(Click on name to read their experience)

1. B-5    BALL, Wayne E.   CM2c
2. A-2    CALHOUN, Peter D. S2/C
3. A-2    CRIMI, Frank   F1c
4. A-2    EARWAKER, William R.    M0MM3c
5. C-7    GOLDSMITH, Dr. David A.    Lt. jg  Medical Officer
6. A-1    GURIAN, Irving   PhM2c
7. A-2    HICKMAN, John (Jack) A.   S1c
8. A-1    KETTS, Walter F.   SF1c                  
9. B-4    LUNN, William G.   PhM2c
10. B-6    POSTON, Vernon   S1c
11. B-6    SHAW, John W.   Cox.
12. B-5    SILVERMAN, Arnold   PhM2c
13. B-6    SMITH, Charles C.   SF2c
14. A-2    SWEARINGEN, Claude   Lt. jg
15. C-9    WESTLEY, Wilbur (Bud) W.   F1c

B-5 WAYNE E. BALL CM2c

Sometime around August 10, 1944, I boarded an APA troop transport in the harbor at Naples, Italy. Later about six of us were invited to a room topside where pictures of our beach were displayed, showing people working on beach obstacles, etc. Lt. Acheson, our Beachmaster informed us that the six of us would be going ashore with him at H+10. I thought H plus 10 hours wouldn't be so bad. Actually he meant 10 minutes. I don't remember the rest of the 5 men, but I think Bill Malcomson was one since I had half of his radio.
The next morning we were called to our boat stations, to be loaded onto landing barges. Landing time I believe was to be at 10 AM. We got aboard the boats and begin circling until everyone was ready to proceed to the embarkation point. We were to stay at that position until Air Force and Navy bombardment had softened things up a bit. It began to appear that things were not right when a remote controlled boat filled with explosives to blast away obstacles, kept coming back to us. After several attempts a DE or a Destroyer was called in and proceeded to sink the boat. At about that time word was passed to go East to a beach that was already working. I landed there and hopped aboard an Army vehicle of some kind and rode to the new location, where we proceeded to open a small beach. I think this took most of the day.
I remember seeing the German airplane with the bomb hanging underneath, I saw it being fired up and released, but did not see it hit LST 282. I finally dug a slit trench, stretched out in it and slept like a baby all night long.

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62 years - seems like only yesterday that I heard those German 88s whistling through the tree tops just behind Green Beach waiting for orders to move out down the beach road toward Yellow beach as we waited for the Army infantry to clear the road of Germans so that we could get on with our assignment.  

Well, as it was we were able to move down the road towards Yellow Beach but were stopped short of our goal.  On the hills overlooking Yellow Beach the Germans were entrenched in bunkers and had Yellow Beach completely covered with gunfire. We were given orders to move into coverage overlooking Yellow Beach close to a large house and dig foxholes as we were staying for the night.  There was a garage close to the house and three or four of us decided to investigate.  As we opened the door to the garage there laying on the floor was a dead man.  This was the first dead person I had ever seen.  Since the man was not in uniform we thought that he was probably a Free French fighter that the German's had found and killed.  

The next morning, that would have been August 16th, our orders had been changed and we were to turn around and make our way to St. Rafael which was west of where we were.  As we moved down the road many of the local people lined the side of the road and cheered as we went by.  By mid afternoon we found our way to St. Rafael and found that the harbor was useless as the Germans had sunk a number of small ships and boats in the harbor.  Though we could see Red Beach, it had not yet been secured due to the fact that a Navy Minesweeper had hit a mine set by the Germans.  The Army unit we were with then directed us to a building about a quarter of a mile inland from Red Beach and this was where we were to bunk during our stay at Red Beach.  Later that afternoon we heard a number of large explosions out towards Red Beach and were told it was a Navy Demolition Team blowing holes in a wall the Germans had built the whole length of Red Beach which ran from the Port of St. Rafael to the road that went to Fuji (spelling).  Red Beach ended up being three landing beaches, Red Beach I, II, and III.  As I recall A-2 ended up originally setting up Red Beach I and later moving down to the end of the beach and setting up Red Beach III where we stayed and worked for the remainder of the time we were in Southern France. 

