31503 - page 1 of 6

During the first week in March, officers of the advance detachment had been briefed on the

invasion operation. In the "Bigot for Neptune" room at the King Edward school in Bristol the plans for

the employment of the division and the 315th were being made. On the large scale map models, the

assembly areas were selected and initial missions were planned. Then as "D" day approached, and the

"Bigot" room was moved to Heath Camp at Cardiff, other officers were briefed and map sets and orders

were assembled.

Now, aboard ship, the briefings were extended to the company and platoon levels and the

preparation phase was ended. Next would be the real thing.

The short voyage across the channel was a weird affair in many ways. On some of the ships the

public address systems played the latest recordings from the Hit Parade while the men basked in the

warm sunlight and played cards for the new French "invasion money”. On another ship the men

crowded the rail to watch a running battle between a destroyer and a German submarine. But regardless

of the diversionary activities most thoughts were on the job, which lay ahead.

As the convoys anchored off shore the sight was indescribable. In the chill of the dawn as far as

one could see the ocean was infested with ships. [Figure 5-1, Figure 5-2] There were battleships, liberty

ships, luxury liners converted into transports, landing craft and even former yachts, river boats, tugs and

barges. All were loaded to capacity with men, equipment and supplies. The battle wagons were firing

round after round of high explosives into the coastal fortifications on the Isles de St Marcouf. In the sky

the air force was busy with the Luftwaffe. Burning ships could be seen in the distance and frequently a

flaming plane streaked downward and crashed into the water.

Then the LCVP's pulled alongside; cargo nets were lowered and the men in their gas

impregnated clothing with their packs, life belt, weapons and tools and other equipment scrambled over

the sides and down into the pitching and buckling little landing boats. Even before the craft thudded

ashore and dropped their front doors the litter and debris of war could be seen in the water and on the

beach. [Figure 5-3] Overturned boats, shell shattered jeeps and personnel belongings were strewn over

the sands. A floating body, another grotesquely half covered in the sand and still others lying in rows

covered with blankets - like men in formation for drill - this was war for the 315th.

Get off the beach! [Figure 5-4] Keep moving inland! Have you seen anything of Company K?

Where are we on this map? Where is the CP? Where are the front lines? Yet - amid the confusion the

units moved inland – across the inundated area, past the smashed gliders, past the bodies of airborne

troops still hanging by their parachute shrouds in the trees, down the hedgerow banked, equipment-

littered roads to the assembly areas.

A portion of Company C hit the beach on D-Day with the 359th Infantry but the main body of

the company was on the Susan B. Anthony, which struck a mine and sank off shore within two hours on

the morning of 7 June. Only one man was injured. After being picked up by a mine sweeper, then

transferred to a British destroyer, thence to an LCT the troops got ashore and joined the advance party

with the 359th Infantry in the vicinity of Beuzeville-au-Plain. The company had been attached to the

359th infantry and the regimental team was in turn attached to the 4th Infantry Division for the assault

phase. So, Company C was the first unit of the 315th to see action, first to draw blood from the kraut and

also first to sustain battle casualties.