Box 025, folder 14: John Schaupmeyer

SCHAUPMEYER, John Canadian 3rd Div.

Box 25, #14

[inserted] RCA Mayerthorpe, ALBERTA [end inserted] For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-day [inserted] Possible E - not much however [end inserted]

THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND IN THE AIR, PARTICIPATED IN THE INVASION OF NORMANDY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT JUNE 5, 1944 AND MIDNIGHT JUNE 6, 1944. IF YOU WERE ONE OF THESE, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

[inserted] 1. [end inserted]What is your full name? John Erhart Schaupmeyer

[inserted] 2 [end inserted]What was your unit and division? 5th Field Co, RCE (army troop attached to 3rd Div for invasion)

[inserted] 3 [end inserted] Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? Berni Sur Mer ([inserted] APP. [end inserted] 6.30 AM) [inserted] assault wave [end inserted

[inserted] 4 [end inserted] What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Sapper

[inserted] 5 [end inserted] What was your age on June 6, 1944? twenty nine

[inserted] 6 [end inserted] Were you married at that time? no (am married now)

[inserted] 7 [end inserted] What is your wife's name? Francisca Gertrude

[inserted] 8 [end inserted] Did you have any children at that time? no. (Have two boys and one girl now)

[inserted] 9 [end inserted] What do you do now? I am self employed in mixed farming

[inserted] 10 [end inserted] When did you know that you were going to he part of the invasion? Sometime in the latter part of 1943.

[inserted] 11 [end inserted] What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel? Do you remember, for example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time? One thing I do know for sure we certainly had a very rough crossing and sea sickness had a good chance of making us feel miserable. In our unit at the time our pet pastime was rolling dice.

[inserted] 12 [end inserted] What were the rumors on board the boat, ship or plane in which you made the crossing? (Some people remember scuttlebut to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in). As far as rumors go we never heard such as gas being poured on the water. Actually we had a very rosy picture painted to us and things were actually rougher for some time than we had expected

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name John Erhart Schaupmeyer

[inserted] 13 [end inserted] Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? no.

[inserted] 14 [end inserted] Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? yes several of our chums were unfortunate to be killed and several more wounded

[inserted] 15 [end inserted] Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? I am sorry to say I can't help you out here as it is so long ago. Thinking back over I can give you two conversations with two of our boys which is very interesting but true and I will add a page or two. [inserted] 16 [end inserted] Were you wounded? no. (But became an accident casualty in 1946 [inserted] 17 [end inserted] Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were so surprised that you felt nothing?

[inserted] 18 [end inserted] Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time? As I won't have room on this space for the few lines I will write about this I will try and write a page or two to cover our travels from England to France if of any use to you.

[inserted] 19 [end inserted] Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? We were dug in a yard by a big chateau and on the evening of June 6th when we heard Jerrys brake through our ranks so we had to dig in again in a defensive position. Jerry dropped flares which made it like daylight. They then came back and dropped a couple of eggs. The whine of the bombs started and running towards us as the flares were dying out were two soldiers. We had to challenge them with our "passwords" I was acting second on the Bren, Bill Allen (continued on extra pages.) of Edmonton.

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name John Erhart Schaupmeyer

[inserted] 20 [end inserted] In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliancej others do incredibly stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either from D-day?

[inserted] 21 [end inserted] Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? On a landing Barge in the Channel

[inserted] 22 [end inserted] Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? We were dug in about a quarter of a mile off the coast around a big chateau which I'll explain

Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours of D-day, June 6, [inserted] 23 [end inserted]as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to? I could give you several names but am sorry to say I haven't their address' outside of two boys from this district who I am sure landed on D. day. Bruce Adams Mayerthorpe Alberta (6th Field Co RCE. 3rd Div Alex Adams Mayerthorpe. Alberta. Winnipeg Rifles 3rd Div)

PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT IE CAN INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE BOOK. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTIMJE YOUR STORY ON SEPARATE SHEETS IF WE HAVE NOT LEFT SUFFICIENT ROOM. FULL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WILL BE GIVEN IN A CHAPTER CALLED "WHERE THEY ARE NOW;" YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

Cornelius Ryan

Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest

1 My Story Leading up to D-Day and D-Day as I recall it after these years gone by: Past the middle of the year of 1943 a company of Royal Canadian Engineers left Canada fully trained so they told us to qualify for part of the assault group for the big invasion. Landing in Scotland down rail to near East Grinstead came this troop train where we disembarked to get climatized and more than that the real training which we thought we already had. First off was road work to make us strong legged and long winded (and found [crossed out]had[end crossed out] out we possessed neither) Then came a big send off to the Bedford Bridginge site. We built Bridges By day and night sunshine and rain till we wished the well known Mr. Baily and never been heard of. After all it does get tiresome to be teamed up with a six foot husky and I a short legged five foot six and a hundred and fifty pounds. We weathered that storm and were happy about it but we just had started our grind and more surprises were in store four us.