Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! 6/6/1944

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In a message read by Dwight D. Eisenhower to the troops before the invasion....

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have
striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The
hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on
other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war
machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of
Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well
equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944!Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41.The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in
battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great noble undertaking......


And a prayer offered to the nation by FDR later that day after the initial landings had been made. Both Tom Browkaw in The Greatest Generation and Stephen Ambrose in D-Day: June 6, 1944 have pointed out the profound effect this prayer had on the people of the United States. Churches and synogogues were full as people gathered to pray for the success of the invasion and for God to watch over their loved ones. It truly was a day when the nation collectively held its breath.

Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day without rest – until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home—fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters and brothers of brave men overseas—whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them—help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a countenance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too—strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment—let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace—a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.


Let us not forget what that generation did for us and the world those many years ago.
 
Always a great reminder of their dedication and sacrifice. Thanks for posting this. :thumbsup:
 
It is not land, trees, majestic mountains that make a country great, or even tall buildings and massive ships. A country is great because of the quality of her people.

The generation of Americans (Brits and Canadians and others) who charged the beaches of France on D-Day. And then fought countless battles to repel the enemys out of France and her occupied neighbors. They also were victorious against a desperate and suicidal enamy in the Pacific. They are often called the greatest generation, and I agree.

This generation worked out of a depression, won a global conflict on a scale never seen before or since and brought prosperity back home. If you were willing to work hard and live honest, your future looked bright and safe. I'm not claiming everything was perfect, but our communities were largly very safe and car doors were often never locked. Neighborhoods with smaller homes didn't require steel bars covering every window. Marriage vows were for life. It didn't take a village, it took two quality parents, and children were respectul.

I wish I could say the same for todays generation, but sadley I cannot.

Never forget the men who fought our nations battles.
 
By the time many of you read this hundreds would have been lost and even more would be injured and awash on the shores of Normandy. I'm gonna see if there's a gathering of D Day vets over at the guard armory close to my house and go listen to some tall tales as well as shake a few hands and give thanks to them.

Cqt good thoughts and good post.
 
A friend of mine had his grandfather pass about 2 weeks ago. He jumped behind enemy lines on D-day and was captured and a POW for 4 months. It changed his life in more ways than I can describe.
 
June 6, 1944 has special meaning for me. I was born 4 minutes before midnight on June 5, 1944 in Oakland, CA. (Yeah, I'm an old dude)!! It was well into June 6 over there.
Anyway, as my mom used to tell it, the doctors and nurses helping to deliver me all of a sudden left poor mom and me and gathered around the loud speaker as news of the great invasion was broadcast. With all the cheering and celebrating going on, they almost forgot about us!! True story.
 
PBS has been showing some very good accounts of what happened that day. Always neat to find bits of info that are new to me.

For instance, some of the troops that were supposed to arrive on Omaha beach actually ended up (in error) on Utah beach. Probably saved their lives because of the foul up.
 
Just a simple :bump: for this.

Being as how the uk is five hours ahead of me I imagine that at this time my time their time they were loaded up and ready. Having already been on the boats for a day due to bad weather our leaders made the call to go ahead and not wait.

May God forever bless that generation and all involved for what they did :bowdown:
 
