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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? Leo Frank Erwin
What was your unit and division? Hqs Co. 1st Bn. 506 ARB. Inf. 101st AB. Division
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? St Marie Dumont France. 1'15 AM. June 6, 1944
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Pvt.
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 20 Yrs Old
Were you married at that time? Yes.
What is your wife's name? Eileen Marie Erwin
Did you have any children at that time? Yes.
What do you do now? Mess Steward
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? May 20, 1944
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? The flight was slightly turbulent. WE all rememberd the letter that Gen.EISENHOWER had sent down to be read to us, that this was the day, that the people back home was waiting for. Most of us were thinking about what was a head of us, and what was going to happen.
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). The rumors were that the Germans were not expecting us, But when we jumped we all found out different. AS many of the boy's landed in trees. Alot of them slaughtered right in the trees before they had time to get out of their chutes.
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Your name Leo Frank Erwin
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.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? WE wished each luck, and said to each other, we would see each other on the ground. But quit a few didn't see day light again.
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? Yes. I was hit by a German 88, and it was a very hot painfull feeling.
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? Yes. One of my buddies said to me when I got hit, Thats a trip back to the STATES. But it turned out I was back on the [insert] front [end insert] lines two months later.
Do you recall any incident, sad or, heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? Yes. Once when I had great use for a hand grenade I reached in to my pockets where I carried them, and the only one I had left, The top had came unscrewed and all of the powder had came out in my pocket. I guess the good lord was with me.
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Your name- Leo Frank Erwin
In times of great crisis , people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do inoredibly stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either ? All I was thinking about at the time was home, and was i going to make it backor not.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? On a C46 heading for France.
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? On our way to [crossed out] Carrington [end crossed out] [insert] Carentan [end insert] France.
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? Maj. Gen. Robert Sink 18th Airborn Corp Commander Ft. Bragg North Carolina. At that time he was Reg, Comd. of 506 Airftorn Inf.
PLEASE LET US HAVE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE , SO THAT THE 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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Pvt. Leo Frank Erwin, 20, of the 101st Airborne Div. says:
Once when I had great use for a hand grenade I reached into my pockets where I carried them, and the only one I had left, the top had come unscrewed and all of the powder had come out in my pocket. I guess the good Lord was with me.