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CONN 9 Bristol, Conn
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D- Day THOUSANDS OF MEN, ON LAND AND SEA AND 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? ERNEST RILEY BLANCHARD
What was your unit and division? 505th Regimental Combar Teal 82nd Airbone Div.
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time ? We dropped in Normandy (St. Mere Eglise) at 0015 hour June 6. St Mere Eglise was the first town on the Continent to be liberated in the invasion.
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? P.F.C.
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 30
T V Were you married at that time ? No
What is your wife's name ?
Did you have any children at that time ?
[Notes in pencil] saw a man explode heard tell HQ 505 Capt Boyd landed in [unclear] in square [Notes in margin] John Brogan samples Radio operator supposed to set up light assembly
What do you do now? I am a machinist by trade in the E. Ingraham Clock Co. Bristol, Conn
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Actually we assumed that we were going into something real big in May of 44 but as to actually be axact on the time we did not know until we were in the C-47s on our way.
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? It was a rather weird trip we all seemed to sense that this was going to be a real rough operation. As for the talk on our ship I would say it was down to a minimum level. Were all doing a great deal of sweating this thing out. I smoked quite a few cigarettes I remember that. It was around a three hour trip.
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) Well we had heard rumors and more rumors. Some of them were that this was a sham that's a big invasion was going off in Norway at the same time we dropped in Normandy. We also heard that the Jerries had all kind of
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Airborne troop's. Some of these rumor's we heard were not far from wrong. They had quite a defense set up against us. Anti-Airborne obstacles such as trip wires mines. Pointed poles driven in the ground plenty of Bobby trap's etc.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 -
Your name Ernest R. Blanchard
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? Yes I did. I have a few incidents that took place in it.
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? We lost a lot of men in the air when we dropped, also men were shot while hanging in trees in their chutes.
Were you wounded? 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? It all happened so quick that it was over before I knew what had happened.
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? Yes another trooper and myself were in a [illegible] large Jerry foxhole in a position that we had taken and we were really catching some hot fire from mortar's & 88's when all of a sudden this trooper jumped into the hole with us. He said they are all zeroed into my foxhole.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? An instance of a trooper climbing into a tree in our forward positions. to give fire orders back for the artillery to fire on enemy positions that were on our necks. with there dreaded 88"s. He certainly did a fine job and their positions were [crossed out]nuetralized[end crossed out] completly destroyed.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name Ernest R Blanchard
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? We were being strafed on a road out of St -Mere Eglise So three of us ran for the same fox-holeAs it happened I got to the hole last. And I was top man so you -- can see that the fox-hole did me no good. You can call it what you want. but I still call it self-presavation
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? In the air going to Normandy Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? St-Mere-Eglise Normandy
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? --------------------------- ------------------------------ Carl W Hern 36 Covert St Columbus Indiana John Grogan 206 Lake Shore Terrace Los Angeles California Elmer P Wood 162 Antrim St N.S. Pittsburgh Penna. There were so many things that happened on D.Day in Normandy that it would take a long
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.
time to get them in writing so I hope this will be of some help to you
Cornelius Ryan
Frances Ward