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ON THIS PAGE:
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LANDING
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ROUTE
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LAST SHOTS OF WAR
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WWII CURRENCY
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LANDING:
The 5th Division, embarked from Belfast, Ireland on July 2, l944. A liberty ship, the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, transported the 5th Division from Belfast, Ireland, across the Irish Sea, and entered the English Channel. The unit landed at Normandy's Utah Beach on July 9. Their ensuing odyssey would take them across France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourscottdale/4072198-74/division-tom-maglanes#ixzz2VroNK0oZ
The 5th Division landed in France at Utah Sugar Red Beach, in the St. Mere Eglise area, 9 July 1944. It was assigned to the V Corps, First Army, and relieved the 1st Infantry Division in the Coumont area. The division launched its first attack on Vidouville on 26 July 1944.
Following the first successful attack the Division was assigned, 3 August 1944, to the XXth Corps of the newly operational Third Army, commanded by Lt. General George S. Patton, Jr. For the most part of the war the 5th Division remained in either the XIIth or the XXth Corps of the Third Army. Source:http://www.societyofthefifthdivision.com/WWII/WW-II.htm
Off the boats:
A fine mist filled the air the late afternoon of 9 July as troops clambered down the side of transports by cargo nets into Landing Craft, Tanks and Landing Craft Vehicles, personnel dressed in full field equipment, plus duffel bag. A very few troops waded ashore through two and three foot deep water from landing craft but the rest were disgorged from craft onto a steel ramp that fingered a hundred yards out to sea from the shore, and then walked ashore with full field and duffel bag.
Troops hit the dune line of Utah Sugar Red Beach, dropped duffel bags and walked five miles to Transit Area B that night, starting out at daylight again to march early twenty miles to the division concentration area near Montebourg. The first impression of France was that it was hot, and full of shall-shattered towns, dead cows and signs everywhere that said "mines cleared to hedges" or "mines cleared to edge of road". A heavy, fetid smell was in the air, artillery rumble in the distance, planes were overhead constantly and it didn't take long for everyone to get the idea, never thereafter forgotten, that a clean rifle and a good foxhole were the most important thing to see to before bivouacking for the night. Source: http://perso.numericable.fr/yvesjbel/wwiihist2.html
A fine mist filled the air the late afternoon of 9 July as troops clambered down the side of transports by cargo nets into Landing Craft, Tanks and Landing Craft Vehicles, personnel dressed in full field equipment, plus duffel bag. A very few troops waded ashore through two and three foot deep water from landing craft but the rest were disgorged from craft onto a steel ramp that fingered a hundred yards out to sea from the shore, and then walked ashore with full field and duffel bag.
Troops hit the dune line of Utah Sugar Red Beach, dropped duffel bags and walked five miles to Transit Area B that night, starting out at daylight again to march early twenty miles to the division concentration area near Montebourg. The first impression of France was that it was hot, and full of shall-shattered towns, dead cows and signs everywhere that said "mines cleared to hedges" or "mines cleared to edge of road". A heavy, fetid smell was in the air, artillery rumble in the distance, planes were overhead constantly and it didn't take long for everyone to get the idea, never thereafter forgotten, that a clean rifle and a good foxhole were the most important thing to see to before bivouacking for the night. Source: http://perso.numericable.fr/yvesjbel/wwiihist2.html
LAST SHOTS OF WAR: Below is a news clip stating that Lt. Col. Bernard Blank's unit (the 46th), fired the last shots of the war on May 8th, 1945. The 46th provided artillery support to drive German demolition squads away from the bridge the 10th regiment of 5th division was holding in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Lt. Col. Bernard Blank was the commander of the 46th from 1944 to end of war. Courtesy of Bette Harper and Phyllis Simmons.
WWII CURRENCY: Currency that S.Sgt. Ray Sternik returned to the States with. Some (or all) may have been issued by the U.S. Army as script. Courtesy of Karen Farago and Irene Sternik.
