Errata for Spearheading D-day
No one, and I mean NO ONE, does a book without some errors creeping into it. Sometimes these are just typos, or captions that gets mixed up. I try very hard to keep errors out of my books. I double-check everything if at all possible. I pass sections by experts in the specific subject area to see what I left out or might have gotten wrong . No one is perfect.
In any event, a few things crept into SDD. Some are small enough I can get them corrected in a reprint. Plain old typos and misspellings I will not mention here unless they change a fact or name.
Beach Obstacles. Please do not mention the obstacles in Saving Private Ryan. The film people screwed up and put many of them in backwards. At one point they did stop filming and turn some around, but not all. If you watch very carefully you can see the obstacles sudden reverse in the middle of a scene. And no, the metal ones are not blue. That was the color the artist used to show some were metal and other wood.
Page 36
AA halftrack. There's some debate as to the model of this halftrack - an M15 or M16. I stared at the original slide and can't tell.
Page 60.
LST–325. This is the same LST that is being sailed (as I write this) from Greece to the USA as a floating museum. Just plain cool.
Page 74
LCI 520 The information on the landing of the LCI 520 came from the source mentioned at the last moment before printing. Thus I did not have tome to pull the ship logs, but provided my source in case a dispute arose. I have since been informed by Captain Max Gordon, the Signal Officer for Captain Lorenzo Sabin- commander of the Gunfire Support Group – that the LCI 520 did NOT land on D-day. It did not have troops on board, but was filled with 8 radios and 24 radiomen working 24 hour shifts. Gordon maintains the 520 was the first ship to cross the line of departure, but was always off shore coordinating the gunfire support. This makes logical sense as why send a vessel with such an important task close to the shore where it could be hit. This will have to wait for the log of the 520 to be checked.
As a postscript to this- Gordon also confirmed that to his knowledge NONE of the rockets hit the beach, but all landed short in the water. After the invasion Lorenzo Sabin was sent ashore to act as Naval Officer in Charge of Omaha Beach – replacing a staff that had been unable to manage the task. His first order was to start unloading whatever ship was on hand to try and clear up the backlog.
BUT !!! The 520 Saga continues. Here is a different version from a signalman who stood next to Sabin when the rockets fired..
Bill Conroy was member of the crew assigned to the LCH 520 (which stands for ''landing craft headquarters").
He writes: first, I must address the statements made by captain Max Gordon in your errata. to his credit, he was absolutely correct about three things -- 1. we never had troops aboard. 2.the LCH 520 never landed on Omaha beach 3.we were the first U.S.Naval vessel to cross the line of demarcation, on D-day. Upon reading his other comments, about our rocket boats, I regret to tell you that he is absolutely incorrect and I refute his version of precisely what happened that historic moment- which is etched in my memory -and has been for almost 60 years----
Let me share my recollections with you. At about 5 or 5:30 AM the 520 arrived at the line of demarcation. We were accompanied by our 14 rocket boats. Captain Lorenzo Sabin, (one of my all time heroes!) had these vessels line up to our right, and to our left, '' x '' number of yards apart, all along Omaha Beach. It was still very dark, the seas were still choppy, (as they were for our crossing} as we approached h-hour, set for 6:30 am, the bombardment from the battleships let up considerably. At exactly 6:30am - I was in the conning tower -right next to the 'cap'n''- as he shouted into a bullhorn -'' go you, rocketboats, go!!!'' . In unison all the rocketboats headed toward the beach- when they reached a designated distance from the beach- again in unison- they triggered their rockets.
A murky, grey dawn was breaking but we could plainly see the hills overlooking the beach. Suddenly, the whole coastline within our view lit up like a Christmas tree- to our right and to our left- as 15,120 rockets- or certainly most of them - exploded on the ''omaha'' hillsides. This canard about the rocketboats ''missing all their targets'' is just dead wrong! The target was the beach. The rockets were in racks, set-at an angle (probably 45 degrees) they were incapable of being aimed with precision.
