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Arthur Eichelbaum Sandspoint, L.I. O - N nara For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day NY 36
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 ? Arthur J. Eichelbaum
What was your unit and division? Headquarters Third battalion-116 th Infantry 29th Division
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time ? Vere[inserted]ville[end inserted] -Sur-Mere D Day H hour plus 30 minutes
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? 1st Lt. Infantry
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 21
Were you married at that time ? No
What is your wife's name ? Priscilla
Did you have any children at that time ? No
What do you do now? Vice President sales
When did you know that you were going to he part of the invasion? At least 9 months prior to landing
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? Very calm, smooth crossing, beautiful weather when we left England. I passed my time briefing my non-commissioned officers, studying over lay maps, and generally discussing trivial things that had happened in our training prior to the invasion.
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). Most rumors among the troops had it that the Germans had all sorts of under-water explosives, which would make it practically impossible for anyone to land on our assigned beach, which was known as Omaha.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Arthur J. Eichelbaum
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? Yes
Most of my men who were wounded while landing discussed with me, prior to being wounded or killed, while we were still in the landing boats, all felt that this was another practice landing and really were in no great fear that they would be harmed in any way. Infact my men and myself remarked many times while on our way in from our command ship, the liner Ancon, how peaceful and quiet everything seemed around us, and even when we approached the beach area it seemed very calm and safe, with only occassional puffs of smoke all along the beach, which was actually shell-fire.
Were you wounded ? Yes, but at a later date, just outside of St. Lo
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 ? Actually I felt no pain
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? Yes - the complete confusion and intermingling of units from the first division, 16th Infantry, which were landed on the wrong beach, and who fought along with my unit for several days, seemed very humorous at the time, but I am sure caused great concern and lack of fire power which was definitely needed by the unit which these troops belonged to.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? I recall a first Lt. Medical Corps who was assigned to my unit and at training time we were all sure that this Officer had 2 left feet, and never seemed to do anything right, and just after jumping out of the L.C.V.P. one of my men was horribly wounded , and this medical officer, while on his stomach in the water, carried this man on his back along the ground until we reached protection on the beach. At this time I cannot remember the medical officer’s name, but with [inserted] yes [end inserted]some research could probably come up with it for you.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name Arthur J. Eichelbaum
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? There was no end of improvision for loss of equipment and signal aids to the extent that men used parts of their uniform for signal flags, etc. In view of the danger that surrounded most of our men, it seems to me utterly stupid now, although I was one of the offenders, in that after reaching the safety of the beach, most of our men seemed to be very curious and with utter disregard for their safety began strolling around the hillside without takihg any precaution for their safety.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? [crossed out] a few thousand yards Preparing to [end crossed out] Aboard the headquarters ship Ancon.
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? Just off the beach, approximately a few thousand yards.
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? Yes, but I would have to locate names and adresses, which I do not have at hand at this time.
PLRASE 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 HI A CHAPTER CALLED "WHERE THEY ARE NOW; YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP,
Cornelius Ryan
Frances Wand Research, The Reader's Digest
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June 4, 1958
Dear Mr. Eichelbaum:
Thank you very much indeed for your telephone message of last Friday, which Miss Dorothy DeHaven relayed to me. We are very grateful for your interest in the D-Day book, and we are particularly delighted to hear from anybody who went into Omaha Beach with the 116th Infantry regiment. Conferences in Baltimore with General Reckord and some other big officers of the 29th Division have convinced us that its story is really yet untold, and so we are specially to do you justice. I hope, therefore, that you will be willing to bear with us in the present phase of the project.
As I think Miss DeHaven told you, we have adopted the procedure of asking each person who agrees to contribute to the book to complete the questionnaire which I enclose, as an indication for him of the kind of material which seeking and for us the questions we should ask him if and when an interview can be set up. As the questions indicate, the book will not be another strategic history, but a story of twenty-four hours as man lived them and remembered them. With this in mind, I should be very grateful to know whether or not you would be available for interview during the next few months of this year, when Mr. Ryan will be trying to reach many of the people who contribute to the book. It would be a great help to us also if you'd be willing to complete the record and return it to me at your earliest convenience.
Needless to say, we shall also be most interested in any of the documents and pictures which you mentioned to Miss DeHaven over the telephone.
I thought it better to write rather than to phone you in reply to your call, since the letter can give you a brief round-up of the nature of the proj- ect. If you have any questions or suggestions about our means and method of operation, please feel free to call me at any time. We shall look forward very eagerly to your reply. Thank you so very much for any help you can give us.
Sincerely yours,
Frances Ward Research Department
Mr. Arthur Eichelbaum 1 Wampage Lane Sandspoint, Long Island New York