I remember the room I bunked in that converted school house.  It was in the basement of the building and had one small window which overlooked a large fenced in area which was eventually used to keep German Prisoners.  I bunked with Clyde Fortner and I do not remember who the other two A-2 guys were.  I think there were four of us in this one rather small room.  The Army set up a kitchen in the building and I can remember getting supplies off the LSTs and LCIs that would come into the beach Also I can remember the Army making a latrine out back behind the building but also close to a road that went by that area.  There was no privacy at all and people would walk by and watch us go out and take a crap.  In leaving our staging area north of Naples, we went aboard a British LCI and stayed on there until the landing in Southern France.  We hit the beach in the second wave I believe.  A-1 was ashore first and set up the beach.  I think a couple of their guys got Bronze Medals for securing a pillbox and capturing some Germ ans.

62 years ago - man seems like only yesterday in many ways and ages ago in others. How fortunate we were to come out of that landing without losing anyone, so much different from Normandy where we could very well have been.

Thanks Jack for the e-mail.  It is great to go back and think about times past.

By the way, after the war I got out, joined a reserve unit in my home town and was called back in when my unit was reactivated in 1950.  Stayed in and retired in 1975.  From 1950 until I was assigned to an aviation unit in Jacksonville in 1969 I was in the real Navy. 

Peter D. Calhoun

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A-2 FRANK CRIMI F1c

I was behind Earwaker and received small pieces of shrapnel in my chest. I continued to level the road and as soon as the road was level, I left to go inland to "Red Beach". On the way to "Red Beach" I cleared ever fence post with my 13 ½ foot blade, down this narrow road. On the way I came upon some Army guys, they asked me to clear this area, until their dozer was there. I was doing the work when their dozer came up. I asked, how to I get to "Red Beach", I was told to go thru this large hole in the building, I went thru the hole and as soon as I was on the other side of the building I heard the loudest sound that I had ever heard, it came from where I had just left. I went back to see what happened. The Army bull-dozer was pushing over a portion of an anti-tank wall (one of these 3'x3'x8' concrete blocks) that had been booby trapped. I believe there was 26 men killed. I continued on to "Red Beach". As soon as I Got to "Red Beach" I started removing this wire along the anti-tank wall when I backed up and hit a land mine. I jumped off the dozer and started running when someone saw where I had been hit in leg and buttocks. l was evacuated to the Army field hospital and later evacuated to a hospital ship and eventually to Bizerte, North Africa.  My stay in Southern France was limited to less than three days.

Bill Earwaker and I were operating bull-dozers, we were unloaded on "Green Beach." We thought we were supposed to be on " Red Beach".  As soon as we were on the beach we started leveling the road from the beach. We just got started when Earwaker dropped the blade of his dozer on a "Teller mine". He was injured on the left side of his face and head. Earwaker was evacuated to an army field hospital and eventually evacuated to a hospital and then to
Bizerte, North Africa. (By Frank Crimi)

It was about 0400 aboard ship off the coast of Southern France.
A loud speaker came on from a destroyer in our convoy with a message to all of us HEROES  who will soon liberate France from the Nazis.
At 0800 with all our gear, we went over the side down the mockup onto an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry).
All the small craft rendezvous and a white signal flag went down the halyard, all LCI'S sped toward the beach.
We noticed small geysers in the water, not realizing they came from German 88's ashore.
Hitting the beach and rushing ashore, We dug foxholes but met with little resistance till we heard a loud explosion.
An LST was hit and on fire. Many men were lost on the LST.
While on the beach our Beachmaster was in charge, Signal, Medical, Boat Repair, we all had jobs.
Casualties on our side were small as the Germans withdrew further inland.
The 6th Corps of the Army landed with us and proceeded inland.
On "D+3" a total of 7000 German, Polish and Russian Nazi volunteers were excavated along with 1400 Allied casualties.
The 8th Beach Battalion did well and as ships, landing craft and supplies came ashore, each of us had our job and our training was superb.
In early December we boarded LST's and arrived at Brooklyn Naval Yard where the Beach battalion was decommissioned.
After a 30 day leave my orders were to leave for Oceanside ,California and then onto IWO JIMI in the Pacific and  later OKINAWA aboard the USS SANBORN APA 193.

