NORMANDY

Chapter 5

starting to know specific soldiers in his Company, see events through their eyes, and beginning to feel a higher level of respect for what they must have gone through and on a whole new level. This wasn’t just a “research project” or an “investigation” anymore to follow my grandfather’s story through Europe. This was now becoming one of the biggest history lessons that I have, not only been able to learn from, but to feel at the same time. Little did I know, the connections between all of these soldiers, Larry, his father, my grandfather, my mother, and myself were about to get a whole lot closer. I was soon to find out how fate stepped in almost 20 years ago, influencing Larry to start his research and how fate will, yet again, take us deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole!

Now that I read the article, I consulted with Larry about Coy’s reports. Larry said that the exact date that the 2487th landed in Europe after their time in Scotland is a bit fuzzy because all historical records come from base assignment dates. The entire Company didn’t arrive until

July 11, 1944 so their base assignment would be shown as still in England until July 11. Larry’s dad told him that he went ashore on June 9th, 1944 but others in his platoon say they landed on the 13th and some say June 18th. He did not know the designation of the landing craft they were on but he did recall they were positioned between the USS Battleship Texas (which has its own amazing story about Normandy) and the USS Battleship Arkansas when they arrived offshore at Normandy. I actually found a map layout of the ship placement during D-Day that confirmed Larry’s father’s information. In the photo you can see clearly where the Battleship Texas and Battleship Arkansas were located just off the coast of Omaha Beach. Too bad we haven’t found any photos where we could clearly identify the ship they were on right before landing on Omaha Beach. From further research, Larry believes that his father’s platoon was actually split up in three waves and arrived on the beach at different intervals.

The importance of the 2487th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) landing at Normandy was vital. The first trucks unloaded from the 2487th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) were carrying mesh metal landing mats that were used to construct the runway at Airfield A-1, which was the Allied first airfield built in France. Larry’s dad said they helped the engineers place the mats and the first planes to land there were those of the 366th Fighter Group. They landed there on the 13th of June so it is reasonable to believe that the first components of the 2487th did arrive on the 9th of June as his dad had told him. The importance of building the first Allied airfield in France is literally the keystone in the whole Allied operation against Germany. Being a part of that alone is hero status in my eyes. My grandfather and Larry’s father literally paved the way for the remainder of the Normandy invasion and for the arrival of the 366th Fighter Group and the 67th Tactical Recon Group for which they were assigned. The importance of those two air units will be explored later.

So before I get more into talking about Normandy, let’s get back to this rabbit hole. Let’s quickly highlight how fate stepped in regarding Larry’s research and the personal connection between Larry and this soldier we’ve been reading about named Coy Shirley. As I was finishing this project, a bunch of “crazy fate shit” started happening and as I was telling Larry all about it and how I think fate was directing us to complete this journey, he told me something amazing.

Guess how Larry met Coy? Well here is the story. About 20 years ago, Larry’s brother and Larry were looking to buy a lot on Lake Nimrod. Larry found an ad in the paper that had a five acre lot for sale with a structure on it.

Larry called the number and asked about the lot and he discussed the price with the owner, to find out that the ad was printed incorrectly and instead of the lot being 5 acres, it was only a half of an acre. Larry asked the gentleman his name and number so that he could think about this change in information. Larry wanted to think it over and call the gentleman back later. Well, the gentleman said that his name was Coy Shirley! Larry immediately remembered how unique that name was and his dad talking about a friend of his named Coy. Larry asked Coy immediately, “Mr. Shirley, have you ever met a guy named Dock Payne?” Coy’s response was epic. Coy said, “Oh hell yes! We went all across Europe together and our foxholes were next to each other!” With that, Larry told Coy that he needed to talk to him and they actually met the very next day. That was where Larry’s research began and that my friends is fate to a whole new level! Trust me it gets even better.

So let’s recap the blessings of fate up to this point with what you now know. We are not talking about the random fate of me meeting Larry or about the things you will find out later. Let’s just look at everything involving Coy Shirley by itself. Coy should have been killed from that shrapnel in the apple orchard, but because he decided to watch the night sky being lit up by anti aircraft guns, he was spared. Side note, every member of the whole Company survived Normandy and World War II. Keep in mind Coy was also the one who was helping to develop the Company’s photos throughout the war. Because he was spared, he was able

Normandy Chapter 5

to make it home to his family, live a long life (actually lived the longest out of all of them), tell his story, meet Larry who eventually would tell his dad’s story, provide Larry with the information needed to help me tell my grandfather’s story, and was probably responsible for the existence of every single photo that the Company had to document and share their story to loved ones, each other, and beyond. Coy was meant to survive and without him, so many things would have never happened! This is no rabbit hole we are in my friends, this is a whole rabbit colony of tunnels, rooms, and twists and turns of epic proportions! For what you don’t know yet, would be the focus of a chain events that will absolutely blow your mind! But I must not digress. Let’s get back to Normandy.

Let’s just play devil’s advocate here and for those who know nothing about the Normandy invasion, Omaha Beach, and Utah Beach, here is a quick history lesson on the terrain, operation, and logistical nightmare that the Allied Forces faced when landing in France to attempt to drive back the Germans.

The sites of the American landing in Normandy have been immortalized under their code names, OMAHA Beach and UTAH Beach. Both sites had the advantages of shelter from westerly storms and a very wide beach at low tide. Deep anchorages were two miles or more offshore, but tides were high enough so that LSTs (landing crafts) could be beached at high tide and completely dried out, a useful expedient developed during the operation. OMAHA was a five-mile stretch of flat beach, running in an east-west direction near Vierville, St. Laurent, and Colleville-sur-Mer, backed by low sandy hills and flanked by steep rocky cliffs rising from the water’s edge. Unfortunately, both the beach and natural exits leading inland from it were commanded from higher ground which had been occupied by a German infantry division during the short interval between the final Allied reconnaissance flights and D-Day. OMAHA was therefore the scene of the most dogged enemy resistance and the heaviest casualties.

Some fifteen miles to the west, UTAH Beach stretched in a north-south direction along the southeastern shore of the Cotentin Peninsula. Since it was backed by a lagoon more than a mile wide, with narrow artificial causeways for all exit roads, UTAH did not appear to be a very promising landing site. But the German defenders of this beach were too few and scattered for effective mutual support, and were also disorganized by American airborne landings in their rear. Consequently, the initial phases of exploitation proceeded faster at UTAH Beach than at OMAHA.

Maintenance of both beachheads after D-Day required that the flow of supplies start as early as possible after the footholds had been assured, a logistical feat to be accomplished in close cooperation with the tactical forces. The first Quartermaster units in Normandy were organic divisional OM companies and service companies attached to the assault forces. This is where the Quartermaster units were vital. As unloading activities on the beaches hit their stride, masses of supplies began to pour into the dumps. The plan was to center storage, distribution, and services in Cherbourg and a few of the smaller towns on the Cotentin Peninsula until a large, semipermanent service area could be developed around Rennes and Le Mans. But Cherbourg fell about 10 days later than expected. On July 1, tactical gains were roughly 16 days behind the OVERLORD schedule, and on D plus 49 the southern limit of the beachhead was no farther inland than where the Army rear boundary had been expected to be on D plus 20. In short, supplies were concentrated around the beaches in much larger quantities and for a much longer period of time than had been anticipated. Crowding and confusion, and lack of proper inventories and systematic segregation of supplies, previously ignored, began to cause difficulties.