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Wilkes -Barre, Pa PA 29 LL
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? WILLIAM IrVIN HAHN
What was your unit and division? HUSKY SUPPORT BOAT Crew
Where did you arrive in Normandy , and at what time? ArrivED AboarD ShiP AbouT midNiGHT. WeNT INTo BeACH AT 0540. CAN'T Rember BuT I Think IT WAS EASY Red ON OMAHA BeAcH
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? SEAMAN 1ST CLASS
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 16
Were you married at that time? No
What is your wife's name?
Did you have any children at that time?
What do you do now? OPERATE COAL MINE NeAR TAMAQUA, PA
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? HAD BeEN TRAINING A FEW MONTHS PreIVOUS IN ENGLISH ChANEL. ALSO PArTICAPED IN Previous LANDINGS. BuT WAS BrEIFED JUNE 4th AND WAS TOLD.
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? ChANeL WAS RouGH. LoT'S Were SEA SICK + OThers [crossed out illegible] Were KIDDING ARouND. BUT MOST OF ThE TimE WAS SPeNT GETTING BoAT's + GEAR IN LAST MInUTE ReADINes AND GETTING LAST RITes FROM The ChuRCH Some GeTTING CONFessION others CouNumiom ALSo LOT's OF Time WAS SPeNT BeING BReIFeD
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). WAS ON BoArD L.S.T. 376. The Rumor WAS Where we were GoING To hIT The GerMAN's hAD A PAnoEr Div. ON MANOVERS. ALSo We were AFrAID They were GOING To USE GAS. BuT I DoN'T ThINK ThAT wAS A Rumor. They were ReALLY AFrAID oF it.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name WILLIAM I. HAHN
Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day?
Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day?
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties?
Were you wounded?
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? BoAT WAS 3 TON OVER LoADED FoR DAVIR ON L.S.T. ThE CAPTAIN WAS WoRRIED ThAT IT WAS GOING To BReAK So AFTER PRAYING FoR US OVER The LouD SPeAKER AND RePEATING To The DeCK HANDS To TAKe IT eAsY. WheN we GoT DowN ok ONE GUY HoLLereD See I ToLD YOU GUY'S IT WouLD Be Easy. I ThINK The whoLE ShIP LAUGHED + WISHED US LucK.
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? The WAY OUR SHIPS HAD SheLLed The BeACH I ThouGHT AN ANT COULD'NT HAVE LIVes ON IT. BuT IT WAS SAD WheN The FIRST WAVE OF LCUP's HIT The BeACH. FIRE WAS COMING FRom EVERYWhere. We hIT BY AMouNTAIN THe GermANS WERE ReALLY DUG IN. They TooK A LOT OF OUR MeN. WhAT we ThouGHT At The LAST MINUTE WAS GOING TO Be EASY TURNED OUT To Be verY SAD + PITYIFUL
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name WILLIAM I. HAHN
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? EDWIN P. GROCHOWSKI ShoweD GreAT CouRAGE TrYING To ReSCUE MeN From D+D TANKS WhICH WerE FoLLOWING US IN AND MOST OF Them SANK DUE TO HeAVy SeAS
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? ABouT ThAT TIMe CoNVoy WAS COMING IN AND WE Were LOWEreD OVER The SIDe.
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? STILL ON OMAHA BeACH
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? EDWIN P. GROCHOWSKI FRANK LIN VILLE, N. J. [inserted] out [end inserted]
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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June 25, 1958
Mr. William I. Hahn V. A. Hospital, Ward 3-E Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Dear Mr. Hahn:
Thank you very much for your letter and for your willingness to help us with Cornelius Ryan's book about D-Day. I hope you will forgive the delay in replying to your kind offer of assistance; we are gratified, but somewhat overwhelmed, by the wonderful response which we are getting as a result of our requests for information.
During the next few months, both in this country and in Europe, Mr. Ryan will be interviewing many of the D-Day participants who agree to contribute to the book. Very probably, he will wish to talk with you during that period. In the meantime, since we are dealing with so many people, we have found it necessary to develop an individual file on each person who agrees to help us. Therefore, we hope that you will complete the enclosed record and return it to me at your earliest convenience. We truly believe that these questions will serve you, as well as us, if they can help to crystallize some hazy memories and to indicate the sort of information which we are seeking.
I should be most grateful to know as soon as possible when and if you will be available for interview. We want very much to tell the story of your unit, and in order to do that we need the personal accounts of the men who were there. We particularly look forward to your reply.
Sincerely yours,
Frances Ward Research Department
FW:LL Enclosure