Photos below are from San Rafel Southern France.  
Invasion August 15, 1944

Command post on top of bombed building on Red Beach

Command Post on Red Beach

8th Naval Beach Battalion Platoon A-2 leaving Red Beach. This LST had a crack across the bulkhead. You could stand at the stern, look forward and see the ship twist. 
After reaching Bizerte, this ship was junked.

75 mm German Howitzer captured on Red Beach

Curtis Trueblood on Howitzer on Red Beach

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    I landed on Green Beach in an Army Dukw with a detachment of the 540th Combat Engineers on August 15, 1944
          After a lull on the beach, word was set down for all that were carrying an M-1 rifle , to be ready to bolster the front line.
I was under cover when Cecil Hodges attacked the German pillbox. (S1c Cecil Hodges captured a pillbox single handed and was awarded the Silver Star) Our Hospital Corpsmen did a fine job of treating the wounded. We all participated in getting the wounded out to the Hospital ships. I do know there was a LST hit by a buss bomb.
    EM2c Lawerence V. McGuire and S1c Robert L. Lambert's jeep hit a land mine. McGuire lost a arm and Lambert lost his sight.
    While unloading ammo for the 540th , a box landed on my right side, I was taken to the Army Field Hospital and operated on.
    I was in the 6th Beach Battalion and then transferred to the 8th  Beach Battalion. Ship fitters were needed in the 8th Beach Battalion. I heard the 6th beach Battalion had 90% casualties (in the Normandy Landing) I hope I heard wrong.
    I am thankful for the 4 years I spent in the Navy and all in the Amphibious Force. I was a small boat and rope ladder (cargo net) sailor.
    Commander Graff and the 8th  Beach Battalion was given a Presidential Unit Citation.
    SF1c Robert Hortsman and I served together  4 ½ years, while on Guam we were attached to another Army Unit for the invasion of Japan.
    Hortsman made CPO and moved to the Chief's Quarters, that was the only time we were separated.

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We left Italy in convoy and arrived off the coast of France (out of sight of land) the evening before the invasion. Our medical group was on an LST, to relax we were diving off the ship into the Mediterranean Sea. I can remember as we hit the water, we were forced to the surface. There must have been a lot of salt in the Mediterranean, there was no danger of drowning.
    The next day we went over the side down the net into the Higgins boat in the early afternoon. We circled for a period and the headed for the beach. We landed about 4:00 P.M. ( the initial invasion force hit the beach about 8:00 A.M. I believe). As we were landing, there was a column of German prisoners being marched by. Our initial invasion force overcame the  Germans very quick.
    Our hospital corpsmen were led by a doctor and we were prepared to set up a medical aid station just off the beach. Suddenly we heard a tremendous explosion. There was a LST landing on the beach and the ship was hit by a buzz bomb. Our doctor told us to stay put and he dashed down across the beach with his medical bag. There was casualties aboard the ship but I do not know how many.
    We found out in the next few days that the German occupation forces on the Riviera had taken over the beautiful homes and were living in high style. There was not a trace of the French civilians. 

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I arrived in Southern France on an "LCI" in the early  morning of August  15, 1944. We landed at Rade d' Agay, along with C. L. Smith, L.C. Vanzant, Andy Leigehton and others.

