MisterVA Back to School

After the Invasion...

August 18 - Back in Pozzuoli and took on more American troops.

 

August 22 - Disembarqued troops at St. Maxime, France.

 

August 28 - Back in Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria. Were ordered to Algiers to pick up French troops. They turned out to be an undisciplined, carefree lot. One vision that sticks in my mind is when a French officer found that the troops had smuggled a dog aboard. He immediately grabbed the dog and threw it overboard. Everyone could see that we were too far from shore for the dog to make it back.

 

September 6 - Disembarqued French troops at St. Tropez, France.

 

September 9 - Back in Pozzuoli.

 

October 1 - Disembarqued French Colonial troops in Marseille.

 

October 5 - Back in Pozzuoli.

 

October 7 - October 10 - In Livorno (Leghorn). Took on Russians who had been forced to fight for the Nazis. Returned them to Pozzuoli.

 

October 12 - Pozzuoli.

 

October 16 - October 25 - Palermo, Sicily for dry-docking. Palermo had interesting Moorish churches.

 

October 26 - Naples.

 

October 27 - Pozzuoli.

 

October 29 - October 31 -Livorno.

 

November 1 - November 5 - Pozzuoli.

 

November 6 - Livorno.

 

November 8 - November 23 - Bizerte, Tunisia.

 

November 15 - November 25 - Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria.

 

November 26 - Passed the Pillars of Hercules and Gibraltar.

 

December 11 - Norfolk, Va. after a very rough crossing of the Atlantic.

 

Paul. I don't have more detailed notes on the above period. In recapitulation notes I have it says  that we carried American, French, French Colonial, Brazilian, Greek, British and Russian troops. Also I might mention that Pozzuoli was an ancient Roman port called, I believe, Puteoli.  Walking along the shore in parts of Pozzuoli

one could see columns of Roman temples perfectly preserved. The tops of the columns were about six or seven feet below the surface.  Pozzuoli was also the home of Sophia Loren, who would have been 11 at that time.

The Invasion of Southern France Commences

It is now August 15th, 1944. Dad's shipmate aboard the LCI 587 picks up the story once again...

 

The assembled fleet weighed anchor off Ajaccio during the midnight watch on August 15th in order to be in position for the invasion. Before reaching the assault area, we could hear the sounds of the preliminary bombardment. The nearer we got, the more infrequent  the sounds became as the first exploratory forces went in to do their jobs. Also, the paratroopers were landing behind enemy lines. By the time we were in formation to make the final approach for our landing, it was daylight and the scene before us was one of a long, crescent-shaped sandy beach with no towering hills behind it. The initial landing forces had apparently overpowered the defending German forces and pushed them back out of sight. The 3rd Army forces aboard were about to land on what they had named "Alpha Beach" in their invasion plans. There were other forces landing down the coast in both directions. We noted a singular lack of any German defending air cover.

 

As we were on our final approach to the beach, almost to the point of lowering ramps so the troops could run ashore, both the LCI's on our immediate port and starboard, struck mines. They must have been spider mines or some other not too potent weapons as both vessels were able to disembark their troops. We got to where the water was only a foot or so deep, dropped our ramps and the 3rd Army troops ran ashore in well less than a minute. Their immediate concern was not German opposing forces, but the land mines planted in the beach.

Our stern anchor winched us off the beach and we, with the other LCI's, proceeded a mile off shore where we floated the rest of the day awaiting orders. During the afternoon a few German high-altitude bombers

flew over and dropped bombs harmlessly in the water.  All we had to do was hold a finger up and sight the

bomb when it was released, if it went right or left there was nothing to worry about. If it did neither, you made haste as there was no way of knowing whether it would long of you, short of you or on you.

 

 

 

Sorry it wasn't a more exciting day (within limits, or course). Me, too.

The Assault Begins

The beach we are to land on is beach #259, a beach on the Baie de Cavalaire on the south side of the St. Tropez peninsula. According to intelligence, the beach is lined with barbed wire and concrete tetrahedrons and is mined. It's defenses include 16 pillboxes, at least 13 machine guns, 1 field and 3 coastal defense guns, 2 casements and 8 anti-aircraft guns. The shallow water area is also mined with spider mines, mines with long wire tentacles which get wound around a ship's propeller causing the mine to detonate.

