Page 1

Gold. x

6 a.m. ARROMANCHES FLOTILLA LCM

JOB

To take troops off transports and run them into the beach

RUN IN TO BEACH

"As we approached, I noticed that almost everyone was in a cold sweat
We were getting very close now—about 6 or 7 hundred yards and I could see
that the tank landing craft had already landed and tanks were going up the
beaches, German 88mm guns were firing at them; several tanks got direct
hits but others came on out of the crafts

We had no time to see how they got on as our own craft as beginning to
get close now. We were standing by to lower the ramp for our troops to
pour out. About 200 yds or so ahead of us was a wall where there were
Germans firing from the top of it. As we got nearer, they swept us with
mg fire and when we were almost on the beach, they threw grenades. One
landed in the craft, killing some of the xtroops.

WOUNDED

"I almost at once felt a stinging pain on my forehead, followed by
a floating sensation which was the blast. I must have passed out for a
couple of minutes, but on recovering found that during my fall to the deck
I had broken my right index finger.

"In the meantime what troops that were o.k. had all gone dashing out
up the beach and onto the road. By now craft were landing all over the
place and troops were pouring out and getting off the beach as soon as
they could because there were still 88's firing on fixed lines directly
across the beaches. The Navies big boys were shelling fortifications a
few miles inland now.

ON THE BEACH

"A few minutes before I reched the beach I saw ahead of us and to
left a sight I'll never forget. There were a lot of sailors of the RN
Beach Commando wading ashore with water up to their necks, with arms fully
extended holding hands walking in line abreast in fullview of the Germans.
As they got nearer one would step on a mine; two or three would disappear
and then they would close up and carry on walking. They must have lost
quite a lot of men before they got ashore, althought that wasn't the end
for them, not by a long way. Their work had only just begun.

D DAY EVENING

"It was evening before I got to the beach dressing station. My
forehead had bled freely and I developed a nasty headache. My broken
finger oidn t hurt much at first, but as time wore on it began to ache
like hell. But when I got to the dressing station and saw some of the
poor chaps there, I soon realized how lightly i‘ d been let off."

[sideways]
Release Int
Kimber, Donald Edwin

609th flotilla
Gold

Box 21, #33