Keep eye contact with me when we go from here. You want to hear about the drop in normandy . We deported from an airfield in britain. We had been briefed and we knew exactly what conditions were in normandy and where the drop zones were located. Sometime during the fight we received aircraft fire from the right side of the planes. We were not aware that some of the midChannel Islands were occupied by the germans. That confused us because we thought we were approaching normandy. And parallel to the cause we turned north parallel to the coast of normandy. The jump master was watching the door. As soon as they could see landfall he ordered the troops to stand up and hook up. The plate was hit plane was hit by aircraft fire. The right side was knocked out. Just a few of the troopers had hooked their signs up. They dumped everybody in. Of course there was a mad scramble to get to the door. The plane was listing to the right and nobody could climb the incline to get to the door. I was able to get to the door first. A jump master was in the tail of the plane. And the two of us together interlocked arms to hold the others back. One goal of mine was to get out of that plane. The push continues. They were trying very hard to do that. The pilot did a superb job. He was able to restart the engine on that left side. There was a tremendous vibration. The plane vibrated so badly i was sure it would tear loose from its moorings. And tell him it was still cloudy and through the intermittent cloud cover i could see the ground. Thinking of the one pair of folks on the ground. I could tell we were gaining altitude. I wanted to let the jump master know we were gaining altitude. I leaned over to tell him that. When i called his name he jumped. I realized the rest was going to follow me. We landed safely. He didnt realize he thought i had then realize he was gaining altitude. No injuries. We are ready to go in a matter of minutes. It turns ideal. There is no record of the plane. There is reason to believe he didnt make it back out of town. The superb job of regaining control of the plane. We were on the drop zone. I dont know how that was managed. He couldnt break formation. We could see landfall, so there is some 22 miles. And what kind of maneuvers he made by the time the plane was hit on by the time we dropped, i have no idea. It worked out extremely well. Ive heard plenty of stories of planes getting hit over the Channel Islands and causing these premature jumps with their plane being hit and forced to jump i think many of them were hit by some kind of hit. This hit was a 20 caliber shot. It couldnt stay together. When you hit the drop zone, you started to assemble, can you tell me about the point of hitting the ground and going right to assembly. You are going to have to shout. You can tell me about the assembly. There were mom bays beneath the plane bomb bays beneath the plane. There was a switch by the side of the door. A switch for each equipment bomb. We didnt need a man we did meet a man to release all the bombs. As we got on the ground they would move together with both hands to assemble the equipment bombs. This served multiple purposes to be able to assemble. Then we would have everyone there share the burden of carrying additional equipment that was contained in the bombs. We went solo there is no chance for the parachutes to separate, we just came right straight down and it was assembled in a matter of minutes. After we assembled we immediately started towards then we reached the river and realized the river was so the commander decided we could reinforce a battery and we started moving in that direction. Short of the bridge there was a german strong point. The woods we were in was separated from the german strong point by 600 yards. We were held up there and we couldnt and my Company Commander went forward to see what the problem was. He was hit by a machine gun fire. And he was shot through the middle of the chest and the bullet came out in the back. We didnt think he would live, but found a farm car. And five men headed toward the beach. This had no earthly idea of what was happening at the beach. We didnt know that captain stephanies survival depended on adequate treatment. I didnt know until months later that these five men succeeded in getting to the beach and getting him aboard a shuttle run those running back and forth between the vessels. After he had been shut there were still held up by the german strong point. And had a good view of the german strong point. Our client gets to her three motors that they could find and place them so i could likely find the tree and just on the strong point the germans put down their weapons. I gave the command and order. Repeat fire. And i argued with him. I climbed out of the tree and said climb up and look over there. He repeated his command. When they started firing again with the mortars, the germans took their weapons and got back in their and resume the conflict. I was extremely per two deck perturbed because we had 15 men killed before we came over the strong point. When i criticized lieutenant he said, we had no choice. We did know how much resistance we would have in getting there. We didnt have any way to control. My argument was these 10 or 15 people could have lived to fight another day. It didnt work out that way. As we approached the bridge that wake bridge then we get to perform this consisted of a large stone house and numerous outbuildings behind a wall. After we occupy positions along the river there were still 25 or 30 germans. Our primary concern was setting up a defense. They dont cause a real concern. We set up along the river there. Later arrivals occupied the river. Pulled them back from the rivers edge. I dont recall a time, i would say its noon. Only the there is water on both sides. It extended above 600 yards. We could hear the sound of vehicles. We rush to get the fence set up there. They came towards the bridge. They had 10 or 12 paratroopers that had been captured. With their hands behind their heads. The tank commander was carried carried a submachine gun. He was directing these paratroopers to pick up the minds and throw them off the road. As they approach closer and closer, i had a mortar laid on the bridge there. And the commanded income. I was afraid that no one had a command. By this time or i didnt even know whats there. It was in position. And they fired a shot. And whether by design or accidents, i dont know, but it knocked the tread off