- Contributed by听
- susanmobley
- People in story:听
- Captain Stanley Green
- Location of story:听
- Gold Beach, Normandy
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2225332
- Contributed on:听
- 22 January 2004
The following is an account of D-Day by Captain Stanley Green, submitted by his daughter.
Dawn of D-Day
As D-Day dawned we were stiff and sore having slept on groundsheets on the floor of the LCT [the floor being ribbed to enable the tank tracks to grip]. D-Day had been delayed due to bad weather.
As we started off there was no feeling of fear, but rather of keenness to get on with the job of destroying an evil enemy. As more and more ships joined the flotilla, so that the sea seemed to be filled with ships and craft, there was, I suppose, a feeling of pride in Britain and what we stand for.
As we approached the French coast, making as little noise as possible, I wondered what sort of reception we should get, as we were sitting ducks landing on unknown terrain. We were firing our 25-pounder guns from the TNCs as we went in closer, and as we started up the engines of the self-propelled guns I saw one of the ship's ramps drop - the leading tank started off and went down like a stone!
On the beach
The tide had dropped a little, exposing Tellermines fixed to stakes in the sea bed. There was very little in the way of aircraft attacks - more from big guns inland, mortar fire and machine guns from pill boxes. On the beach, we were confronted by a wire barricade with notices suspended on it stating 'Achtung minen' [Danger of mines].
Royal Engineers blasted a way through with Bangalore torpedoes, and as I landed in a Bren carrier with a driver and two signallers, the driver turned sharply for the opening and, because of the stoney nature of the beach, the track of our carrier came off! There we were, stranded on the beach, all our equipment and clothing on board the carrier, and shells dropping around us.
I suppose that I had no time for personal feelings. My training as an officer meant that I was looking for for enemy positions, assessing possible dangers such as mines and booby traps. Also keeping up with the Green Howards Infantry Regiment, for whom it was my responsibility to give artillery support on D-Day.
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