European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A resupply team from the Harding under the command of Ensign Bill Garter scrambles ashore at Pointe do hoc on june7. Ranger battalion destroyer Harding. A a a a. A a. A a a a a. A. Continued from Page 45 bouncing around so much they  make out the Low lying  Gentry said the Exchange of Cannon fire became intense for a while and the destroyers 1 were caught in the Middle. A we could see flashes from the German guns and hear the whine and scream of the shells As they passed overhead and astern of us. We thought they were shooting at the battleship and heavy Cruiser but trajectories were so Flat that the shells were whizzing by at the level of our stacks. Some members of the Crew were sure a couple of shells went Between our stacks but we never found any  although the Early bombardment was left primarily to the big guns of the battleships and heavy cruisers Harding Sharpshooter Vollrath and the gun Crews got a Chance to Shine when a Shore spotter called for fire support. The spotter reported that the germans were using a Village Church Steeple in Coll Ville for artillery spotting purposes and needed to be taken out. The target was Well Over a mile away. Through his Telescope Vollrath recalled a a i could see the Steeple quite clearly. I done to remember seeing any people i trained on the Cross at  Gentry described the results a a Vollrath a first shot took off the tip of the Steeple his second the Tower in the Steeple the third the Bottom of the Tower and part of the Church roof and the fourth and fifth shots completed demolish ment of the entire  a the rangers said the germans came running out like rats a Ken Shiffer said. A they were right there to mow them  later army rangers verified that the Church had also contained a machine gun emplacement. Casualties were heavy As the first Waves of soldiers hit Omaha Beach. Mackenzie As Harding a doctor remembers being a a volunteered by the Captain to take the ships a whaleboat out to provide Aid and pick up wounded. A i recall going aboard an list where the bunks were filled with wounded men both army and Navy All badly in need of medical attention a said Mackenzie. It Mackenzie and his Crew were sent inshore to pickup some wounded men. A we did. As we turned to head Back out the sea which had been covered with ships and Landing Craft was empty except for the Texas and the French Cruiser Georges leagues both shelling  the shells were passing Only a few feet Over our Heads Landing on the jetty and docks where the germans had been firing at us with Small arms. For a few moments i wondered if the invasion had been called off but soon spotted some of the mastheads of the Squadron to the South. We finally found the Harding a Good distance South of where we had left her in the morning off Pointe do  part of the Harding a support was a Dawn Mission june 7, led by assistant engineering officer Ensign Bill Carter and eight other sailors. Their Mission was to take one of the Small whaleboat and deliver Medicine ammo and supplies to the men on Shore. Their heroism was honoured belatedly in 1993 when the Ranger battalions association named Carter an honorary Ranger in recognition of the Mission and publicly praised the Effort of the Harding for its support. For the next two Days the Harding continued ferrying food and supplies particularly ammunition to the rangers and evacuating the seriously wounded and prisoners. On one pass the ship moved into shallow water for a better shot at German soldiers counter attacking a group of rangers and collided with some submerged obstacle bending and Chipping both propellers. The morning of june 9, it returned to England for repairs. Carter reported that no serious injuries were sustained on Board the Harding during the invasion. Doc Mackenzie a Only medical action among the Crew was an emergency appendectomy performed in the wardroom with Carter assisting. Carters Job was to keep the patient on the table amid the rolling and heaving of the sea and keep the open incision clean of paint flecks made airborne by the pounding of the topside guns. Later the Harding saw action in the a Mediterranean and the Pacific where it ended the War after sustaining heavy damage from a Kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa. Part a Bowden is a former stars and  46 it a stars and stripes commemorative edition june 6, 1994