Awesome bargain bin find

[Drache]

Going through my local book store and went digging through the bargain bin and found this! Paid $10 for it! It's called "D-Day: The Files". At first I thought it was a book and when I picked it up I realized it's not a book but better.

It's actually a box filled with neat material! First off is a CD and each track is someone talking about first hand accounts of D-Day!

This is a book of the accounts that goes along with the CD!

Next comes a fake photo album with pictures and descriptions!

Maps!

The small individual maps

Then the large poster sized general map on the back

And then the best stuff came in this folder! These were all made from scans of the genuine items so you see exactly like they were right down to the stains on the paper and eraser marks!

Log Book of British Typhoon pilot, Flying Officer Henry "Poppa" Ambrose of 175 Squadron

Diary of Staff Sergeant Murray Goldman on the 3rd Medical Battalion, 505th

"...nice and quiet & lots of smoke. commented that this was easy. Suddenly tracer & black - red and green. Plane started violent evasive action." (Spoke too soon didn't he on being easy )

Letter from Canadian Lance Sergeant Edwin Own Worden to his wife while waiting to cross the channel June 5. Served with the 1st Battalion Regine Rifle Regiment. Later killed in Holland in 1945.

Diary pages from Sergeant GE Hughes, 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Landed at Arromanches (Was Corporal at the time)

Message book by Information Team on Omaha Beach. LTG is General Leonard T. Gerow, US V Corp Commander who was on a ship offshore

Copy of The Stars & Stripes newspaper, June 1944 (front and back)

Top Secret hand drawn map showing the drop zone just west of St Mere Eglise for the 505th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd

Major John Howard's planning notes for the assault on Pegasus Bridge

Aerial leaflet containing a message about the invasion, addressed to the citizens of Europe

War Bonds poster

A letter from General Montgomery to his friend General Frank Simpson

Kurt "Panzer" Meyer's Nazi Party Membership book

Pretty cool especially for the price I got it for! If anyone wants scans of documents then let me know ASAP before I leave for work again on Wednesday! I will be trying to type out these documents (like the diaries) for those that can't read handwriting very well. Maybe someone who wants scans can help with that

 

[Frankie]

WOW!!!! Very cool! Congrats. Great Find!

 

[Bigdummy]

Far out

 

[1970Duster]

Pretty neat

 

[Drache]

June 5 - Left Cottesmore about eleven - flew all over England then over channel. Came into France at 0200 - Nice and quite. Lots of smoke . Commented that this was easy. Suddenly tracer. Black, Red and Green. Plane started violent evasive action. Green light and went. Plane was on it's side and low, about 150. Terrified. Tracer coming up into chutes. Slipped away for all I was worth.

Landed easy and stayed flat - reason - grazing fire - terribly scared. Crawled into hole and took off equipment. Lots of firing - C47's still coming. Men still jumping into hell one plane burning, but men bail out. Met two jumpers and joined. Met 8 more - met 20 more - feel good now - all kinds of weapons. Now we seek trouble - tore down telephone wires - no Germans.

June 6 - Next Morning. Joined a mixed group of 502-506-508-505 men and came to farmhouse. Produced map and french man showed St Mere Eglise to us. Occasional sniper fire but inaccurate. Reach St Mere Eglise about noon and found colt had town taken. Moved into a big building and set up hospital. Gliders had taken a hell of a beating - crashed all over countryside. Wounded pouring in now.

Companies set up town defense and prepare to hold town at all costs as ordered - already we are surrounded and fighting. Town being shelled and mortared. Eighty-eight artillery tearing hell out of us - Wounded pouring in now - Hospital hit repeatedly. Germans want that town. Getting dark now - this night will be pure hell cause we are all alone and cut off. The boys are fighting like cornered lions. Even advancing. German wounded in hospital.

Night - Violent enemy artillery and infiltrating attacks - some Germans enter town - They don't leave it again. They are dead. Tanks knocked out just outside of town by a GI with grenades. Our guys are strictly mean now. They are fighting mad. Morning and we still hold town, but what a price. Hospital choked with wounded. Wounded from all over countryside . What a god damned mess and still the bastard beach force does not relieve us. Hospital being shelled and hit repeatedly. Kitchen blown up. Back yard full of shell holes - no windows. Glass and plaster and bloody rags and wounded and dying men all over the place. Handful of aid men dog tired. Sleep. What is that?

June7 - Next Morning - Repeat performance artillery and snipers and attacks. Got wounded again. No more room anyplace in hospital but still they come.

**Can't read the last couple pages sadly**

From this notebook:

 

[Drache]

No: 10
To: LTG

From 1000 yds off Dog Red Beach I see several companies one six inf on Easy Red and fox red Beaches "X" Enemy artillery and machine gun fire still effective "X" Love Charlie Tares shifting dog "X" About thirty CTs standing by to land "X"

----------------------------

To: 10 Contd

Obstacles seem thicker than in photos "X" Bty Able Seven FA in DUKWS just arrived "X" Love Charlie item eight five hit and smoking after unloading "X" Have seen two Love Charlie Tares burn count ten tanks on foxx landing resuming on dog "X"

----------------------------

No: 21
To: LTG

Troops moving up slope Fox Green and Fox Red "X" BBT "X" I join you thanking God for our navy "X"

----------------------------

No: 23
TO: LTG

Enemy artillery registered on beach easy red and fires when craft are there "X" Believe craft can be seen from church spire at Vierville "X"

Time Signed: 1205

----------------------------

URGENT

Arrived on beach eight zero situation difficult "X" Information limited "X" Progress slow "X" From Wyman to Heubner "X" Liason with combat units only "X" Radio out "X" Wire going in at present BBT sends.

