European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Ensign Bill Carter it Kenneth Shiffer Walter Vollra Hrobert Hiskey a there were Landing Craft All Over the place and they were having a pretty Tough time of it because the sea was William w. Gentry the Harding a executive officer for the Battle described the mass of ships to the stars and stripes in an interview 10 years ago a your radar scope was absolutely filled with literally thousands of ships stretching All the Way Back to the English coast and to the West As far As the radar could see. All to the South of us was an absolute Black void the destroyers formed a protective screen for the bigger ships farther out to sea. Retired rear adm. Mitchell Matthews then commanding the Butler off Utah Beach said that from his station aboard the ship a we could hear the Buzz saw droning of countless bombers swarming overhead on their Way to do a saturation bombing of the Beach. Matthews now deceased told the stars and stripes in 1984 a the big guns of the. Bombardment group opened fire on schedule at 0535 with a deafening Roar. The 14-Inch guns of the battleship Nevada belched fire and smoke. A Black smoke seemed to envelop the ships and i could smell Burnt powder a Matthews said. The shelling by the battleships and cruisers continued for about 30 minutes said Matthews and the sailors aboard the destroyers had a ringside seat. They could watch As the first wave of Landing Craft headed for the beaches scheduled to arrive at 6 30 a.m., when the tide was Low. The seaborne shelling apparently woke up German gunners in their Cas mated gun emplacements along hitlers Atlantic Wall. The germans began returning fire sometimes with deadly effectiveness despite the poor visibility. Matthews remembered a direct hit on a rocket ship. A i saw a huge Bright explosion. The Craft had been hit before it had launched its rockets and it was a Case of a now you see it now you a scenes of horror were interspersed with moments of wry humor. It. Kenneth Shiffer chief Engineer on the Harding recalled watching the first wave hit the Beach. A they were under fire from a Battery of guns firing from a Point of land Down the Beach a said Shiffer a retired Navy Captain now living in Ashland Ore. A the guns could be Over or under in Range and still hit the Luis and Lviv because they were packed so close together in Landing. A fall of a sudden i saw two headlights approaching and Here came a heavily loaded Duke a cargo Craft that went from water to land with a Soldier sitting in the Middle of the cargo. A which Way to the Beach a he yelled. I pointed to the East and they steamed away. I realized they were so Low in the water and continued on Page 46 pasc amp Ras k a Fol the battleship Texas fires a Salvo from its big guns on a Day before Landing Craft hit the Beach. At june 6, 1994 a stars and stripes commemorative edition 45
