Recalling "D" Day
June 6th, 1944
Lee "W" Ratliff
I had sat in a harbor in Scotland aboard the battleship USS Nevada for about a week waiting the time we would be ordered to cross the English Channel and begin shelling the German gun emplacements along the Normandy Beach of France. The Harbor was full of ships all anchored with just enough room to swing with the wind and currents without hitting the ship anchored next to it. The weather was stormy and had been for a couple of days threatening to postpone the invasion of France. However, the storm seemed to give evidence of coming to an end and June 6 looked as if it would be an OK day to cross the channel. So, in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944 the command came to proceed across the English Channel while it was still dark and begin shelling the French coast by 6 A.M. The water in the English Channel was still very rough causing slow progress in crossing it. By the time we reached the French coast the massive array of ships had been spotted by the German army who opened fire on the ships. The ships began to return fire and the Invasion had started on the day planned if not the planned hour.
The day was to be long, difficult and unfortunately bloody. The USS Nevada patrolled the shoreline bombarding targets on the land. These targets included gun emplacements, tanks and anything else that our “target spotting” airplane could find. Three of such planes were shot down during the course of the day. We never heard what happened to the pilots of the “spotter aircraft.” One of the many things at the time that caused me to wonder at what was happening was the fact we had a person firing a 20 MM gun on the bow of our ship blowing up floating mines while at the same time a mine sweeping ship was following the Nevada blowing up mines behind us. Why was not this mine sweeper out in front of us rather than following us? I learned later that our ship was equipped with what was called “paravanes.” These paravanes were designed to cut cables which anchored mines to the ocean floor and cause the freed mines to rise to the water’s surface along the sides of our ship but not near enough to touch the ship. The mine sweeper would then fire on them and blow them up. However, this procedure did not save all the ships. I saw a Destroyer hit a mine with its bow and while backing away from other mines in front of it hit two other mines behind it. The Destroyer sank within 10 minutes. However, most of the ships had no, or very little damage, from mines, shore guns or German airplanes. The ships anti-aircraft guns fired very little for there were very few German planes in the air above us. Those German planes which became airborne were shot down by either the ships or by American fighter planes. German shelling did reach the ships but little damage was done
By 8 AM on “D DAY” morning the invasion was in full swing. Landing craft were headed toward shore loaded with soldiers and equipment. The sky was full of planes loaded with bombs towing gliders which were loaded with paratroops and their equipment. The sky was also filled with German anti aircraft fire seeking to shoot down these loaded planes. Yes, some of these planes and gliders were destroyed with paratroopers aboard. The planes hit by anti-aircraft fire usually blew apart in a cloud of black smoke because of the bombs aboard. Many of the paratroopers were dropped in the wrong places and too scattered to be effective against the German army. Many of them were killed either before they touched ground after jumping or shortly thereafter.
However, many did land safely and with much difficulty made a significant difference in the advance of the US forces after the beach was taken.
The beaches of Normandy were a slaughterhouse. The Germans not only had strong gun emplacements along the beaches but had also erected a barrier on the beach of thick hedges and in the water thousands of spikes designed to rupture the bottoms of landing craft and sink them. Many of the landing craft sank before they reached shallow water and hundreds of soldiers either drowned or were shot while swimming with their backpacks in tow before they could reach the beach. I saw many bodies of the dead float past our ship being carried by the wind and tide into the English Channel.
The USS Nevada not only bombarded German shore targets, some as many as 30 miles inland, but the doctors aboard performed surgery on the wounded which were brought to the ship by landing craft whose deck would be covered with blood. These Days were overwhelming. The battle lasted for 3 days before the beachhead was secure. During this period of time no one slept and no one left their battle station. At the close of the third day the USS Nevada having expended all of its 16 inch ammunition except 5 rounds and all of its 5 inch ammunition headed back across the English Channel to load more ammunition. This reloading was accomplished in Plymouth, England by our crew and the help of many English Sailors. During this day in Plymouth, England I observed a number of LSTs unloading Germans who had been taken as prisoners. After reloading ammunition the USS Nevada returned to Normandy and began serving as field artillery for the advancing American troops.
When the USS Nevada was no longer needed at Normandy She went to help retake the city and harbor of Cherbourg, France from the Germans. The Germans had 15 inch guns and we only had 14 inch guns. They outranged our guns by 10,000 yards. It is said that the Invasion of Normandy was just a warm -up for the taking of Cherbourg. The 15 inch guns almost hit our ship 27 times coming so close as to spray water and shrapnel over our superstructure and decks. (I still have a piece of shrapnel that hit me on my ankle.) After a fierce battle the German guns were silenced and the city was taken from German control.
After retaking Cherbourg the USS Nevada went to Belfast, Ireland, took on supplies and returned to France through the straits of Gibraltar and for a few days bombarded the southern shore of France while troops landed and advanced. There were hardly any casualties with this operation.
Following the Invasion of Southern France the USS Nevada was ordered to neutralize the French battle wagon “Strausbourg” which the Germans had taken and was using. The battle ended with the “Strausbourg” listing heavily and sinking. The USS Nevada took out several German 15 inch gun emplacements protecting the harbor of Marseille, France. The ship was almost hit several times but finished the task with hardly a scratch. This being accomplished the ship sailed to Algiers and then back home to Norfolk, VA. Arriving in the USA after the German surrender and following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
