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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 -
Your name Wm J Wiedefeld Jr.

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day?
No as it was against regulations.
And who in the hell would stop to write at a time like that? And for the next
forty odd days we only time to dig deep and depper

Were any of your friends kiled or wounded either during the landing or
during the day?
Yes, some fo ours, and many from "M" Co. 116 inf. I knew almost all of
them, stepted over many of them, crossing the beach and going up the hill through
mine field.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became
casualties?
Yes, Some said that they knew that they would get theirs, And many did.
When we took St. Lo, we would go home,

Were you wounded?
On "D" day no.
On the nite of Oct. 6&7 44 yes

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?
Saw a flash,a blast of hot air felt nothing until after a 3000 yd.run
and then only blood runing down my back and legs.

Do you remember seeing- or bearing anything that seems funny now, even
though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?
Yes, one very small Jew boy running up and down the beach looking for his
carbine that he had lost. When he could have had his pick of any kind of gun if
he would just sop and pick one up.
For years I had wanted a pair of PARA boots, and on the beach I found
a nice new pair, but one still had a foot in it.
An LC.T. came in and stopeda fewhundread yds off shore it droped its
ramp a sailor waved two tanksoff and after the splash was gone all that could
be seen was two aerials sticking out of the water, none of the crews seemed to
come up.
About six D.W.K.S were coraming in behind us the Germans turned some
Machine gun s on them they got lower and lower in the water then about 500 yds.
off shore they went down, and the drivers went out with the tide.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck
you more than anything else?