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510 East OAK STR BOSCOBEL WISC.
For Cornelius Ryan Book about D-Day
gun MS 3 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 namo? HERMAN CARL WELLNER
What was your unit and division? CO. A. 37th ENGR. (C) BN. SPECIAL TROOPS
Where did you arrive in Normandy, and at what time? OMAHA BEACH 6:50 AM JUNE 6TH
What was your rank on June 6, 1944? TECHNICIAN 5th GRADE
What was your age on June 6, 1944? 23
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? General Mason
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? IN FeB. 1944 We were told because of our (special) training
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? Rough waters. - Playing cards joking about things back home. Martinez - Sisor played cards with us. A lot of time was spent cleaning out rifles and equipment.
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). Ship was small and we knew where we were going as we were well briefed.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 - Your name Herman C. Wellner
Did you by any chanoe 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. Several
Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they become casualties?
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? A truck driver trying to save his truck after it caught on fire. He was riding up and down the beach trying to shake off his load of T.N.T. He got out but the truck burned. He was hit later, I believe he was from our outfit but 2nd Platoon. (I was with the third.)
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck you more than anything else'? General Roosevelt saying " Men we take this hill, we take France". That was early in the morning shortly after we hit the beach, and we were pinned down badly.
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- for Cornelius Ryan 3 - Your name H. C. WELLNER
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?
Where were you at midnight on June 5, 1944? English Channel aboard the L.C.T. 544
Where were you at midnight on June 6, 1944? On a hill over looking channel. In a fox hole with one other man.
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? YES BUT NOT ADDRESS OF ANY. Maurice Gerlach - Minn. [crossed out] Da Nom [end crossed out] Damon Ross - Texas Ted. Sisor - Indiana Slaygol - California Martinez - Calif. Hilderbrand - Minn. Swanson - Minn. Raczinski - Wisc. near Black River Falls Greene - New York. Jones - Oregon
all part of 37th Eng. Names may be mispelled
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
