Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 015, folder 51: John A. Moreno

USN UTAH ASSAULT Bayfield Force MORENO, John A. Va 28

Box 15, #51

UTAH USS BAYFIELD Commander, USN

EREBUS AND HER FIRST SALVO

HMS Erebus was a British monitor built solely to bombard German shore installations in WWI, but until Normandy she had had no oppor- tunity for employment. She had one turret with two 12" guns. We needed every gun that would float so were glad to accept her when the British offered to assign her to our forces. But she was too slow for our fast convoys and too fast for the slow ones. Consequently she sailed alone and unescorted.

As we passed close aboard, she broke out in a storm of bunting, signaling "England expects every man to do his duty." in the best Nelson tradition. Erebus reached her position in the Gunfire Support Line considerably after the rest of us were in the transport area. But she trained out her turret and let fly with her first salvo at the Huns. We thought, "Finally her hour of destiny has arrived!" It had! Her guns fired alright on the first salvo but they didn't return to battery and poor Erebus returned to England that very night. Mighty Casey had struck out, or whatever the British equivalent would be.

Dead

[*VA 28 Alexandria, Va LL *RED*]

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? JOHN A. MORENO

What was your unit and division? On the staff of Commander, Utah Assault Force [*Bayfield*]

Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? 6 June, 1944, at approximately 0400.

What was your rank on June 6, 1944? Commander, U. S. N. then serving as Air Officer and Assistant Plans Officer on the Staff of Rear Admiral D. P. Moon, USN, Commander Utah Assault Force.

What was your age on June 6, 1944? 35

Were you married at that time? Yes

What is your wife's name? STUART G. MORENO

Did you have any children at that time? Yes, 1 daughter

What do you do now? Am still a naval officer on active duty

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? February, 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 night prior to D Day, our wardroom movie was about Paris in the spring time! I was undoubtedly the first unofficial casualty of the invasion. I caught my finger in a water tight door and lost the nail! It hurt like hell until the dentist drilled a hole in it. I passed part of the time standing watch as a staff duty officer, although our watches were relatively uneventful until the landing started. Among the many things we remarked upon was the fact that the Red Cross issued free packages of cigarettes to all hands with stickers indicating who had donated them. A gracious gesture, even though I don’t smoke. Our main concern was about the channel selected for the air borne attack. It went directly over the transport area at about first light, a very dangerous plan which was inviting a repetition of the Sicily debacle when the majority of our troop carriers were shot down by our own forces because they had flown over our shipping and were mistaken for enemy air attack. At Normandy we had gone on record officially as disclaiming any responsibility for surface forces firing upon our own aircraft in the shipping areas, because of the impossibility of controlling the many small craft with trigger happy inexperienced kids with whom we had no direct communication. Fortunately at Normandy our luck held and the airborne got through.

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 wasn’t in a good position to hear rumors.

[**] We were concerned, however, by German air reconnaissance which took place in Plymouth Harbor just prior to our getting underway. One recco plane was in clear view in CAVU weather at noon, 4 June. We hoped the Fighter Command would splash him but they were unable to do so. We knew of the German V-l missile installations and their target areas, of which Plymouth was one. We had every expectation that the recco would return to Germany, report the expedition as mounted and ready to sail, and that the missile attack would commence. Had they done so and hit one ship, the harbor was so crowded that none of us could have sortied. As a matter of fact, the missile attack commenced the day after we sailed. After the War it was learned that the recco pilot had reported us as ready to sail but his report went up through the Luftwaffe command channels before being passed over to the missile command (whatever its title was) and then down to the birds. By the time it reached them, it was too late. We had already sailed.

- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name J. A. MORENO

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? No.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? ---

Were you wounded? No.

