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August 18th Journal entry-Going Ashore on Utah Beach




"C" Rations and Hot water.
4 Decker Bunks
Leaving on LCT with 12 vehicles & men
1st vehicle off up ramp with trailer-
Blackout drive over good U. S. E. Roads-
Battered beach head
Area B Back over twisted roads
MPs lighted sticks - UNDER Stars- light rain-
Join B Battery


From Lu's memoirs: Unloading was a constant day and night job at Utah Beach. Late the next evening I climbed over the side of the ship, and found our survey vehicle, a weapons carrier about twice as big as a Jeep with eleven other vehicles in the bobbing LCT (Landing Craft Tank) below. Soon the front ramp of the LCT was lowered onto the beach and we made our somewhat less than auspicious entry into France. No one shot at us, the M.P's yelled at us, and we wound our way under blackout conditions over good, but winding roads (courtesy of those great Army Engineer battalions to Holding Area B, near St Germain de Varreville (also near St. Mere Eglise)

We spent our first night in France sleeping under the stars in makeshift bed rolls. We had each been issued two wool blankets and a shelter-half. S.O.P. (Standard Perating Procedure) called for two men to match their shelter halves to make a pup tent and share their blankets, but we made out without that formality. we were in a strange place, the ground was hard, but the stars were bright and ro the time being we were safe. I'm not sure that we fully appreciated the sacrifice others had made so that we could be safe that night, but as the next few months rolled by we did.
Landing Craft Tank from Nav Source photo archive


From Lu in Ray Hight's book: We arrived at Utah Beach along the Normandy Coast , neaer Isigny, and moved in convoy through St. Mere Elgise following the invasion route of the American forces just before the breakthrough south of Cherbourg

From Cliff Hope's Book: "In my diary I noted, 'Four decker Bunks...officers living as men. C-rations and hot water..." Late the next day we climbed down the side of the ship into an LCT loaded with 12 vehicles. I was in the first vehicle off. The front of the LCT dropped, enabling us to drive onto the beach in blackout and onto winding roads, reconstructed by the engineers. We stopped at Area B, where we slept under the stars near St Germain De Varreville, a short distance from Ste. Mere Eglise. For a boy of 20 it was thrilling to hit the beaches without fear of being shot at or bambed, thanks to all that the combat outfits had done only two months earlier.

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