Plan a trip :
      
      
NEWS: [See all News]
Raymond S. HOBACK - 29th Division.
Bedford Boys Fallen - Raymond Samuel HOBACK never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrified his life for our freedom... Raymond may have made it out of his landing craft, but he never made it to shore. Others recall seeing his body in the water. Bedford also failed to make in on the beach. He was killed by an exploding 88mm shell. Their time in the battle could be measured in minutes... [American D-Day facebookRead more...
[Posted: 2020-01-21 22:40:05]
RIP - Robert GIGUERE - Navy.
It is with heavy heart we learn the passing of Mr. Robert GIGUERE, a veteran of D-Day (Normandy)... He was 93... Four days earlier, Giguere rode across the choppy English Channel toward the Normandy coast with the Sixth Naval Beach Battalion. When his carrier grounded on the beach, a Teller mine detonated from beneath and tore through the ship's hull, Killing several soldiers below deck... [American D-Day facebookRead more...
[Posted: 2020-01-21 22:58:23]
   1 - 2 / 25 news   
WALL - IN MEMORY OF: [See all Messages]
WOLTERS HENRY H
1ST INFANTRY DIVISION
Every time when I go to Normandy I pay my respect to Henry Herman Wolters and send the photo's from his grave to his Family.
Honored by Herman Wolters
[Posted: 2024-02-29 20:28:14]
PALMER SAMUEL C
29TH INFANTRY DIVISION
Samuel Clinton Palmer Service ID: 35803938 From: Tallega, Lee County, Ky Birth Date November 28, 1924 Casualty Date June 6, 1944 Army Corporal HQ Company, 2nd Battalion, 116 Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division Casualty Type KIA - Kill in Action Location: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
Honored by Jeffrey Palmer
[Posted: 2023-12-25 14:40:54]
   1 - 2 / 135 messages   
OMAHA BEACH MEMORIAL - TESTIMONIES
Partager
Signalman 3c Albert J. Berard

US Navy
LCT 538


View folder

As we were approaching Easy Red Beach, there were already hundreds of bodies floating by the ships. As the ships’ ramps were being lowered, the troops leaving the ships were getting machine gunned right there and falling into the water. Many of the ones that made it drowned because their upper torsos were heavily weighted with their rifles, hand grenades and all the ammunition they were holding overhead to keep from getting wet. In addition, any soldier that went off a ramp and whose feet didn’t hit bottom was immediately turned head-down and drowned. All these poor soldiers had a "life belt" about six inches wide hung low around their bodies, which caused them to flip over. You could see them floating by with their legs up out of the water. As other soldiers noticed what was happening, they would remove the life belt and go in without the life preserver.
One thing that I will never forget is the sound of the shells going by overhead, as well as the sound of those hitting the ship. Those German 88 projectiles would make an awful, whining noise as they went by. They were being fired at us from very close range. One of the projectiles hit us at the starboard side of the gun tub, and it must have hit at such an angles that it didn’t detonate, but went round and around in that gun tub until it just lost all of its energy and came to a stop without exploding. That saved the gunners that were at that station.
We had hit the beach at around 7:30 a.m. and because of shelling from shore had had to back off almost immediately, already with severe damage and casualties. As we were backing off, the current caused us to drift to the starboard and into an obstacle with a mine attached to it. We ended up getting off the beach with damage to two waterproof compartments; because of their being flooded we began to list. Later on when we tried to beach again to unload troops and vehicles, we couldn’t get close enough to solid ground. When we lowered the ramp, the vehicles drove off and disappeared into the water. When we landed the first time it was total chaos, with bodies floating all around plus body parts flying through the air.

Posted: July 16, 2011
Copyright: Laurent Lefebvre