Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 006, folder 04: 116th Infantry Regiment D-day rosters

Anderson, Donald C. Calif. in D-Day Book 29th Inf. Div. Release Box 6, #4 Released with PG.

Dog Red

H plus 50 (crossed out) UTAH (end of crossed out)(inserted) OMAHA (end of inserted) L CO. 116th INFANTRY 29th DIV.

Lieut.

OBJECTIVE The exis to the right of the beach. We landed well to the left of this exit

WOUNDED "3rd man in my boatteam to be hit. Was shot in the back of the neck with the bullet coming out of my mouth. Later hit by mortar fragments in right hand. No pain, just stunned. I figured my brains were spilled all over my helmet and this was (crossed out) the end. Thought about a girl I was dating in London. 30 seconds went by and I didn ’t feel faint so I felt I had it licked and wasn’t going to die.

While lying wounded from the neck wound, the 2nd in command of my boat team, T/Sgt. Odorozzi came up take command and decided he needed my wrist watch "just in case,” and would return it next time he saw me. I*m still looking for that watch.

(inserted) The exact point at which he changed from Rookie to veteran (end of inserted)

(inserted) O-I Edwards, California til middle of August good stuff * For Cornelius Ryan Book about D- Day

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 THEM, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

What is your full name ? DONALD CASS ANDERSON What was your unit and division? L Co. 116th Infantry, 29th.Infantry Division (inserted)We have A/A report on them (end of inserted) Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? 6June 1944. H-hour +50 minutes

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? 2nd.Lieut. Promoted to 1st.Lieut.with date of promotion 6 June, 1944 What was your age on June 6, 1944? 21 Were you married at that time ? No What is your wife!s name ? Laura Dingwall Anderson Did you have any children at that time ? No

What do you do now? Flight test engineer.Convair,Division of General Dynamics.Assigned to the F-102/F-106 fighter programs at Edwards Air Force Base,Calif.

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Appox.8 months prior to the invasion after completion of the invasion excercises at Slapton Sands.This was before any of the DUCK exercises.

What was the trip like during the crossing of the Channel ? Do you remember, or example, any conversations you had or how you passed the time ? Crossed on the APA "Charles Carroll". PIayed blackjack with the newly issued French paper money ( called "Spearhead").In all war movies the big winner ends up getting killed and thiswas one game I didn't want to win.However I could do no wrong and was the big winner.We left Weymouth harbor under overcast skys and on the way out the sun broke thru an hour before dark revealing a long line of warships in strong sunlight to our left.(east).Reached Omaha beach area around 02:00 ( guess) and was surprised by the lack of heavy gunfire from the beaches.A battleship( New York or Texas)was firing on the beaches and seemed to mark each individual beach with different colored shells.Our APA. seemed very stable which made the heavy seas seem even worse when we were deck loaded into our LCVP and dropped into the water Our objective was the exit (a draw or defile )to the (illegible) right of the beach (as we looked at the beach.)We landed well to the left of this exit.Believe it was Dog-Red section rather than the desired Easy-Green section. 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). Don't remember any rumors although the morale was terrific. Our company objective was Isigny and the Regiment objective was Saint Lo.Saint Lo to be taken on D+ 1.Took the whole division just to take Isigny.

I am available for interview at Edwards Air Force Base until the middle of August.

1405 Community Ave. Edwards,Calif.

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name ANDERSON,Donald C.

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? Yes

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? Rudolph Screck,2nd.Lt.My company.At the rail of the APA as we were going into the LOVP's.Words to the effect "Give them hell etc."He had the boat and assult team next to mine and was killed by a mortar shell going in to the beach. P.S.Not certain of the spelling of this man's last name although I recall he was either a graduate chemical engineer or was about to graduate when he went into the service.

(inserted) more (end of inserted) Were you wounded? Yes. 3rd man in my boat team to be hit.Was shot in the back of the neck with th bullet coming out my mouth.Later hit by mortar fragments in the right hand. Do you remember what it was like—that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing? No pain,just stunned.Figured my brains were spilled all over my helmet and this was the end,in 30 seconds,or so,I would faint and be dead,so just relax and think a pleasant thought for 30 seconds.Thought about a girl I was dating in London.30 seconds went by and I didn't feel faint so I felt I had it licked and wasn!t going to die.