of the tanks. The second time was following close behind the first, using the first for shield, it had fallen so closely it had climbed up on the rear the tank had the trademarks. They fired into the tank that was climbed up on the other. And it cant fire. And the third time, that effectively bought the bridge, and the third started down the road. It was really sore. It was above a foot or two above water level. It was exposed to the troopers. And the little bit in the tank gun these were light tanks. Even this small tank had enough armor on the front. And they were shooting continuous to there. Did no damage. Sometime after the forces had moving out of sight, a motorcycle with a sidecar and a white flag came out and came down near the bridge. To recover the dead and wounded. And a number of cargo trucks. They started loading up the dead and wounded. We were surprised because there was no ambulance. They pick up a soldier by the feet and the arms. Several of the people were trying to count where they picked up. That would account for their hammering because they didnt have any of them. That was the end of their first counterattack. We stayed in position. We were causally battered by artillery fire. We had many casualties from artillery. We had to hunker down in a foxhole and take it. That was the extent of the first attack. I dont remember all of the details. All of the attacks failed. We held the bridge until the amphibious forces arrived. Do recall you were told by general gavin to man that 57 millimeter . Ive read in your accounts and other books that you were told i cant remember if it is gavin that told you, someone told you you were to demand that 50 millimeter gun . I realized we had we had only about 20 rounds left. I thought that perhaps there had been some i told them i was going back and he took a radio his radio had been damaged in landing. The two of us went back to the drop zone. We got into some artillery and mortar fire. And this Radio Operator was killed. I got back and as i approached the bridge i saw a group of troopers. About 15 or so. As i was looking on a parallel course and with the move shouting to me end to him. I got close and it was carl mark alexander. He asked me where i thought i was going. Have you been there . I was getting kind of impatient with him. I said how in the hell could i return to a place i hadnt been. He said tell me details about the bridge. I described it. When i got closer he recognized me. He apologized for asking all the ambiguous questions. He said, they were apparently going to they werent moving out in the safety of that. He wanted me to lead the way to the bridge. He knew i was a squad later and asked me if i knew anything about artillery. I told him just basic knowledge. Close to 100 around. There is no site or control equipment. We could use that to any advantage. I said well, the germans are having an Assembly Area across the river, and if we could get the gun on the hill so that we could see the assembly point, i could deliver fire from them. But i would not fire without knowing exactly where they were going. And he said well, we have got enough troops here. And so, it took there were a few people left after they got enough enough ammunition. And there was this patch of woods that the germans were assembly in assembling in, and i started firing rounds. After i got in the woods, i fired a checkerboard pattern, i went across, and back across, and would do that again. We shot all of the ammunition in that patch of woods. We knew we were having some effect because we could see black smoke, you know, it comes from the plume and tires. When we got to the bridge, the lieutenant, this little gun had crew after crew had been killed. They left this tank that had trademarks, the engine was still running. He could still traverse and shoot, and they were shooting everything they had. That continued. Im going to pause. And all of the maneuver elements were assigned a section, and we were assigned a section there. This general line moved all the way across france, and the foot soldiers, as long as we were in the country, it was no problem to keep up with the mechanized units along our flanks. After we got out of the country, then it was tough going trying to take keep pace with the units because they were mechanized to some extent. But that continued on then until the rain started. And when the rain started, it took things down, vehicles became limited to the hard service wrote hard surface roads, they could not go cross country, airplanes cannot fly could not fly. Visibility was poor. And the germans went into a defensive posture and things just stopped. When the winter finally broke, it took an all out push to get the show moving again. I was wounded, i believe, the seventh of july. That was the day the push started to get that offense of offensive moving forward again. Unfortunately, i did not have the microphone for when you were talking about manning that 57. If we can, i need to go back and have you tell me again, i guess, from where alexander told you i have you talking up to the point of telling you to go. If we could start again from when you went to go get that 57, get on that 57 . From that point forward from that point forward just until there is not much forward after that. As soon the troops reached, they pushed along across the bridge. But to the north further, and we were assigned a section. I do not remember whether we got an arrest or not. I know we had gone for days and days without sleep. I remember getting that sleep. Can you tell me again about alexander putting you on the 57 and how many people you saw killed there . Im sorry . Can you go back and describe when you are on the 57 again . I did not have audio for that. Well, it had no site so sight, so we had to line and on the target, whatever represented the trajectory. Then we loaded it real quick. The 57 was not very valuable after it knocked the tread off. That brought the assault to a halt. From that point on, the air tank gun was minor. The motor played a big role because i had a motor set up, i had dug it in so that the site was above ground, and i could aim at the target. During the german withdrawal, as they were confined to the width of that causeway, and i saw humanity on a long strip down there. I would drop a round in there, and change the ammunition and drop another one in. I did that until we got down to where there was only about 8, 10, or 20 rounds left. Then i quit firing although