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Elmhurst, Ill
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day Nothing for interview
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? George Nicholas Apostolas
What was your unit and division? Hq. Btry, 397th AAA Bn, Sep.,. We were attached to the First Army
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? We arrived before daybreak. I was in a Hq., team. We were on a buoy layer that made a run to drop buoys for the other ships who were to unload supplies & troops. We then withdrew, and joined officers of our Headquarters team on the Artimus Ward, a liberty ship which was sunk as a break water at Omaha.
What was your. rank on June 6, 1944? T/4
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 32 years
Were you married at that time? No What is your wife is name? Does not apply. Did you ha.ve any children at that time? No.
What do you do now? I am Service Officer for the Illinois Veterans Commission. I serve veterans.
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? As early as April.
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? We were on a British Buoy, and Mine Layer. During the crossing we were a Headquarters team of 5 non-coms. We were with a Coast guard Group of Divers. Time was spent talking with the fellows and British navymen. They even shared there Rum Ration with us below. It was more like a Navy Regetta. There were more ships than I ever saw in my life. Conversation was mostly in a kidding vein, because we did not know just what to expect. To be honest we were held down so much in England that we were quite restless, and ready to move. We did not think too much about it.
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). I do not remember any rumors only I was given the feeling that our air power was going to do a good job before we arrived. The Coast Guard Boys told us that they expected to do a lot of work upon arrival because they expected a lot of sunken craft and the way had to be cleared for other craft which would be coming in.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name George N. Apostolas
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? I did. I kept the Journal of the 397th AAA Bn until the war was over, but I was not able to write any for my own. I do remember quite a bit after we set up Headquarters on D-1.
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? About 1/3 of our outfit was killed on D-Day, but they were with a Machine Gun Group who went ashore with the 29th Division.
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? I last saw these fellows in May of 1944 when they left the unit to train for their phase of the invasion. I saw the survivors about D-3. I has one funny experience though. When we came aboard the Artimus Ward, a sunken ship we used on D-1 as a Headquarters. We were under fire of an 88. At this time two of us decided to burrow ourselves in a pile of barracks bags. When one of the close ones exploded, a Coast Guard Boy, I was talking quite abit with before was hit with shrapnel. I guess the barracks bag was a good shield.
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 bearing anything that seems funny now, even though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time? We were moved from the English Buoy Layer along with the Coast Guard about 7PM, and our fellows were all moaning because of the fine accomodations. When the German 88 opened up on us we were under fire for about a lifetime it seemed. All at once the Texas, I am told fired about 5 times and the shelling stopped. Soon after the Coast Guard took us off of this ship and took us to the sister ship of the one we came over on. One of the British boys told us that the ship we left was sunk, and all the British boys were lost. He said it hit a mine. This was funny as I look back, because now I am happy we left this ship.
Do you recall any incident sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? The one thought that remained with me ever since this time was that we were talking with the british sailors. They seemed to miserable in their navy. There seemed to be a bit of envy. They seemed to hate their superiors. Yet, they were very friendly to our small group. The thought lingered with me that every one of these fine fellows were lost when this ship hit the mine.
During the Crossing one of the British boys put us through the paces with one of their tom-tom guns for anti-aircraft. In a dry run, I was to be the one who aimed the gun.. I have often wondered what would have happened if we had to fire this gun. On inspection, I noticed that it was poorly cleaned. I had some experience during basic as a gun-pointer. Right at this moment I believe we could have made better hits with a M-1.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name George N. Apostolas
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? Our job was matter -of-fact. We were a Headquarters team sent to function as a unit if the rest of Headquarters did not show. I kept notes of what happened to our group and when headquarters was set up on the Artimus Ward on D-1, I kept tract of the Phoenixes as the sement break waters were called as they came into Omaha Beach and were sunk by filling the bottom with water. The numbers on them were large enough to see with the nakid eye. I say four or five of them on D-1.
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? Aboard the Artimus Ward. I remember that there was Aerial Action on Omaha Beach, only we could not see anything. We were ordered inside the ship.
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? We changed our headquarters to a sunken English Battle Ship. The name excapes me.
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 later met one of the fellows who now lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He tells me that he was with the Coast Guard, and he was in the area of our Phoenix's and Sunken Block Ships at this time. His name is John Kouni. He lives in Glen Elly, Illinois.
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 ROT LEFT SUFFICIENT ROOM, FULL ACKNOWLEDG EMENT 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. (over)
Cornelius Ryan
Frances Ward Research, The Reader's Digest
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Our mission on D Day was quite unique. The 397th was to float the Phoenix's from England, across the channel. They were pulled by small ships. Upon reaching Omaha Beach they were sunk to make water breaks, by filling the bottom with water. The rest of the water breaks were made up of Old Ships which were either towed or run to Omaha beach. The bottoms were dynamited and left to sink in order to make a water break. On each Phoenix and block ship we had mounted a 40 MM AAA Gun, and one crew. My job was Operations Sargent. I had to check each crew once a day to take their orders for Quartermaster and to get reports for our Headquarters.
This was quite a unique deal. We found out later that this was the one secret of the invasion. We actually floated a harbour to the French Coast where ships were not supposed to be able to land supplies especially because of the high and low tides.
Now I understand why they kept our outfit under such surveillance. We were not allowed to go anywhere in England on Pass immediate to the invasion.
I will be available for interview at my office any week day, or at home if I know in advance.