World War II D-Day Accounts from the Cornelius Ryan Collection

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Cornelius Ryan WWII papers, box 020, folder 05: Sidney Frank Capon

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THE ASSAULT LANDINGS IN NORMANDY

D DAY: MIDNIGHT JUNE 5 -- MIDNIGHT JUNE 6

What is your full name? SIDNEY FRANK CAPON What is your present address? 11 MEDCROFT GDNS, EAST SHEEN, LONDON, S.W.14. Telephone number:- [inserted] (Merville Bty man) [end inserted] What was your unit, division, corps? 9TH PARACHUTE BTN 6TH AIRBOURNE DIV. Where did you land and at what time? APPROXIMATELY 0050 HRS "D DAY" What was your rank and age onJune 6, 1944? PRIVATE 20 YRS OLD Were you married at that time? NO What is your wife's name? Did you have any children at that time?

When did you know that you were going to be part of the invasion? APPROXIMATELY 1 WEEK BEFORE THE INVASION 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 TRIP BY PLANE WAS COMFORTABLE. THE FLAK WAS THE WORSE + THIS CREATED A DISORGANISED DROP

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.)

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happed to you that day?

[inserted] S76 [end inserted]

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.2 . Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or during the day? YES. I LOST MANY ONLY 150 OUT OF 600 MEN REACHED THE RENDEZVOUS

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became casualties? I REMEMBER PTE DUNK WISHING ME AND LT ALAN JEFFERSON TO SIGN HIS WILL IN FAVOUR OF HIS FIANCEE. HE DIED I'M INFORMED A HEROS DEATH. I'LL REMEMBER THE 2ND I/C, A MAD MAJOR BUT A BORN LEADER HIS NAME WAS NEVER MENTIONED

Were you wounded ? YES

How were you wounded? MORTAR SHRAPNEL JULY 24 (7 WEEKS AFTER D-DAY0

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? EVERYTHING WAS NUMB FOR 5 HOURS THEN THE PAIN CRISIS OVER IN 2 DAYS

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? YES. ESPECIALLY THE FANTASTIC DREAMS ( THIS BEING AFTER D-DAY).

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, that struck you more than anything else? I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER LT ALAN JEFFERSON (WHO LATER WAS CO-DIRECTOR OF THE PLAY "THE FROG" WITH PRINCESS MARGARET). LEADING US INTO THE BATTERY JUST BLOWING THE LITTLE HORN HE CARRIED. HE WAS WOUNDED AS WE WENT INTO ATTACK. HE STILL CARRIED ON BLOWING THAT HORN IN SPITE OF INJURIES.

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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? NO

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? PTE GEORGE BOSHER. 26, Woodhurst Rd, Canvey Island. LT. ALAN JEFFERSON (ADDRESS FROM WAR OFFICE (LATER CAPT) PTE HULL " " " PTE THOMS '01 (ADDRESS MIGHT BE HAD FROM PTE BOSHER)

What do you do now? MASTER BUILDER

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

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Before D-Day Pvt Dunk asked Sidney Capon + Lt Alan Jefferson if they would witness his will in which he left all his wordly possessions to his fiancee They signed it He was killed later On D-Day Lt Alan Jefferson blew horn a hunting horn - as they went into attack battery He stood on wine and although wounded continued blowing horn And in between blasts yelled "carry on" He was short , thick-set , strong extremely polite Was wounded in legs by mines First person Capon saw on landing was Pvt Bert Hull (see 9) Lt Dowling an Irishman was later killed at battery (see 9 ) also by mine He remembered seeing two Germans coming out of sat trench within battery - one of them with a Rex X box in his hands The Red X presumabley to indicate that he wanted to surrender other Germans were pushing one another out many of them shouting "Ruski Ruski"

Master builder

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Tuesdy 5.0 pm 1/7/58 Ack 19/6/58 Dear Miss Isaacs I'll try and give you my outline for "D-day" We dropped at approx 0050 hrs The drop as far as I'm concerned was a comfortable drop The drop as a whole was haphazard owing to flak I'll landed in a field expectn to see hundreds of us all I saw was the silloette of Pte Bert Hull who was in the same platoon I picked him out in mid-air The pass-word was Punch-Judy Bert called "punch" I replied unregimental "Sid Capon" Thank christ for that he said I've lost everything bar a few grenades etc. We proceeded to the rendezvous where on our way we met Sgt Sid Knight and later a Lt Dowling with a bunch of men The rendezvous was dissapoiting especially when the move off was given 150 men out of 600 We reached the Battery and lay in wait Alan Jefferson gave us the orders to attack He carried a little horn blowing it as we attacked Lt Alan Jefferson was wounded I think he trod on a mine just to the right of me he still was blowing that horn I carried on shoutung and firing the only word^was calling the Germans illegitimate The 2 Germans I'll always recall coming out of a trench Red X box in there hands first + the Germans pushing each-- other out of that gun battery Pvt Johnny Walker Pvt Frank Delsijnone Sgt Eric Bedford Pvt Bert Hull + myself were at thatgun We retreated with prisoners + came under fire from a machine gun nest to the right of the battery Thus surrendered outside I remember him shouting "get in get in" to Lt Dowling who was over to my left I think he was killed We proceeded to Le Plein --- Prior to this we collected the wounded I remember pulling them to one place another likeable chap who was also doing this war Sgt Jenkins (Paddy) A Company We then came under ---- terrific bombing by our own planes bits + pieces of human body were

