Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 020, folder 39: Bryan Ettridge

Notes on D Day preparation tank landing craft layout seeing air photographs of position to be in D night which field pep talk by me sealing of tanks

last short leave knowing D-day was about six days off seeing wife at station Twickenham maybe for last time

journey down to southhampton loading T.L.C. (American) June 3rd too rough to make crossing on southhampton waters nearly 3 days writing poetry June 6th moving out southhampton waters before dawn this is it we all know awaiting anouncement over [?] intercombs here it comes now hear this "now hear this" standing in groups listening to fatal words checking tanks ammo marking stretchers with X for journey back if any gradual pale dawn creeping on us vast array of ships as far as eye could see evry direction talking to Americans remember pin ups of their english sweethearts stuck to armour plate of anti aircraft guns mostly nudes air alarms standing by immergency stations false alarms fishing with (Axtel one who did not return feeling sick nearly killed in sudenly fired missed me by inches flatened on hull of ship large splotch of copper metal wonderful food couldnt eat it strange anouncement

getting nearer french coast. rough weather terrific din of bombardments american commandos getting ready camoflaged uniforms American commander not going in closer than 1 1/2 miles from coast tide turned taking tanks out bow of T.L.C. onto Rhinos hasardus thing to do to 10 tanks per Rhino 3 ft under water one size 2 outboard motors not stong enough drifting in sideways infantry troop carrier blazing to left german aircraft above bombing straffing we are blazing up with 15 + 30 anti aircraft on tanks rocket ship to left belting away with salvos of rockets huge battleship to right belting away with salvos of heavy gunfire watching mushroom plumes belching out + drifting away can see wrecked tanks on beach going in sideways taking off in to fairly deep water tank sealed OK going up beach press button blew off all sealing wax + strips beaches mined narrow path for tanks white taped off which we must follow to crab area tanks parked for night laying down beside tank watching display of tracers reaching for the sky looks like fireworks slowly they glide upwards sudenly remember what goes up comes down take shelter nearer tanks early lught advance into france passing through small french village villages throwing may blossoms on tanks + trying to touch our hands all of us trying to kick may off tanks unlucky we knew couldnt make them understand

first action mine ahead on highway sudenly burst of anti tank fire from group of trees to left 2 tanks burning in front of us tank crews escaped we all apread out start blazing away at enemy started big fires in trees silenced enemy dead cattle every where this I'll never forget lovely cows + pigs in hundreds cattle was chained couldnt get away smell of dead cattle in tracks awful stench chatter of gerry mc guns every where wooded country plenty of dead germans rounding up prisoners we are not afraid at first that came later there are dead germans + english infantry everywhere I remember turning a corner + right accrossed the road an infantry platoon had been ambushed an english officer lay face down on the grass verse we pulled up because our left track had past completely over an english soldier he was dead before that we went to the officer + turned him over onto his back he had a big droopy black mustach + was almost cut in half with mc gun bullets I found out later he was known as lucky black jack I remember seeing his staring eyes + his face there was a lot of english dead strung out right accrossed the field and english officer had been captured with all cous + maps including frequency change codes we were trying to get him back our first casualties 88 mil gerry guns brewing up our tanks taking our gun grews out in pieces to bury now we were gettin scared

solid shot anti tank shells were piercing our tanks + ricochaying around inside the tanks killing every one inside you would take hold of a dead man to get him out of the tank + his arms would come odd tank commanders were being killed snipers from the trees were using explosive bullets + their heads looked like an empty eggshell (everyone afraid now) have just seen from my tank three dead germans sitting leaning up against whitewashing wall as if singing jolly old pals germans buried besides english dead no sleep standing too all night taking white pills to keep awake early light battle begins again (we were expendable) we know now herds of cattle lovely looking Normandy cattle grazing in between the field of fire I remember seeing then stop to look up at us put their heads down + go on eating the lush grass suddenly they would drop down without a sounds cows were lowing because they hav not been milk + were in pain with full udders we stop beside hedge rows + brew up a cup of tea we all felt sick poisening from the smoke of shells + smell arms ammo inside tank mark green had prayer meeting (our pardry) I couldnt pray burying our dead in pieces made him as sick as dog

near san pierre took more german prisoners english officer interigator was marching them off with their hands above their heads when he suddenly shot one dead in the back I dont know just what he was trying to prove I felt ashamed + still remember the look on the germans face as he died grey haggard + frightened I wonder if the officer still remembers how many men know what it is like to kill another person close up I know I had to do it + remember + dream about untill I die when you firing into a weed you cant see if you kill anyone but when one is eight yds away + you feel how he is feeling it happened like this the german parratroops had broken the canadian lines + we had to retreave them wer were going + fighting through short green corn when suddenly we were fired on my troop 5th troop we lost a tank brewing up + we could see 3 of the crew in the short corn we could see a jerry half track + anti tank gun + we knocked them both out we had a bunch of gerry prisoners left of the tank + I was watching then through the porthole in the tank with a sten gun tranned on them in front of us + trying to crawl away was a young german we put a burst of machine gun fire ahead of him to