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that -seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? MM The ramp of the LCVP hung up and the Navy crewman pulled his pistol to shoot the ramp cable in half.This cable was appox 3/8 in diameter and to shoot it in that confined space had everyone looking for a corner to hide in.About that MMM time the ramp finally came down and I stepped off-right over my head. Wasn't deep but just a hole. On the beach was a brick sided concrete foundation about 18 inches high. Behind this foundation men were piled 3 deep.Stayed here for a few minutes to get my breath and get up courage to run to a new place.Ran about 30 feet forward and to the left.Didn't get hit and figured our training on "fire and movement" was correct.For me,this was the exact point at which I changed from a rookie in combat to a veteran.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? While lauing wounded from the neck wound,the 2nd. in command of my boat team (Tech Sgt.Odorozzi) came up to take command and promptly deci(crossed out)illegible(end of crossed out)ded he needed my wrist watch "just in case" and would return it the next time he saw me-I'm still looking for that watch.

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name ANDERSON,Donald C. In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either? My case Both.I headed for a grain field just off the beach since you can't have grain and mines in the same area.The next field we headed for had 2 horses grazing n in it.Again no chance of mines.Not much impressed with the pre-land- ing bombardments when neither horse had been hit. Later,after being wounded,and after waking up about 2 hours before dark, (I had been given a 1/2 grain shot of morophine() I started crawling back towards the beach with two hand gernades and a 45 pistol.Don't remember where I got the 45 since I definately didn't have it when I landed.Anyway I heard someone talking in German. Threw both gernades in the direction of the conversation and crawled around the area. Got down near some barbed wire entanglements and where I could see our people on the beach.Yelled for attention but no one on the beach payed any attention.Fired the pistol several times and then I had plenty of attention.Several stretcher bearers came up on the beach side of the barbed wire entanglements and told me to lay still since the barbed wire covered a mine field and they would walk around to get me. However I saw a gap in the wire and crawled thru the mine field on my belly.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? Off Omaha beach on the APA Charles Charrol (inserted) What a day! (end of inserted) Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? On an LST.A few minutes before dark I was in a LCVP tied beside this LST.A sling was secured to (crossed out)illegible (end of crossed out) my stretcher and just as they were lifting me to the deck of the LST m an air raid alert came and everyone started firing into the air.Mighty impressive display while laying flat on your back. Also remember my head hurting as the LCVP smashed into the LST with the heavy seas. Do you know of anybody else who landed within those 24 hours (midnight June 5 to midnight June 6) as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to? No home addresses although to be complete you need the thoughts of Charles D.W. Canham who is now a retired Major General but was a Colonel and commander of the 116th Infantry on D Day. After thought:Check with Edward V.Gearing % Doctor E.V.Gearing Woodstock,Va. Eddie landed at H Hour with Company C,116th.Infantry as a 2nd.Lieut.The night of D day he was running the remains of our 1st battalion.He had a wild hand to hand trench knife fight with a German,finally killing him.Eddie got a DSC on D day. • OVER OVER (inserted) If we haven't writte to him (he sounds familiar) #1 another Gearing (end of inserted)

PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE BOOK. WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE 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

I was put in a side compartment of the LST and slept for a little while.When I woke up the compartment was dark.It was dead silent in the compartment and this isn't normal aboard ship.There is always motors running and blowers working but not this time. Someone in the compartment lit a cigarette lighter and we could see that the door was latched tight and that smoke was coming in thru the ventilator duct.Yelled for someone but no one came.Figured we were on fire and deserted or at the bottom of the English Channel.lt was a suspected E boat attack and the technique was to cut off all motors and put a smoke screen down and then fire at anything moving or making noise. Soon all our lights went on along with the blowers etc.and things were normal. This LST had 1/2 its load of tanks unloaded by use of Rhino ferries.However all the Rhino ferries were out of commission and the LST stayed off Omaha beach for appox.3 days.