Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 006, folder 39: Joseph Rieman McIntosh

McINTOSH, Joseph Rieman 29th DIV Md 20 BOX 6, #39

NO

Balto, MD

For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day MD 20 1 of people at Reckord's luncheon

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? JOSEPH RIEMAN McINTOSH

What was your unit and division? 111th F.A. Bn. 29th INF. DIVISION.

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? DUE TO LAND: OMAHA DOG WHITE H + 90 DID LAND: OMAHA EASY RED SOMEWHERE NEAR LATE AFTERNOON E - 1 EXIT.

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? CAPT

What was your age on June 6, 1944? 39

Were you married at that time? NO

What is your wife's name?

Did you have any children at that time? NO

What do you do now? BUSINESS AND LAW.

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? HARD TO SAY - CERTAINLY BY JUNE 1943

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? WET BUT NO VERY ROUGH. MOST CONVERSATION WAS ABOUT THE WEATHER AND HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO SEE THE FAR SHORE.

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). DO NOT REMEMBER ANY

- for Cornielius Ryan 2 - Your nameJ.R. McIntosh

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? I WAS WITH THE 58th F.A. BN. SP. AS LN. O. BETWEEN THAT UNIT AND MY OWN UNIT, 111th F.A. Bn. I WAS THEREFORE NOT IN TOUCH WITH ANY MEMBER OF MY OWN 29th DIV. ARTY OR INT. UNITS FOR SOME TIME PRIOR TO D-DAY. MY LN. PARTY LANDED WITH-OUT CASUALTIES LATE ON D-DAY

Were you wounded? NOT ON D-DAY

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?

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? NO.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? NO.

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name J.R. McIntosh

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? NO

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? ABOARD AN LCT WHICH CARRIED PART OF 58th F.A. BN

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? IN A FOXHOLE ON THE BEACH (PROBABLY EASY RED SECTION)

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 ?

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 5/15/58 Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest 230 Park Ave, N.Y. [?17?], N.Y.

May 14, 1958

Letter never sent. At luncheon 5/15/58 in Baltimore.

Dear Mr. McIntosh:

Thank you so very much for your letter of April 18th in willing response to request for information to be used in Cornelius Ryan's book about D-Day. I should say, by way of clarification, that this will not be another strategic history of the invasion, but rather a story of the twenty-four hours of D-Day as men lived them and remembered them. For this, we can only go to people like yourself, who were there, and, with their permission, share their memories. Therefore we hope very much that you will, indeed, be willing to help us further.

As your source of information probably stated, Mr. Ryan will interview many of the people who agree to contribute to the book during the next few months of this year, and I should like very much to know for his information whether or not you would be available for interview in Baltimore during that period. In the meantime, since we are dealing with so many hundreds of people, we have set up a system of keeping an individual file on each person who agrees to help us. I hope therefore that you will be willing to complete the enclosed record and return it to me at your earliest convenience. We have assembled these questions in the hope that they may serve you as well as us, by indicating the kind of information which we are seeking.

We will look forward very eagerly to your reply. Mr. Ryan has been out of this city, and indeed out of the country, for most of the past month, but I think that very probably you will be hearing from him very soon. Thank you so very much for any help that you can give us.

Sincerely,

Frances Ward Research Department

Mr. J. Rieman McIntosh Ober, Williams, Grimes and Stinson 640 Mathieson Building Baltimore 2, Maryland