmen knew without discussing it that something Big was [illegible]

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). THE AIRMEN AT NORTH PIC AS WE YANKS CALLED IT, BEGAN SWARMING TO THE FLIGHT LINE ABOUT 1000 HOURS WAITING FOR THE RETURNING ACFT TO LAND SO THEY COULD GET FIRST HAND NEWS FROM THE CREWS. AS THE PLANES BEGAN TO CIRCLE THE AIRDROME THEY WERE JOCKEYING FOR POSITION FOR LANDING - MANY OF THEM WERE USING RED FLARES INDICATING WOUNDED ABOARD. SEVERAL HAD TO CRASH LAND. TWO B-24S COLLIDED AS THEY MADE FINAL APPROACH 20 AIRMEN LOST

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name

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? The two aircraft that collided on final approach to No. Pic. aerodrome did so because of a stupid chain of events. There were about twenty (20) aircraft circling the aerodrome. Practically everyone of the craft was firing a flare gun, most of them were red signals but some were green. It looked more like a 4th of July celebration than a serious military [illegible]. Radio silence was being maintained in the control tower so the enemy listening stations couldn't pick up info as to [illegible] of our [illegible]. Our ops officer was firing green flares to signal acft to land our red for go around. Apparently pilots of the two acft got confused when he fired first a green, then a red, then a green, and in rapid succession. The acft were approaching one above the other in such a position that neither could see the other. Finally the ops officer began firing only red flares and both acft pulled up simultaneously but the lower acft was quicker. He pulled up into the propellors of the upper acft. 20 men died in the blaze that followed.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944?

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944?

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?

At midnite June 5, 1944 I was on the flight line at No. Pic Aerodrome watching the B-24s in my group get airborne for their mission, dropping bombs in advance of the forces who were to land on Normandy later in the day.

At midnite June 6, 1944 I was still on the flight line at No Pic aerodrome repairing the damaged in the flyable B-24s of the Group, getting them ready for their next mission. None of my people left the flight line for the next several days. They worked until they folded up from exhaustion then they crawled up on a work bench and slept for a short time before going back to work again. We were short of Communications personnel just as we are today

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 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

[*Hubert Sturdivant HQ 507th Communications Gp Shaw Air Force Base So. Carolina*]

Personal:

Were You There on 6 June 1944?

A history of D-Day, Sixth of June, 1944, is being prepared by Cornelius Ryan for publication in the READER'S DIGEST and in book form to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the event in 1959. Army, Airborne, Rangers, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force per- sonnel who participated in the operation during the 24 hours be- ginning midnight the Fifth of June, 1944, are asked to write to

Miss Frances Ward READER'S DIGEST 230 Park Ave., New York, N.Y.

Prospective personal interviews of selected individuals will be based upon letters received.

26 May 1958

Miss Frances Ward Reader's Digest 230 Park Ave. New York, N.Y.

I was a member of the 492nd Bomb Group (B-24s) stationed at North Pickenham in Norfolk near Swaffham England. The 492nd Bomb Gp participated in the preD-day softening up of the enemy in Europe. We lost 68 B-24s in three months of operation. Your magazine carried a story of the "[?all fallen?] 492nd Bomb Group" several years ago.

I was the Group Communications Maintenance Officer in the hectic period of Operations. On the morning of 6 June 1944 at 0100 hours I stood on a little knoll outside my [?Command shack?] with any English [?mess?] blowing in my face and with a dark solitude contemplated the impact that events I was prvileged to witness at that moment would have on the future.

June 26,1958

Mr. Hubert N. Sturdivant, Commander 8th Communications Group Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina

Dear Mr. Sturdivant:

Thank you very much for your letter and for your willingness to help us with Cornelius Ryan's book about D-Day. I hope you will forgive the delay in replying to your kind offer of assistance; we are gratified, but somewhat overwhelmed, by the wonderful response which we are getting as a result of our requests for information.

During the next few months, both in this country and in Europe, Mr. Ryan will be interviewing many of the D-Day participants who agree to contribute to the book. Very probably, he will wish to talk with you during that period. In the meantime, since we are dealing with so many people, we have found it necessary to develop an individual file on each person who agrees to help us. Therefore, we hope you will complete the enclosed record and return it to me at your earliest convenience. We truly believe that these questions will serve you, as well as us, if they can help to crystallize some hazy memories and to indicate the sort of information which we are seeking.

I should be most grateful to know as soon as possible when and if you will be available for interview. We want very much to tell the story of your unit, and in order to do that we need the personal accounts of the men who were there. We particularly look forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

Frances Ward Research Department

FW:LL

8th A.F. SHOOP, Clarence Adelbert

7th Recon Cal 2

Box 17, #22

8th AIR FORCE 7th RECON GROUP C.O.

FLIGHT OVER Was in a flight of two P-38's. Lt. Col. Norris E. Hartwell was oth r pilot, covered entire beach area photographically commencing at 0630. Were forced to descend below clouds and flew under weather. Was impressed with amount of shipping in Channel and with no. of Allied aircraft Saw one P-51 dis integrate

Dead

[*CAL AF--E Might [?be?] transport to Calif CAL-2*]

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? Clarence Adelbert Shoop

What was your unit and division? Commanding Officer, 7th Recon Group, 8th Air Force Commander, Mount Farm Air Base

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Covered entire beach areas photographically in P-38 and back inland approx- imately fifty (50) miles commencing 0630, June 6, 1944. Participated in news conference after mission supplying the first news flashes send to the United States on actual invasion operations.

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Lieutenant Colonel

What was your age on June 6, 1944? Thirty-seven years

Were you married at that time? No. Divorced.

What is your wife’s name? Julie Bishop Shoop (present)

Did you have any children at that time? Yes. Daughter--Sally Shoop

What do you do now? Vice President, Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, (Director, Product Reliability and Flight Test) California Major General, AF, CAL ANG Chief of Staff for Air

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? By 1600 June 5, 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? Was in a flight of two (2) P-38’s. Lt. Col. Norris E. Hartwell was the other pilot. Were forced to descend below the clouds and flew under the weather. Maintained radio silence. Was impressed with the amount of shipping in the Channel and the number of Allied aircraft in the air and the absence of German aircraft in the air. Was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this mission. It was presented by Elliott Roosevelt. (Picture available)

What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made the crossing? (Some people remember scuttiebut to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in). None