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Hawaii For Cornelius Ryan HH 3 LL 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 ? Joseph Heilman Shollenberger Jr What was your unit , and division? M Co. 90th Inf Div. (Mortar Section Leader) Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time ? Utah Beach, approximately 0800 What was your rank on June 6, 1944 ? 2nd Lt What was your age on June 6 , 1944? 23 yrs 9 mos Were you married at that time ? yes What is your wife ’ s name ? Mary Jo (Hagerman) Did you have any children at that time ? No What do you do now? Maj. U.S. Army (Corps of Engineers) Assigned as Supply Action Officer, Hqs. United States Army, Pacific, APO 958 When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion ? About 1 June 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 ? See note 1 What were the rumors on board the boat , ship or plane in which you made the crossing? ( Some people remember scut hi©but to the effect that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in ). Recall none
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name J. H. Shollenberger Jr 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? No Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? N.A. Were you wounded? No 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? N.A. Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? See Note 2 Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable,, which struck you more than anything else? See Note 2
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name J.H. Shollenberger Jr
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 ? See Note 2 Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944 ? On board ship 'somewhere' in the English Channel Where were you at midnight on June 6 , 1944? In bivouac, exact location unknown, approximately 1 mile in from Utah beach. 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 Frances Ward Research , The Reader 's Digeet
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J. H. Shollenberger Jr.
NOTE 1:
The company of which I was a part boarded a LCI on 3 June and moved out into the English Channel in a convoy of other similar vessels. Once the novelty of the strange surroundings wore off, a semi-routine developed for passing time. Plans were reviewed, equipment checked - we ate, slept and talked. So little was known about our probable reception that it was to some extent avoided in casual discussions. Instead, favorite topics included memories of England and home, a recent Patton speech, lack of shipboard fa- cilities, barrage balloons anchored to some convoy ships, and the unique rations, individually packaged with self-contained heating units. Generally the feeling was of lassitude and relaxation - the long training grind was over. Completely lacking was any attitude of fever-pitch expectancy, or association of training being ultimately followed by combat. Instead the impending "for-real" action was viewed as a new adventure: strange and totally unrelated to any known past experiences. Among the individuals a somber mein predominated: however, laughs were over-easily provoked. Especially amusing were the frequent misfortunes incident to eating the aforementioned individual rations. There were many theories as to the proper method of preparing same, but their application was usually abortive, messy, and painful. Another diversion was the usual games of chance. Prior to embarking, all currency was turned in for deposit or transfer. Each individual was issued "invasion" money of $5.00 value. The consensus of opinion was that this money had no value other than use in gambling. Consequently after the first day most of us had empty pocketbooks.