John Jenkins, a British World War II veteran who served with the Pioneer Corps and helped to invade Gold Beach shortly after D-Day, discusses his emotions right before landing. Jenkins talks about being just close enough to home on the shores of Normandy that he figured out a way to … Continue reading
Veteran of the British Royal Navy, Harry Card, tells his personal story about the day his ship, the late HMS Swift, was attacked on June 24, 1944 whilst in support of the Normandy Invasion off Sword Beach. Card recalls what it was like as the vessel began to sink after … Continue reading
Charles Sprowl, a veteran who served as an army technician in the U.S. First Unit Special Brigade, landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day with his unit. He describes the camaraderie that was created when landing on the beaches of Normandy during World War II. Sprowl explains that there was no … Continue reading
Marine James “Sandy” Powell was a member of the 30 Assault Unit (AU), an elite British Royal commando unit that helped to gather intelligence and carry out interrogations. The group was commanded by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy novel series. Powell explains what his D-Day landing near … Continue reading
Fred Millward, a paratrooper of the British 9th Parachute Battalion, part of the 6th Airborne Division, was one of the only paratroopers to survive D-Day and participate in the Allied attack on the Nazis’ Merville Gun Battery, a German coastal fortification on the Atlantic Wall in Normandy. Millward describes how … Continue reading
“I think adrenaline was such that you didn’t have the normal response to this kind of thing. You had an urgency…you had to start doing something and doing it quickly or you were in big trouble.” -Sergeant Bill Coleman Paratroopers of the Easy “E” Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th … Continue reading
Robert Baldridge, a corporal in the U.S. Army, describes what it was like to land on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 and the days following the Normandy Landings. Baldridge explains what happened during the Battle of Mortain all the way to the Battle of the Falaise Pocket: “There were … Continue reading
Decorated veteran Gordon Smith, part of the 1051 Port Company Royal Engineers, recalls arriving at Juno Beach a day after the Normandy Landings. Smith recalls collapsing while trying to keep himself steady in a packed and tottering barge as his unit awaited orders to get to the beachhead. Strangers placed … Continue reading
“Part of your thoughts is self-preservation. And unfortunately self-preservation is always at the cost of somebody else.” British veterans Peter and Len go on a road trip to visit Sword Beach, the area where they had landed on D-Day. They describe what their orders were as they arrived on the … Continue reading
African-American soldiers reflect on the Normandy Invasion that took place on June 6, 1944. One veteran emotionally reacts to the cemetery that honors the Americans who fought on Omaha Beach at Pointe du Hoc hill. Allen Price describes being part of the 32 75th Quartermaster Company on D-Day: “Blood all … Continue reading
