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Narrative
account on A/C #42-93002
(Cont'd)
children,
who went out to look at the wreck. Deciding it was better not to
communicate with them, he returned to the hiding place, to find the
navigator already returned.
The
navigator reported that about a ten minute walk from the hideout, in
an easterly direction, there was a highway running generally north
and south. He also reported that the sound of heavy guns was quite
near along the highway to the south, although he did not observe any
emplacements. He was afraid to cross this road, feeling sure that
it was well posted by the enemy, so returned to the hideout.
The crew
remained in the new hide-out until about
2000
in the evening, when American voices
were heard shouting in the next field. The navigator went out
toward the sound. A few moments later he turned and called for the
crew. When the rest of us crossed to him, he told us that he had
met an old school-mate of his, who was an officer in the outfit, and
that he had arranged for jeep transportation to the beach. We
began running across the field toward our troops, the navigator in
the lead, when someone on our left front began shooting at us with
rifles. We hit the dirt, and shouted the password. The shooting
stopped, the navigator arose to continue his course, firing broke
out again and the navigator was hit. He fell to the ground. A
soldier from the
4th
Division came toward us, and yelled at the rest to stop firing.
A first-aid
crew came over, examined the navigator, and discovered him to have
been hit in the fleshy part of the buttocks. There was no wound of
exit observable; we do not know whether any bones were struck, but
do not think so, and do not believe the wound was very serious.
We were
then taken to a major and three lieutenants, leaving the navigator
to be removed by stretcher. These officers apologized for
incautious firing by their men. We got into a jeep with the major
and headed for the beach; about
2
1/2
miles from it, traveling along the
road, running from the town of St Mere Eglise (co-ordinates:
35.2-97.0,
37.2-00,
40.7-03.5
Map reference sheet
6
E/3
and
6
E/5,
France
1:50,000,
3rd
Edition) the major turned off to the
left, gave us directions for walking to the beach, and left us.
Along this road our men were engaged in digging out snipers, and
enemy observation posts, and French civilians were helping by giving
directions, warning of mines, and other aid. Tanks were coming up
along the road from the shore. Our forces from the beach,
incidentally, were apparently already in touch with the paratroop
and glider forces which had landed farther inland. It was
approximately
2030
hours on Tuesday,
6
June
1944,
when the major left us.
When we
arrived on the beach, we had trouble making contact with anyone in
authority who could help us, but finally found a Commander, US
Navy, who was in charge of the sector. He put us on a boat and we
left the beach about
2300
hours. We
reported to the CO of an LCVP lying off shore, and after spending
some time getting the ship off a shoal, traveled in it about
12
miles to the USS "Bayfield", a
headquarters and hospital ship, where we arrived about
0230
on the morning of Wednesday,
7
June
1944.
At
0730
that morning we got up, having been
fed and put to bed in the sick-bay on the "Bayfield"
as
soon as
we arrived. About
0800
-
0830
a colonel arrived with
" -3-
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