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
After hearing that decent weather may take place on the coasts of Normandy on June 6, 1944, Dwight D. Eisenhower–Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces during World War II and future U.S. President–made the momentous choice to begin the Allied Forces advance into Europe on June 5. This invasion was … Continue reading
World War II veteran Torre Tobiassen recalls how Beach Master Joe Vaghi saved his life on D-Day as he and his battalion took Omaha Beach during the Normandy Campaign. Tobiassen also talks about his family taking him to see the movie, Saving Private Ryan, due to the D-Day scene in … Continue reading
Ian Hammerton, British commander of a flail tank during WWII, recalls landing on Juno Beach during D-Day. Hammerton describes seeing many dead and wounded soldiers already on the beach as he arrived. He also remembers the hectic environment that surrounded him during the Normandy landing.
Walter Ehlers is a veteran who served as staff sergeant in the U.S. Army’s First Infantry Division during World War II. Here, Ehlers is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor because of the amazing courage and heroism he showed on June 9, 1944, just a few days after D-Day. Ehlers … Continue reading
“All of our leaders were gone. It was just — just a bunch of privates and sergeants and corporals trying to, you know, get something going and trying to get it to succeed…Nobody could possibly be trained for what we found that day. But you learn fast, you know. It’s … Continue reading
“The most horrible was when we landed at the beachhead that so many dead were still floating in the water. They had already turned black, and decay had set in. The stench was awful.” Clarence William Dotson was a technical sergeant in the 343rd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. … Continue reading
“Sometime during the questioning I called a German officer a ‘SOB’ and woke up several days later in a hospital with a big headache and a bashed head.” Joseph Beryle, a U.S. Paratrooper for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, recounts his time as a prisoner of war after making his jump … Continue reading
“We were so low that when my chute opened, I swung twice and hit the ground. I know that all the men didn’t get out. If they did, they were too low and their chutes never had time to open.” Bill Oatman, U.S. paratrooper for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, gives his personal … Continue reading
“It has always been my feeling that the Germans were so terrified of the sight of so many ships and so many planes that they weren’t sure who to shoot at.” The following is an account of D-Day as told by Hubert Mark Altvater, a pilot for the U.S. Army … Continue reading