Time Signed: 1347

 

[Drache]

To my darling wife. How are you to-night? Fine I hope. Lee darling I find it very hard to write this to you. I only wish I could have seen you but I can say this. I am fine and I feel 100 percent for I know I have someone waiting for me who is brave and knows how to smile.

We are going in to-morrow morning as I wrote this we are out onthe water. So the big day has come. I often had wondered how I would feel but I don't feel any differencem as I ever did before. Thanks to you I know I can truthful say if it was not for I would feel different but it is the love and trust I have for you and that will help me over many a rough spot.

I am glad in away that it has come. For it means you and I can be together sooner. Something I have always prayed for and I know you have to. So promise darling you will not worry for I'll be alright and home before you know it. Just you and mum look after reach other and time will pass swiftly.

Now before close I want to say again that I love you very much and you mean the world to me.

So now darling I'll say good-night and God bless you till we meet again soon.

Yours Forever, Love Ed.

P.S.

Tell mum that I am thinking of her too and not to worry. She'll look after you. I am enclosing a message that gave us. Good-night . I'll write soon as I get a chance.

**Letter from Canadian Lance Sergeant Edwin Own Worden to his wife while waiting to cross the channel June 5. Served with the 1st Battalion Regine Rifle Regiment. Later killed in Holland in April 1945 (WWII in Europe ended May 1945)**

Brought a tear to my eye....

 

[BrianT]

That's pretty cool. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/IWM-D-Day-Imperial-War-Museum/dp/1780970161"]$26.95 on Amazon[/ame] if anyone else wants one. $1.95 if you want a used one.

 

[Drache]

My dear Simbo,

You may like the following news of the battle.

1. There is no doubt that the Germans were surprised, and we got on shore before they had recovered. The speed, power, and violence of the assault carried all before it.

2. Generally, the beach obstacles presented no difficulty; Where they were troublesome it was because of the rough weather- and on some beaches it was pretty rough.

3. DD Tanks:
(a) Used successfully on UTAH beaches.
(b) Failed to reach the shore on OMAHA beaches and all sank - too rough.
(c) Were not launches on 50 DIV fron as it was too rough; Were landed "dry" behind the leading flights; Casualties to AVRE sappers high as a result, and to leading infantry.
(d) landed "dry" on Canadian front.
(e) Used successfully on 3 DIV front.

Generally it can be said that the DD tanks proved their value, and casualties were high when they could not be used.

4. As a guess prisoners about 6000 so far. They consist of Germans, Russians, Poles, Japanese, and two turks.

5. British casualties about 1000 per assault division. American casualties not known. High proportion of officer casualties, due to sniping behind our front.

Two inf. Bde. Comds wounded:
Cunningham 9 BDE.
Senior 151 BDE.

Good many C.O.'s killed, including, HERDON, O.S. 2 Warwicks.
No general Officers are causalities.

6. The Germans are fighting well; Russians, Poles, Japanese, and Turks, run away; And if unable to do so, surrender.

7. Our initial attack was on a wide front, and there were gaps between landings. The impetus of the assault carried us some way inland and many defended locations were by-passed, these proved very troublesome later. In one case a complete German BM, with artillery, was found inside 50 DIV area; It gave some trouble but was eventually collected in (about 500 men). There is still one holding out - the radar station west of DOUVRES; It is very strong and is held bt stout-hearted Germans.

8. Sniping in back areas has been very troublesome, as a result of Para 7. The roads have been far from safe and we have lost several good officers. I have been all night myself, though I have toured the area all day. There have been women snipers, presumably wives of German soldiers; The Canadians shot 4 women snipers.

9. The Germans are doing everything they can to hold on to CAEN. I have decided not to have a lot of casualties by butting up against the place; So I have ordered second Army to keep up a good pressure at CAEN, and to make its main effort towards VILLERS BOCAGE and EVRECY and thus S.E. towards FALAISE.

10. First US Army had a very sticky party at OMAHA, and its progress at UTAH has not been rapid. I have there fore ordered it to join up its two lodgement areas and to secure CARETAN and ISIGNY. It will then thrust towards LA HAYE DU PUITS and cut off the Cherbourg peninsula.

11. The two armies have now joined hands east of BAYEUX.

No time for more.



**Letter written by General Montgomery to his best friend, Major General Frank Simpson**

 

[VDART]

That is extremely interesting-- when you tire of it I'd be interested in putting it my home ,Lawrence

 

[Drache]

That is extremely interesting-- when you tire of it I'd be interested in putting it my home ,Lawrence

Amazon.com has used copies for under $2 plus shipping or brand new for $28 plus shipping if you'd like one

 

[GEO]

That's very nice.

I have one whole bedroom that has nothing but WWII stuff in it.

Mostly U.S. but some German and Japanese mixed in

 

[Abodybomber]

That's an awesome find. Thanks for sharing!