You want to hear about the drop in normandy . Airfield infrom an britain. We had been briefed and we knew exactly what conditions were in normandy and where the drop zones were located. Weetime during the fight theived aircraft fire from 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. Cause we to the 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. Troopers had the hooked their signs up. Everybody in. Of course there was a mad. Cramble 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. Togetherwo of us interlocked arms to hold the others back. Was to get oute 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 cloudy and through the intermittent cloud cover i could see the ground. Ofnking of the one pair 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 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. S some 22 miles 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 wherever. I think many of them were hit by some kind of hit. This hit was a 20 caliber shot. It couldnt stay together. 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 bays beneathbomb the plane. There was a switch by the side of the door. A switch for each equipment bomb. Man we did a 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 ediately started towards then we reached the river and was so theiver commander decided we could and wece a battery started moving in that direction. Short of the bridge there was a german strong point. We were in was separated from the german strong yards. Y 600 we were held up there and we and my Company Commander went forward to see what the problem was. He was hit by a machine gun fire. Thehe was shot through middle of the chest and the bullet came out in the back. ,e didnt think he would live but found a farm car. And five men headed toward the beach. Earthly idea of what was happening at the beach. That captainw 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 and just on the the germans put down their weapons. Command and order. 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. Way tot have any control. My argument was these 10 or 15 could have lived to fight another day. It didnt work out that way. Bridge thatched the wake bridge then we get to perform this consisted of a large stone outbuildingserous behind a wall. After we occupy positions along the river there were still 25 or 30 germans. 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. Had 10 or 12 paratroopers that had been captured. With their hands behind their heads. Was carriedmander 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 , 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. Design orr by accidents, i dont know, but it 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 the bridge,bought 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. This small tank had enough armor on the front. And they were shooting continuous to there. Did no damage. The forces had , aing out of sight 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. 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. 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. Bridge until the amphibious forces arrived. Do recall you were told by general gavin to man that 57 millimeter . 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. Perhaps there had been some i told them i was going back and he took a radio his radio had been damaged in landing. Back to thes went drop zone. We got into some artillery and mortar fire. 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 and with the move end to him. Me i got close and it was carl mark alexander. I thought iwhere 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. Germans are the 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. So, it took there were a few people left after they got 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 hadtenant, this little gun 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 cause. Elmo and all of the maneuver elements were assigned a section, and we were assigned a section there. Moved all theine way across france, and the foot were in, as long as we 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. Untilat continued on then the rain started. When the rain started, it , vehicless down 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 believe, the seventh of july. Pushwas the day the started to get that offense of offensive moving forward again. Not haveunately, i did the microphone for when you were talking about manning that 57. Back and, i need to go guess,u tell me again, i 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 . Elmo from that point forward from that point forward just until elmo there is not much forward after that. The troops reached, they pushed along across the bridge. 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 . Elmo 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 representedwhatever 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. The air tanknt on, 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. The german withdrawal, as they were confined to the width i sawt causeway, and humanity on a long strip down there. There, drop a round in 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. Although theiring causeway was full of targets. I knew they would attack again. I wanted to have at least some ammunition. 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 . Elmo im sorry . Todid you bear any witness when our troops had to go back and do the same thing and across the causeway with all of the german fire forming . Elmo no, i do not recall any occasion to go across. , and wense, you know 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. 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. I do not 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 . The pressure was off after that. The allied tanks started crossing, the pressure was off. We were probably we got a days rest. But i do not remember that. Elmo did you see the gliders going across . Could you see the american push across the causeway from your position . Elmo 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 . Elmo no, i do not believe as 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. Elmo 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 . He was very knowledgeable about everything that was going on around the regiment. And he was interested in everything. Normandy, i had i was a leader, and i was convinced that the message described in the field demanded they were incredibly clumsy. Issued a pairthey of lehman stakes, and it was two steaks and they were 50 16 feet long, painted red and white. Becausellery use them 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. Putomes back, and then they 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. Down, so you only need one lehman post. 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. The ammunitiond was always in short supply. It was all airdropped. And it was always short. We wasted a lot of ammunition because shooting 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 push theange and bracket down until it went into effect. That soon caught on all over. All the commands between the squad leader in the gun crew and the gun crew. Subject toumsy and a misunderstanding and a subject to misunderstanding. 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. Theseot a pair of earphones, a quartermile real of wire, and we talked back and forth. Gunr i started putting the on op, we did not need any communication. We were all out there together. Concerned that i ass a good chance 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. The the gunner carried bipod, and the rest of the squad carried ammunition. People to getur one round off. I thought we could do or get by with less equipment. Theory, andf that someone heard about it, so he came down. Out, see me to try it if it works. I said ok, you are finding a place, and you authorize the ammunition, and i will contract conduct the training call. He arranged, and first he used a nearby rock quarry. 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 car. It was a little range car, packed with ammunition. Charges, andf the the elevations for all of the rangers. That paper, we had no shelter. We were in the whether all of the time, whatever it was like. And the range cars were hard to preserve. 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 cars. We found out that was not so theycult either, experienced more men could do that without any difficulty. Finally, we got down to just one. Surprisingly, that was very effective. It has a round, spherical projection that fits in the baseplate and locks in. If you squat down, indian fashion, with your legs crossed, and get whatever elevation you think it needs, the force will drive that cube in the ground. Five or six inches. Then it will fit loosely in the whole. Then that then it will fit loosely in the hole. Then that hole, has motion parameters. Then you do it again. By the third round, you would be on target. Without any site or anything. Just repositioning the hole. Alexander thought that was the greatest thing ever. Rounds. Key with fewer so he set up a program, i had to keep teaching that program over and over until the squad leaders, all up in the regiment had been through the program. That was the way colonel alexander worked. He was thorough. He would do whatever was needed to get the job done. Worked, if something then he would teach be sure it was taught throughout. Thought that was the answer to our prayers. Artillery, no weapons, but a 2. 87 bazooka. Youe is a lightweight need to take a break . No. Elmo it had a range of 1200 yards. He got me to demonstrate and teach the recall of this rifle. About a week demonstrating and teaching that thing. And one was never issued. About that time, they decided they could not get that thing on, and that would increase the usability of it. Effective, ande we had no wheels. So it was never issued to the troops. It was a weapon we needed the most, and it was never issued. We acquired one of those at the museum. We acquired one of