The whole purpose was intended to be a terrifying ''wake-up'' call to let the enemy know the real battle of Omaha beach had just begun. I can't swear that every single rocket landed on Omaha beach -- any more than Max Gordon can sustain his bold statement- ''none of the rockets hit the beach- they all fell short in the water.'' I swear to almighty god, that the information I have just provided you is an accurate depiction of exactly what I saw, as I remember it. A review of the LCH 520 logs will, i feel, back up my version of the events.
please allow me a few afterthoughts. Logic screams out- '' this guy Sabin really, really blew it with his stupid rocketboats. What a disaster- so let's promote him to the most vital job we can find- '' N.O.I.C.'' -naval officer in charge of omaha beach.''
Page 116
Web belt color. Look too light to be real? Actually, that is a pristine Pre-war web belt dated 1941. Colors vary quit a bit from manufacture and time period.
Page 126
Photo ID'd - The 3 men are from the 299th ECB. Left Joe Costello, Auburn NY, Center unknown), right Dan Snell. Joe was wounded on D-day survived the war but is now dead. Dan was killed at Remagen and is burried in the Henri Chapelle Cemetary in Belgium.
Page 187.
Black troops on 6 June. What? I say the only black unit to land in the initial invasion was the 320th? What about celebrated Boston vet Paul Parks who not only claims to have stormed ashore on 6 June, but also helped liberate Dachau. Well, not one of the many researchers trying to prove he was at either event can find any shred of evidence he was, and lots that he was not. Make up your own mind. Anyone interested in the problem of vets making false claims should read the great book “Stolen Valor.”
Page 193
Medical troops. There’s a lot more info on medical support in Normandy in the US Army (Green Book) "Medical Servcie in the European Theatre of Operations." Another example of just not enough room.
Page206.
Lt. Bob Edlin. Sharp eyes will not that Lt. Edlin wears a BAR belt. He has told me that he does not recall doing so, but would have used a BAR belt as it allowed for greater ammo storage. He also mentioned the loop at the top of his pack is the handle of a hand-made fighting knife given to him by his father. The knife went to the bottom of the Channel while landing.
Page 207
White stripe on helmet. No I have not yet confirmed what this is. However, I have seen a few helmets over the years with such a stripe, and there seems to be a training connection to many of them. Thus do not assume that a helmet with such a stripe is a Normandy item. Actually I have seen many, many fake painted helmets in recent years. A number from Europe where they are sold as “found in the Normandy area.” Buyer beware.
Page 212
The Ranger photo caption. Yes, In know the caption is wrong. The original caption issued by the Signal Corps is wrong and there was not time to fix it when we went to press. The actual names are: LTC Schneider, Cpt Whittington, 1LT Parker, 1LT Dawson, Sgt Moody, T-5 McKissick, Pfc Johnson and T/3 Barber, a medic. Two more officers of the 5th were awarded the DSC: Maj Sullivan and Chaplain (CPT) Lacy.
Page 226
Navy Beach Battalions. I am VERY pleased to announce that (with some help from yours truly) the 6th NBB has finally been officially recognized and was awarded their Presidential Unit Citation in Sept. 2000 (55 years late).
Page 245
Blue helmet arcs. I am still no closer to the truth on this. I have some interesting, but unconfirmed evidence that it may have been a few units in the 1st ESB, but nothing solid.
Page 253
Medic sans suspenders. A goof, plain and simple. This guy is not wearing the correct medical suspenders. I wrote the caption looking at a different shot, and this one where he has an M-1928 pack, was run instead. Perfectly correct for the period, but an erroneous caption. My fault.
Page 265
JASCO patch. I have since found some fairly good information on this patch that links it much closer with the later war and Pacific theatre.
Page 282. Why didn’t you talk about the PLUTO Pipeline that is shown in every documentary on D-day? Because, although picturesque, PLUTO was a colossal failure. To quote “Logistical Support of the Armies”- page 198: “The PLUTO project, calling for underwater pipelines from the Isle of Wright to Cherbourg, was largely a failure. Two flexible 3-inch cables were laid in August, but extreme difficulties were encountered because of leaks and breaks, and no gasoline was ever pumped through them. A third line began delivering gasoline in September at the rate of about 140 tons per day, but the total deliveries were insignificant. In November all lines were reported broken down and inoperative...”
Page 284
Ninth Aviation Engineer PatchThe photo was reversed when put in to the book. There is no such thing as an "11th Aviation Engineer unit." I wonder how long til someone starts making these up as rare D-day patches???