Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 009, folder 10: Miles Leroy Allen

101st AB ALLEN, SFC Miles Leroy ITAL 2 [crossed out]NY 1[end crossed out] Apo 221 Italy Box 9, #10

506 101st

G Co

Black

NG

[marginalia]LL NY ITALY - 2 ITALY [crossed out]NY-1[end crossed out]

For Cornelius Ryan 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? SFC Miles Leroy Allen

What was your unit and division? Co. "G" 506 Parachute Inf. Regt. 101st Airborne Divison

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? I landed by parachute close to the town of Carentan,France at about 2355 hours on 5 June [crossed out]1955[end crossed out] 1944

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? PFC What was your age on June 6, 1944? 21 Were you married at that time? NO What is your wife!s name? Mary Ellen Did you have any children at that time? NO What do you do now? Duty Sgt

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? Approximately about a week before, as they took us to a airfield and put us behind barbed wire enclourse

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? For the most part, the men in the planes were very quite, and each man seemed to be thinking of home and other places he would rather be, until we reached the coast and the anti-aircraft fire began to reach up and seem to envelope us all at one time, and then the men showed uneasiness and most of them were more than glad to jump out of the planes. Speaking for myself I was very glad to get out because that plane seemed as big as a barn up there and I sure didn't want to be in that plane if it got hit.

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).

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Miles L Allen

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 ? Yes - One of my very good freinds that I had gone to jump school with, but was in another plane got dropped in the water and drowned. Another friend had his leg blown off just below the knee from anti-aircraft fire.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? NO

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?

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? [marginalia]Names? There are two (2) incidents that stand out in my memory - the first one was that a trooperwith his leg shot off needed medical aid across the river from where I was. The medic that was with us swam that river twice a day for 2 or 3 days and crawled under fire to dress the man's wound and carry him food. The second incident was that a plane had been dispatched to bomb the bridge that we were defending as word got around that there was no one there to defend it. The plane, a F 51 bombed the bridge on the second try and then he flew down below the top of the dike where we were to survey what damage was done and when he saw that the bridge was completly demolished he started into a victory roll and the wing tip of the plane caught the top of the dike and the plane went like a huge cartwheel across the field. The pilot was instantly killed.

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name Miles L Allen

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 had a trooper with us from Louisana, and as soon as a few of us got together he started climbing telephone poles and cutting the wires, in hopes of cutting off some communications. Then there was the French civilian farmer that met us and led us past most of the German defenses and to the place where we were to defend.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? I was landing on a small island in a river.

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? I was in a foxhole along the dike of a river defending a bridege

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? NO

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

8 April 1958

Dear Miss Ward:

I read a notic in the 1st Missile Command daily bulletin, this post, that you would like persons who were in units that participated in the Normandy landing to contact you in regard to information that they might be able to give you for a forthcoming article in Readers Digest.

I was in the 101st Airborne Divison ath that time and made the combat jumpwith that unit. I was assigned to "G" Company, 506 Airborne Infantry Regiment , which was commanded by Colonel (now Major General) Sink, and served with this unit all the way through World War II,

If you wish to contact me in regards to any information that I might be able to give you, you can do so by writing to:

SFC Miles L. Allen RA 17106537 Hq Hq & Svc. Co. 52d AIB (Sky Cav) APO 221 New York N.Y.

Sincerely

MILES L ALLEN