Do you remember what it was like—that is, do you remember whether you felt any pain or were so surprised that you felt nothing? ---

Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed funny at the time? It wasn't "funny" but we were greatly impressed by how overequipped the troops of the Fourth Division in the assault wave were. They were issued so much equipment in their "combat packs" that they were unable to climb the accommodation ladders to embark. They had actually to be pushed up the ladders. Once they actually came under fire, they discarded tons of stuff and he Normandy beaches were swamped with surplus equipment of every description.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else? HMS Erebus was a British monitor built solely to bombard German shore installations in World War I, but, until Normandy she had had no opportunity for employment. She had one turret with two twelve inch guns. We needed every gun that would float so were glad to accept her when the British offered to assign her to our forces. But she was too slow for our fast convoys and too fast for the slow ones. Consequently, she sailed alone and unescorted. As we passed close aboard she broke out in a storm of bunting, signalling "England expects every man to do his duty!" in the best Nelson tradition. D Day Erebus reached her position in the Gunfire Support Line considerably after the rest of us were in the transport area. But she trained out her turret and let fly with her first salvo at the Huns. We thought, "Finally her hour of destiny has arrived!” It had! Her guns fired alright on the first salvo but they didn’t return to battery and poor Erebus returned to England that very night. Mighty Casey had struck out, or whatever the British thereof would be. [*Frannie: Call Moreno [?re?] & get more details. [?Gt?] story. CR phoned.*]

- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name

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 from D-day? I'd rather not answer that one inwriting, although I did see one example of stupidity in a high ranking officer under fire.

Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? In U.S.S. Bayfield, (APA 32) our flagship for the invasion.

Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? Still in Bayfield.

[*Have them*] Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours of D-day, June 6, as infantry, glider or airborne troops, or who took part in the air and sea operations, whom we should write to? Gen. J.L. Collins, USA (Ret), commanding US VII Corps; Commanding General, Fourth Division (whose name I forget); Major General O.C. Troxel, USA, then G-3, Fourth Divison; Col. R.P. Reeder, USA, commanding one of the Infantry Regiments in the 4th Division (wounded in action by D-5,retired, and now living at West Point, N.Y.); Admiral J. L. Hall, USN Ret, then commanding the Omaha Assault Force, now living at 17 Glen Drive, Alexandria,Va; Rear Admiral R.B. Tompkins, USN, Ret., then Chief of Staff to Commander, Utah Assault Force, Gen. Max Ridgway, USA, Ret., then commanding 82nd (101?) Airborne Division, General E.C. Quesada, USAF, Ret, then commanding the 9th Tactical Air Force.

You come down here and interview me and I'll give you plenty of leads!

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT WILL BE GIVEN IN A CHAPTER CALLED "WHERE THEY ARE NOW;" YOUR NAME AND VOCATION OR OCCUPATION WILL BE LISTED. [*I don’t care anything about acknowledgements, but merely want to help you if I can. JA Moreno*]

THANK YOU FOE YOUR HELP.

Cornelius Ryan

Frances Ward Research, The Reader’s Digest

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF WASHINGTON 25, D. C.

20 June 1958

Miss Frances Ward The Reader's Digest 230 Park Avenue New York, New York

Dear Miss Ward:

I note from the recent issue of Naval Aviation News that you are seeking information from personnel who participated in the Invasion of Normandy up to and including 6 June 1944. I will be glad to help you in any way possible.

I was one of the five officers of the original group which became the staff for the Utah Assault Force under the command of Rear Admiral D. P. Moon. I served as Air Officer and Assistant Plans Officer on this staff through- out the planning and training stages and in the assault itself. I would be very glad to provide you with the names and, where possible, the addresses of other officers on the Utah and Omaha Assault Forces, with certain official documents (provided their heretofore classified status can be removed) and with photographs of the landing which I took myself.

Because of my detachment from the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff this date, I suggest that future correspondence be addressed to me at my home address: 2409 Cameron Mills Road, Alexandria, Virginia.

[*#2 LL*]

Very cordially yours,

J A Moreno J. A. MORENO Captain, USN