大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War web site by a volunteer on behalf of John Brereton and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

D DAY ACCOUNT.

Before joining Ian Fleming鈥檚 unit, I had served from 1939 to 1943 in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and North Seas, during which I was torpedoed twice.

From January 1943, I trained in 30 AU at Amersham for intelligence operations and, subsequently joined with the 1st American Division in North Africa and onto Sicily and Italy. I returned to the UK in January 1944 to train for 鈥淒鈥� day invasion.

About 10 days before 鈥淒鈥� day my troop of 70 men and myself were confined, with the American Division, in the New Forest, completely cut off from the outside world, with no outside communication. Every day we had to study a mock-up of the beach and terrain where we were to land (Omaha). Before the landing we were transported in a large transport ship carrying the landing craft. Before lowering the landing crafts, a tannoy message invited everyone who wished to take communion with the Catholic Priest. I joined with the Americans and some of my colleagues. My Troop landed near Omaha; our other Troop near Utah we were to join later. It was a terrible spectacle; we were absolutely pinned down for some time. All we could see was carnage 鈥� dead bodies scattered. After a while we slowly advanced. The bombardment from the warships enabled us to gradually advance with my Troop. One spectacle I will never forget; I rushed into a large 鈥榙omed鈥� gun turret and found about 30 Germans with no physical injuries, but with ghastly white faces; all killed by bomb blast; a German Doctor in front having amputated a soldiers hand, lying against him with all his instruments scattered in front of him. We slowly advanced 鈥� Our column on higher ground above the American column. Three spitfires joined on and tailed off, swooped down and machine-gunned the American column, blowing up an ammunition truck. We all scattered, covered in debris. There were a lot of American casualties. The spitfire had crash landed in the enemy territory and a German pilot flew it back 鈥� it was shot down seconds after the attack.

Towards the evening we were all exhausted, dishevelled and took cover in a ditch. I was violently sick. Well into the night the Germans counter attacked with scatter bombs, and at dawn we had 30% casualties. All the animals in the field were blown to bits. The American ambulances took our casualties back. All bedraggled and weary, my Captain and my diminished troop joined our comrades from the other landing. Our first consolidation was in a farm house near Carantan. With our Colonel (Wooley), we prepared for our targets in the Cherbourg Peninsular and Normandy.

I was a trained linguist and photographer and I was teamed up with an RAF scientist, Flt. Lt. David Nutting (later Wing Commander), to infiltrate through the American Bridgehead into enemy territory, to search and find the camouflaged launching sites of V1鈥檚 (doodle bugs), scattered in Normandy 鈥� targeted for the South of England. I found the first one in Neuilly la Floret 鈥� with sentries posted all around. David did the scientific details and I photographed all details and appurtenances with map references and Greenwich Mean Time. As we completed, the Germans opened fire on us. We beat a very hasty retreat and at full speed re-entered the American bridgehead. A Hurricane from the nearest airfield flew the photographs and scientific data back to N.I.D. in Whitehall 鈥� Ian Fleming鈥檚 HQ.

My Troop and I went on further missions to Paris, the South of France, onto Belgium, Holland, Germany and on to Kiel, where we took part in the surrender by Grand Admiral Doenitz. I personally took him and his retinue in an armoured vehicle to a special interrogation unit. He consequently served 7 years in prison.

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