B.E. IN WWII
As is widely known, the Allied invasion at Normandy was the turning point in the war against Nazi Germany that ultimately resulted in WWII's Allied Victory in Europe. This massive, epic invasion known as project “Overloard” was a super costly endeavor in terms of lives and resources and it was a logistical masterpiece, not free of error nor misfortune.
Within options, the success of Overloard depended, in part, on the capture of the Naval Port at Cherbourg, France. That, in turn, was dependent on the securing of a German stronghold located within the port, known as Fort du Homet. This presentation briefly outlines some of the military strategy and pitfalls at play in this Overloard plan and implementation. Jay Steger has provided a more detailed account of these complex issues in appendix to this presentation.
A U.S. Coast Guard officer, Lt. Cmdr Q. Walsh, was assigned the task of commanding a reconnaissance of the Cherbourg port to determine its readiness as a port, given wartime damage. The task included the assessment of German defenses remaining there after the D-Day invasion. Apparently, Comander Walsh had sufficient expertise regarding naval ports and perhaps that of Cherborg, in particular. The mission required the use of about 50 specialists armed with Tommy Guns, grenades, explosives and such. The US Navy "Seabees" were used as the specialists, because of their operational specialties and combat training. As a Seabee Master of Arms and Chief Petty Officer, B.E. was in that group.
They devised a plan for their surprise infiltration of the port with the efficiency of their mission in mind. With swiftness and stealth, the force engaged-as-necessary all pockets of resistance, snipers and small, off-guard concentrations of German troops, taking prisoners when possible. Walsh's recon force diminished in size through attrition and guard duty on their brand-new POWs. By the time that Fort du Homet was reached by the group, Walsh had only a small handful of men, including B.E..
Documentation shows that Commander Walsh, a Navy Ensign and three Seabees entered Fort du Homet, and found a large concentration of the enemy. White truce flags were waived and through cunning and divisiveness the team managed to persuade the Nazis to surrender. These five men captured approximately 350 armed, Nazi German officers and men. Another outcome of the raid was the freeing of 50 American Paratrooper POWs from the fort. Commander Walsh was awarded the Navy Cross for this action. While B.E. apparently expected that the enlisted men would also receive some decoration, only the commissioned officers were formaly recognized. The other men were not.
Finding B.E.'s account of the action, in his own words, was not possible. The closest thing to that is the, below, article about the action that appreared in the local, Buffalo, polish newspaper. It is believed that this account is based on a letter he wrote to his mother about the action, making it a consice third-hand account. A novice translation of the article follows.
Translation
The Three "Navymen"