the causeway was full of targets. I knew they would attack again. I wanted to have at least some ammunition. But that was wholesale slaughter after they started withdrawing on the bridge. They were confined to the causeway. Did you bear any witness to when our side had to go and do that same thing . Im sorry . Did you bear any witness to when our troops had to go back and do the same thing and across the causeway with all of the german fire forming . No, i do not recall any occasion to go across. Our defense, you know, and we did not have an occasion to go across that. There was nothing the water was not that deep. And im sure a lot of troops waited around waded around in the water. For the most part, they were confined to that causeway and they were tight packed tight. There must have been more than a battalion of troops following the tanks. And that was surprising because they use these Little French were no tanks, that was the only tank they had. They were less capable of doing the job than any tank they had. Why they did not i do not think the germans were aware the river was flooded. I think they came with the impression they could cross the river anyway they wanted to. If they had realized they were going to be on, and there were only two ways to go across the river going north and east, they would have made a greater effort to take the bridge. By the time the glider mittens make their push across, was your Company Still in the area . Or had you already moved out . I think the pressure was off after that. After the allied tanks started crossing, the pressure was off. We were probably we got a days rest. But i do did you see the gliders going across . Could you see the american push across the causeway from your position . I do not know if they were american or british but i think the british may have been the first ones to cross. It was 320 five gliders where the first elements to go across from our side. Could you see that . Could you see them going into the attack . No, i do not believe as they approached, after they were moving out as they approached, i think we were in the process of assembling and moving out. I do not believe i saw them. I will ask you i want to ask you a few questions about individuals now. I want to start with mark alexander. Tell me what you thought about mark alexander, his leadership capabilities . Well, he was very knowledgeable about everything that was going on around the regiment. And he was interested in everything. Early on, before normandy, i had i was a leader, and i was convinced that the message described in the field demanded manuals, they were incredibly clumsy. For instance, they issued a pair of lehman stakes, and it was two steaks and they were 50 16 feet long, painted red and white. The artillery use them because the artillery piece, every time they fire, it pushes to the rear. It is offset to the rear. And it is at an angle there, when they go to the rear, the lehman post are pushed. It comes back, and then they put the post halfway between the crosshair and another post. And then it is parallel with the lehman stakes. That is common practice and that is essential. But it goes down, so you only need one lehman post. Our first discarded lehman post, and i cut a straight switch and painted it so i could see, and it does not have to be 50 yards away, i could pick it out at 20 yards, and that would do just fine. And then i found the ammunition was always in short supply. It was all airdropped. And it was always short. I realized we wasted a lot of ammunition because shooting along a level plane, if a shot is not in line with the target, you cannot tell if it is older or short. Before it can adjust the range. And that wasted range. I started doing away with lehman stakes altogether. I would take the mortar up to where i can see the target, and aim at the target, just like you do a rifle. To hit on that line. And by doing that, i could get around the line, and i would make a change and push the bracket down until it went into effect. That soon caught on all over. Initially, all the commands between the squad leader in the gun crew and the gun crew. That was clumsy and a subject to misunderstanding and a subject to misunderstanding. They had a hookup between the gliders and the copilot through the garner cable or cable, and there were earphones that were sound powered. There were not even batteries. The vibrations of the diaphragm had the sound waves. So i got a pair of these earphones, a quartermile real of wire, and we talked back and forth. After i started putting the gun on op, we did not need any communication. We were all out there together. Then i became concerned that there was a good chance i as a squad leader carried the base plate, the binoculars, and a comp book. They were all mortar equipment. I was in addition to my regular equipment. Then the gunner then the gunner carried the tube and assistant gunner carried the bipod, and the rest of the squad carried ammunition. But it took four people at least to get one round off. I thought that we could do without, or get by with less equipment. And i advanced of that theory, and colonel alexander heard about it, so he came down. He wanted me to try it out, see if it works. And i said ok, you find a place, and you authorize the ammunition, and i will conduct the training program. He arranged, and first he used a nearby rock quarry. And he arranged for me to throw ammunition. So we went out there and we started out, the first thing it was hard to keep up with was our range card. It was a little range card, each packed with ammunition. It gave all of the charges, and the elevations corresponding to all of the the ranges. That paper, we had no shelter. We were in the whether all of the time, whatever it was like. And the range cards were hard to preserve. And i wanted to get away from them. So we went out, and the first time we estimated the range and the elevation. We did not use range cards. We found out that that was not so difficult either, the experienced men could do that without any difficulty. Then we got away from the site. Finally, we got down to just the two. Surprisingly, that was very effective. The tube has a round, spherical projection on the end that fits in the baseplate and locks in. And if you squat down, indian fashion, with your legs crossed, stand it up between your legs and line it up, and get whatever elevation you think it needs, and drop a round in there, the force will drive that tube in the