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N Dead file THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY Ack 29/10/58
D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 — MIDNIGHT JUNE 6
What is your full name? Arthur Holman Dunn What is your present address? The White House Porth Newquay Cornwall
Telephone number: 3050 newquay
What was your unit, division, corps? 50Div 151 Bde Where did you land and at what time? Arronnerch? not sure 7 am 6 June What was your rank and age on June 6, 1944? Major (2nd)Bn 8 Div 1 (Durham Light Infany) Were you married at that time? yes What is your wife's name? Phyllis Amy Did you nave any children at that time? none
When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? when Gen management addressed us in sicily (after the invasion) in sept or Oct 1953
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? Roughish- very little conversation except that everyone was a little edgey - we expected the coastline to be heavily fortified The planning on the Navy side was much better than the invasion of Sicily where we landed in the wrong place Were there any rumours aboard ship? (Some people remember hearing that the Germans had poured gasoline on the water and planned to set it afire when the troops came in.) have whatsoever - every one was merely "Teed up" Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? No
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2. Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? yes the Bn M.O. was wounded (near me) in the stomach soon after we landed Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? nothing of any consequence Were you wounded? yes How were you wounded? 11 June
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? I remember it all vividly I was toward the Bn area at St Pierce - we were facing forward and had just the day before the same day, fought a battle + then 3 tiger tanks came up + shot us up I was shooting + encouraginng my men to kill the Germans who were directing the strife from the turrets of the tigers & the next thing I knew was that I was bleeding from my head. It did not hurt but soon after I could not write or talk.
Do you remember seeing or hearing anything that seems funny now, even though it may not have seemed amusing at the time? Or anything unexpected or out- of-place? Not really funny although it was a wry humor After I was wounded + whilst the German tanks were still shooting at us. Our own gunners plastered US!
Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? Many. One Pfc & a Sgt, I expect from fear + quite native, looked like men were coma. They stayed in one place for the 5 hours until the tanks left & our medical people could bring back the wounded. 3 other Pfcs, after I was wounded, asked permission to surrender. I was still able to speak & told them as [illegible] as possible for the DLI men [last line illegible]
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sadly but firmly at me & said "Sorry Sir; of course not". They were merely boys & acted like true soldiers for the hours I still was [crossed out] befor [end crossed out] with them.
The heroic part was when a medical Corporal crawled on his belly [inserted] under heavy fire [end inserted] for about 400 yds or more to try to get me back. My Bn HQ must have known that I was wounded -- they probably realised this when they could no longer hear me shouting. I could not move & my Corporal could not Carry me & so he crawled back & came back when it was dark. He was a brave man and I only wish I could have been able to remember his name & To have been able to speak and recommend some recognition for his bravery. Unfortunately, I could neither write, speak or read for quite a long time.
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3. In times of great crisis, people generally show either great ingenuity or self-reliance; others do incredibly strange or stupid things. Do you remember any examples of either? One officer on the first record day after invasion showed great ingenuity in rooting or weeding out germans as we moved forward. He enthused his company & treated the whole thing as a game or a hunt which it was in effect. He was a tonic + was killed at the time I was wounded
Do you know of anybody else who landed within the 24 hours (midnight 5 June to midnight 6 June) either as infantry, glider or airborne troops, whom we should write to? I enclose a 50th Div Officers Dining Club which many of the members took part until invasion. Unfortuantely I only know a few,
What do you do now? I returned to the gas industry in 1946 but am now premanently retired.
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." Cornelius Ryan Joan O. Isaacs The Reader's Digest