A detail of platoon B-5 and a detail of engineers were aboard a British LCI (L)standing off Red Beach', I think it was called Red Beach One. This is the beach called American Beach in St, Raphael today. It is a very wide beach and was the heaviest fortified in the Camel area. There was a tank wall the entire width of the beach and machine gun positions and artillery observation posts disguised as kiosks. All this was easily visible from seaward.  About 0700 hours I woke up and settled down with a book using the bulkhead of the conning tower as a back rest. On the opposite side of the con. was the radio shack. The radioman was listening to a TBS circuit and beginning about O8OO the people on the other side of the tower could hear reports in plain language. They started passing along reports of success on Green Beach, where the landings had begun at 0800. The reports indicated that there was light opposition, some sniper fire and artillery barrages being the heaviest opposition reported.
Our landing was scheduled for 1200 hours with our detachments scheduled to land at H+65. Beginning about 1130 hours the UDT people were supposed to clear passages through the underwater obstacles. They were using amphibious landing craft loaded with demolitions but radio controlled so that a boat loaded with demolitions could be guided by radio from a control boat following behind.
Sometime between 1100 and 1200 hours one of our people, I think it was Irv Gurian told me that he had heard a German accented voice on the radio say that they had gained control of the "drone" boats.  You could hear and see destroyers in the support area opening fire on the drones. Just before noon we heard a report, soon confirmed, that instead of landing over Red Beach, we would support the landings over Green Beach.
Times are rather vague, but it must have been about 1400 hours that our LCI approached Green Beach. It looked like a dry run was in progress. The seamen of A Company were guiding boats in using a signal flag to indicate where the boats should touch down.
We touched down the ramps were lowered and I stepped ashore on an invasion beach without getting my feet wet. In all the dry runs in Fort Pierce, Africa and Italy when landing from the seaward side we'd always waded through knee deep water.
As we walked inland from the shore we found other detachments of B-5 and sat around waiting for the rest of the platoon to arrive. About 15 minutes after we gathered we realized that there was a war on and this was not a dry run. I don't remember how many artillery rounds came in, but after the first one hit everybody hit the deck. A soldier not too far from us yelled out that he was hit.  Henry Bunting looked at me and I looked at him and we both crawled over to where the soldier was.  He had a small piece of shrapnel in the fleshy part of his calf.  Henry put a battle dressing on the wound and then did something I never understood for 40 years. He gave this soldier with a hole that might of been made by a .22 caliber bullet a double shot of morphine. Years later Henry told me that the first syrette hadn't released its morphine because the seal hadn't punctured so he used the second one.  I didn't find out until we discussed it at a re-union that I attended.
Over the next half hour the rest of the platoon got together.  We had our DUKW, truck and caterpillar tractor. We climbed aboard the DUKW and truck and started moving westward to a beach at the Plage D'Antheor.  On the way to the beach someone indicated that we had passed the infantry front line. We stopped, waited a few minutes, while fresh rounds were chambered into weapons but then remounted the vehicles and shortly after arrived at the beach without incident.  I never will know if there were Germans ahead of us. But we would find out that there were Germans who had been by-passed.  When we reached the beach we began digging in expecting a German counter-attack. Gene Richards another corpsman and I dug slit trenches in a line and then started digging a two man foxhole between the slit trenches.  It must have been close
to 2000 hours but was still bright as mid-afternoon. In the west somewhere about Cannes we could see a twin engine airplane cross the shoreline.  Nobody paid too much attention to it thinking it was a C47 returning from dropping supplies to the Parachutists inland near Frejus.  But suddenly he made a right turn and coming parallel to the shoreline dropped a radio controlled rocket bomb.
Immediately the Engineers knew what it was and as the ships of the invasion fleet began firing AA rounds, asked our radiomen to tell the ships to fire at the rocket as well as the aircraft.  I don't know if that message got through but in a few minutes the slit trenches that Gene and I dived into rocked with the blast of LST 282 blowing up.  
By the time we had recovered from the shock of the war starting again it was dark.  Instead of spending the night on the beach we were ordered to cross the road to a field under a railroad viaduct. It was beginning to drizzle and we slept under the shelter of our gas proof capes instead of setting up our shelter halves.  And that was the end of our first day in France.

A-2 CLAUDE SWEARINGEN LT.jg

Assistant Beachmaster Company "A"

My memory of that date has dimmed. I do recall our Platoon collected shell fire as we came ashore from gun placements to the North and we had to quickly move to another part of the beach, which we did without casualty.
Service with such a fine group of men was a pleasure and a pleasant memory since.