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2/ we proceeded to the Plain + came under fire from the Germans in a small village just outside the Plain This is where the 2nd 1/c was very bold + never feared the fire of the enemy A handfull of us were in an outhouse by an orcard waiting for the Tiger tanks which were roaming around to attack The trees in the orchard seemed to move at night I can quite understand what a mirage is now On those trees I remember some of the chaos (one I think Bert Hull this I wouldn't be sure of) carveing these names everyone of us thought is was our lot On D plus 1 day we proceeded to some high ground which we held for quite a few days (approx 3 days) Those 3 days + nights were nightmares our strength dwindle to approximately 40 until that night when I welcomed in Major Dyer with reinforcements he advanced through the woods I didnt know whether it was Major Dyer or Jerry as the Germans happened to be the other side of the road which ran directly through the woods I remember a woman + child walking through the woods + along the road crying in the heat of fighting The right Major Dyer arrived the 2nd 1/c Sgt Rose Lt Parfist was killed repelling attacks from Germans I remember Pte Butler + myself carried crosses for the burial I must say that the first week was the worse warfare I've known worse that the "Ardennes" or "The Rhine" drop I'll never forget the 51st Highland Division chaps when we captured a "chateau" to ---- hand over to them we returned to our base to find they had been attacked and were dead in their trenches with their hands clasp as in prayer ------- I have given you a brief outline of our task It will certainly pay you to contact the following who will verify my statements Lt Jefferson (Later Capt) Pte (Corporal) Frank Delsigmore OrpanStorn Kent George Booker 26 Woodhurst Rd Convey Island Pte Johnny Walker (stoke-on trent) I was Pte during D Day + finished up Sgt with the 9th Btn in 1946 yours truly

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BR E Airborne Private Sidney Capon was one of the men who went with Otway to blow up the Merville Battery. Like everybody else in the 9th Parachute Bn, the drop was haphazard due to flak. He landed in a field expecting to see hundreds of other paratroopers and all he saw was the silhouette of his friend Priveat Bert Hall who was in the same platoon. Capon had seen him coning down through the air a short way from him. When he saw Hall in the field he was instantly challenged by Bert with the password which for that day was "Punch” and "Judy”. Bert called out "Punch *1 and Capon replied "Sid Capon". At the rendezvous he discovered that of the entire 600 men who were to attack the battery ohly 150 of them had assembled. The following items will liven up the Otway march towards the battery:- He remembers two Germans who came out of a trench one of them holding a Red Cross box with the cross facing his captors high above his head. The Red Cross presumably was an effort on their part to Indicate that they wanted to surrender. He rembers the confusion during the attack on the battery with Germans pushing one another out, many of them shouting "Ruski, Ruski". He particularly remembers Lieutenant Alan Jefferson blowing a hunting horn as they went to attack the battery. He saw [crossed out] Jefferson [end crossed out] fall and he is not sure whether he stood on a mine or was shot. Jefferson But although wounded Jefferson continued to blow the horn and in between blasts yelled "Carry on, carry on". He remembers Jefferson being a short thick set strong type who was extremely polite. Capon survived the attack but as they were=leaving the battery he was nearly killed by our own planes who strafed and bombed the area. Pick up additional details from questionnaire and letter.

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Capon: We reached the battery and lay in waist. Alan Jefferson gave us the order to attack. He carried a little horn, blowing it as we attacked. Lt. Alan Jefferson was wounded. I think we trod on a mme just to the riht of me; he was still blowing that horn. I carried on shouting and firing, the only word was calling the Germans illegitimate. The two Germans I’ll always recall coming out of a trench Red Cross box in their hands first, and the Germans pushing each other out of that gun battery. Pavt. Johnny Walker, Pvt. Frank Delsijnore, Sgt. Eric Bedford, Pvt. Berl Hull and myself were at that gun We retreated with the prisoners and came under fire from a maching gun nest to the right of the battery. They surrended when we were attacking the battery. Lt. Col. Otway was just outside. I remember him shouting "Get in, get in" to Lt. Dowling who was over to my life. I think he was killed.

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11 Medcroft Gdns East Sheen London S.W. 14 29th May '58 2 JUN 1958 Q.S. 3/6/58 Dear Sir In answer to your advertisement in the "News" regarding "D-Day" I served with the 9th Battalion Parachute Regt 6th Airbourne Div as a Sergeant I was in the first flight our objective the "Merville Battery" I am sure you'd be interested in many untold stories also the names of personel who took part and never been mentioned they too could varify my statements Yours truly S.F. Capon

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3rd June, 1958.

S.F. Capon, Esq., 11, Medcroft Gardens, East Sheen, S.W. 14.

Dear Mr. Capon,

I am so pleased that you have seen the notice about our D-Day project, and I am most grateful to you for getting in touch with us so promptly.

Our book, which is to be written by Mr. Cornelius Ryan, a former war correspondent, is to be a detailed hour-by-hour account of the first twenty-four hours of the Normandy Invasion. I know Mr. Ryan will be particularly interested to hear of your own experiences on that day, as wo have both read in Hilary St. George Saunders' book "The Red Beret" an account of the work of the 9th Battalion in destroying the coastal battery near Merville. Mr. Ryan is at present in Paris, interviewing French civilians and resistance workers who were in Normandy during the first hours of the Invasion. He is returning to England shortly, when he hopes to be able to talk to men and women of the British Forces about their D-Day experiences. In the meantime, I wonder if you would very kindly complete and return the enclosed questionnaire; this would help me in planning interviews and itineraries. A stamped and addressed envelope is attached for your use.

May I say how grateful we should be for any help you are able to give us in the preparation of this book. Yours sincerely, ( Joan Ogle Isaacs) Research Editor

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