 

We are to approach the beach in columns of 6

 

          *

          *

          *

          *

          *

          *

 

shift to a V formation when we approach the control ships X and Y

 

          *

               *    *

             *       *

                   *

 

and hit the beach simultaneously 

 

         *  *  *  *  *  *

 

August 13   At anchor off Salerno awaiting the order to get underway.

 

August 14  Sailed through the Strait of Bonafacio to Ajaccio, Corsica.

More Facts & Figures as the Landing is Imminent

The flotilla is now being amassed and organized for landing.

Our flotilla is scheduled to land on Red Beach in Alpha Sector. The assault plan for that sector is as follows:

(H -hour is the time the first wave hits the beach, the numbers following are minutes before or after H -hour).

 

 Apex (LCVP's loaded with explosives)  H - 50

 Apex (LCVP's     "         "            "         )  H - 40

 Apex (LCVP's      "         "            "        )  H - 30

 LCT (R)         H  -10

 LCT (R)         H -   5

 Minesweeping going on all this time

 LCS (R)         H -   4

 LCM (R)         H -   2

 

Waves

 

1.   LCMs from AP's and APA's     H -hour

2.  From APA  (LCVP's)      H + 15

3. From APA        H + 30

4. From APA        H + 40

5.  LCM, LCVP        H + 50

6. LCI's         H + 60

7. LCT's and LCI's       H + 80

8. (A) LCT's         H + 105

 (B)  DUKWS)        H + 110

9. LCT's         H + 120

The various units assigned to our beach are:

 

Beach Party Unit

 4th Beach Battalion

 They are to put up beach marking flags

 

Scout Unit

 1 pontoon boat

 1 kayak

 2 LCSs (x and y)

 

Navigation and Control Unit

 Reference Vessels  -  PC 559, SCs 1044 and 690

 Control Vessels - LCCs 97, 41, 68

    These ships are to act as control vessels for

  traffic to and from beach

 

Shallow Water Mine-sweeping Unit

 2 SCs

 LCC 71

 8 LCVPs

 

 

 

Demolition Unit

 LCC 98

 5 LCVPs (Apex Unit)

 4 LCMs (Woofus Unit)

 2 LCSs  (Support wave for LSTs)

 

Assault Unit

 15 LCVPs (from 10 LSTs)

 

Support Unit

 LCT 1017

 LSTs 77, 601

 LCI(L)s 948, 945, 946, 949, 950, 672, 943, 587, 589, 673,

       588, 40, 236, 581, 584, 585, 37, 234, 42 and 43

 

Escort Sweeper Unit

 6 YMSs

 4 AMs

 2 SCs

 

Headquarters Unit

 LCI(L) 19

 LCI(L) 195

 

The foregoing are just the ships participating in the

 assault on our beach.

I have highlighted Dad's ship in this list.  Can you imagine needing to absorb all of this information in the space of 3 days as you prepare to land troops in the face of a fearless enemy?  I look forward to the next few installments.

The Book of Orders was 2 Inches Thick

Following, are more of the secret orders, which were unveiled on August 12, 1944.

VIII. Gunfire support.

 

IX. Reorganization and anchorage plan.

 

X.  Defense

 1. Smoke Doctrine

 2. Surface SCreen diagram

 3. Anti-aircraft doctrine

 4. Anti-Uboat doctrine

 5. Air plan

 6 Barrage balloons

 

XI. Salvage

 

XII. Medical

 

XIII. Prisoners of war

 

XIV. Instructions to merchant ships

 

XV. Communications Plan

 1. General

 2. Communications en route to assault area

 3. The Assault

  4. Post Assault Communications

   a - Call signs

  (1) explanation of use

  (2) special voice call sign list

   b - authentication

   c - frequencies

   d - publications

   e - radar and IFF (identification, friend or foe)

   f - visual recognition

   g - reports

   h - system of command

 

XVI. Storm Plan

 

XVII. Return Convoy Plans