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be trained in night-time fighting, not just taken on a night march and
digging fox holes.) We moved along this dirt road which I previously
referred to as being the North-South arm of the "T" intersection, and
just around here, I ran into Major McGinity. He moved out with us.

The order of March was first, Co. Headquarters, third and
second platoons in that order. When we reached the road running East-
West from Ste. Mere Eglise, a German motorcyle passed us going toward
Ste. Mere Eglise. At this time, it was still dark, but daylight was
starting to break. We crossed the road and started west toward the
bridge, with a hedge row to our right between us and the road. Just
about this time, contact was lost with the first platoon, so the third
platoon took the lead.

About seven to eight hundred yards from the bridge, we came
upon a dirt road running southeasterly from the road to the bridge.
Hedge rows were on either side of this road; and beyond it in the
direction of the bridge, was an open, flat field, about 100 yards deep,
and about 75 yards wide. It was here that I figured the Germans would
defend if they intended a defense of the bridge.

I directed Lt. Donald Coxon to send his scouts out. This he
did, and he also went out with them. He had plenty of personal courage
but he didn't have the heart to order them out without going with them.

A few moments later, a German machine gun opened up, killing
Lt. Coxon and one of his scouts, Fergueson. Their fire was returned; and,
with Major McGinity and myself leading, a few men holding and returning
frontal fire, the platoon flanked to the left. At the same time, I
directed Lt. Presnell to re-cross the road and attack along the northerly
side down to the bridge. This was done, and the second platoon didn't
meet with any fire until they arrived at the bridge.

The third platoon continued its flanking move and cut back in
toward the road to the bridge. Because of the fire, we calculated that
there was just one machine gun crew that was in our way. It later turned
out that there must have been at least a squad dug in at this point,
with at least two of them armed with machine pistols. Prisoners
captured later, in addition to the German dead, amounted to about the
size of one of our platoons. There were no German officers captured.
I don't know whether or not any of their enlisted escaped.

To continue, we cut toward the road, travelling in a
Northerly direction. Major McGinity was leading and I was about three
or four paces behind, and slightly to the right. There was a high,
thick hedge row to our left, and it was in here that I figured the machine
gun was located.