Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 008, folder 11: Donald Ivan Jakeway

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JAKEWAY, Donald Ivan O 10 Box 8, #11 508

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AB - TE, 0-10, Jamestown, Ohio near Dayton [pencil in red: Where did he land? How separated? details--] 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? Donald Ivan Jakeway What was your unit and division? Company H 508 Parachute Inf, 82nd Airborne Division Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? What was your rank on June 6, 1944? PFC Machine Gunner What was your age on June 6, 1944? 21 Were you married at that time? No What is your wife!s name? • Roselyn F Jakeway, as of June 9, 1946 Did you have any children at that time? No What do you do now? Bookkeeper, for the Rice Oil Co. Johnstown, Ohio When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? From the Day we sailed from New York Harbor, we were inclined to beleive that was our destination. 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? Due to over-stuffing of dough-nuts, the over drinking of coffee, and the tension of the thoughts of the on-coming jump, many ot the troopers were very high strung. For my part, I had to stand in the door in flight over the channell to keep from being air sick. It was in fact a relief to get out of the plane. That was the main topic of conversation, wanting to jump and get it over with. ' 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). Rumors, which were proven facts later, were the stories of flooded low-lands, poles driven into the ground to intercept paratroopers, and the fact that the Germans knew we were coming, but didn't know when. Facts beings, the Germans were holding anti-paratroop maneuvers at the very time we were dropped. The one thing in our favor was the use of wooden bullets instead of high velocity ammunition, that they were using, effectiveness of wooden bullets being around 100 ft.

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« - for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Donald Ivan Jakeway Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? Strict security rules•••no Diary•••• Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? very definetely...some bayonneted in trees, not being able to get free of their chutes. Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? To remember the thousands of things said would be impossible. Conversation usually ran in one line, "if anything happens to me and you get out ..." from there on the requests could be anything. Were you wounded? Not in the Normandy invasion, but once in Holland, and in the Battle of the Bulge. 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? Your story is for Normandy, so I will disregard this question Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? During the first ten days of the Normandy invasion, I was separated from my outfit, and reported missing in action to my parents, on my return to my own outfit the first thing my Commanding officer said was, "Where the Hell you been ?" , don’t you know there is a war on? After seeing some of the buddies dead in trees, which I myself had landed in a tree, spending 8 days nearly always surrounded by Germans, hiding, sometimes fighting for my very life, this was a funny statement.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? The very fact that one of my very best friends landed among a platoon of Germans, and while hanging supended from a side of a house where his chute had caught, nearly wiped out the entire platoon before being killed himself. I found them that way the early part of the morning, with no one else around. Lt Thomas had only used hand gernades and a tommy gun, which was straped to him. S ;I ? 'Aw»hiMw I !9 ri &

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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 Donald Ivan Jakeway 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? The incredibly thing I remember was, after finually joining up with an outfit, I volunteered to act as scout on a combat patrol in which I knew not a man. From the 15 men that were in this patrol including a Captain, 3 men were the only survivors, myself as one. The one thing that saved my life was that the Germans were using the wooden bullets yet, and from a very close range missed me as I crawled away thru a patch of horse nettles. [added in pen: post D-day?] Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? At Folkingham Air Base, sitting in a C-47 we jumped at 1:20 AM June 6th Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? Lost ...somewhere near Caen. 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? I have but a very few names of the fellows who are left, I can only see if they will permit me to send their names. I spent 37 days on the front lines, nearly 50 to 100 miles behind enemy lines, we fought from the inside out. I have a complete history of the Normandy Invasion that I had obtained at the end of the war. It is called the Odyssey of the 508th, Parachute Infantry.

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 Digest

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Pfc. Donald I. Jakeway, 21, of the 82nd Airborne Div. says:

Due to over-stuffing of doughnuts, the over-drinking of coffee, and the tension of the thoughts of the on-coming jump, many of the troopers were very high strung. For my part, I had to stand in the door in flight over the channel to keep from being air sick. It was in fact a relief to get out of the plane. That was the main topic of conversation, wanting to jump and get it over with.

During the first ten days of the Normandy invasion I was separated from my outfit and reported missing in action to my parents. On my return to my own outfit the first thing my commanding officer said was, “Where the hell you been? Don't you know there is a war on?" After seeing some of the buddies dead in trees, which I myself had landed in a tree, spending 8 days nearly always surrounded by Germans, hiding, sometimes fighting for my very life, this was a funny statement.

One of my very best friends landed among a platoon of Germans and while hanging suspended from a side of a house where his chute had caught, nearly wiped out the entire platoon before being killed himself. I found them that way the early part of the morning with no one else around. Lt. Thomas had only used hand grenades and a tommy gun which was strapped to him.

Last edit over 1 year ago by shashathree
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