Paratroopers

The D-Day invasion began with a dangerous attack by American paratroopers. Dropped behind enemy lines to soften up the German troops and to secure needed targets, the paratroopers knew that if the accompanying assault by sea failed -- there would be no rescue.
Departing from Portland Bill on the English coast, the 101st and 82nd U.S. Airborne Divisions were dropped on the Cherbourg peninsula. From that point, the 101st was to secure the western end behind UTAH and head off an eastern German advance. The 82nd, landing farther inland, was to seize the bridges and halt an advance from the west.
Risky Operation, Heavy Losses
Heavy fog and German guns proved formidable challenges. The pilots were unable to drop the paratroopers precisely as planned.
The 101st Division suffered great losses. Only one sixth of the men reached their destination points. The first regiment of the 82nd Division fared better, but the second suffered heavy supply losses -- much of the division was left without sufficient arms. Still, both divisions managed to form smaller improvised squads, and organized themselves to wage a fight. By 0430, the 82nd had captured the town of Ste-Mere-Eglise.
A Weight on Their Shoulders
Paratroopers carried an average of 70 pounds of equipment. Officers averaged 90 pounds of gear. With the parachute, men weighed in at 90 to 120 pounds over their body weight.
The paratroopers were jumping into unknown territory and needed to be prepared for any encounter or conditions. Here's what they took:
Standard Parachutist pack
M-1 Garand Rifle with 8-round clip
cartridge belt with canteen
hand grenades
parachute and pack
anti-flash headgear and gloves
pocket compass
machete
.45 caliber Colt automatic pistol
flares
message book
Officer pack
(British, but similar to American officer pack)
Sten gun
spare magazines with 9mm ammunition
2 lb. plastic high explosives (HE)
2-36 primed hand grenades
two full belts of Vickers
.303 ammunition
wire cutters
radio batteries
small-pack
basic equipment webbing
48 hours' worth of rations
water
cooking and washing kit
Spread throughout pockets
loaded .45 automatic pistol
medical kit
2 additional lb. HE
knife
escape/survival kit
toggle rope
additional personal items
Emergency rations
4 pieces of chewing gum
2 bouillon cubes
2 Nescafe instant coffees, 2 sugar cubes, and creamers
4 Hershey bars
1 pack of Charms candy
1 package pipe tobacco
1 bottle of water purification (Halazone) tablets to purify water. "To use: Put two tablets in canteen full of water (approx. 1 qt.) and shake briskly. Wait 30 minutes before drinking water. If water is dirty or discolored, use 4 tablets."

:bowdown: ...
 
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HomeJourney of a D-Day Veteran
John Kemper Stonnell



John Kemper Stonnell flew 98 combat missions over Europe during World War II.* During the Normandy Invasion, he piloted a P-47 over Normandy as part of the 366th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force.

Follow Stonnell’s journey to Normandy with weekly messages taken directly from his diary from November 1943 leading up to the event that changed the course of the war in June 1944.



Journal Entries

November 1943

“Here I was a country boy from Cumberland County, Virginia, a very rural area, who was accepted as a Flying Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Forces on May 8, 1942, seven days after my 18th birthday.* In a short space of time, the Army would train a country bumpkin into a full-fledged military pilot.â€￾

*

“Since I was about 11 years old, my one goal was to learn to fly and become a fighter pilot. What a transformation!â€￾

*

“Along with this great personal accomplishment, I came to realize that, before some other military type turns her head, I had better marry my high school sweetheart. Louise Rhodes and I were married in Cumberland County, Virginia on July 31, 1943.â€￾

*

“On November 2, I managed to reduce the inventory of P-47s by one when I crash-landed in the edge of the Inland Waterway due to engine failure. Very graciously the US Coast Guard from Wilmington, NC picked me up after some ‘feeling no pain’ fishermen had pulled me into their rowboat.â€￾



"Our flight leader gave the signal to “rat raceâ€￾ (playing follow the leader if you can and practicing aerial gunnery on one another.) Once into this chase I drew a bead on my leader, pulled the trigger as if firing at him, him being an imaginary enemy. Good heavens! Live bullets went by his P-47. I had put the gun switch in guns and camera instead of camera only. I think most could imagine the lecture and chewing out I received for that."

*

" I was taxiing back from landing, making “sâ€￾ turns constantly as we were required so we could see over the big P-47 engine. While I was in the “blindâ€￾ spot, the guys in front suddenly stopped. To avoid a ground accident, I slammed on the brakes and stood the P-47 on its nose. It was entirely too far up to jump, so I had to be rescued from the cockpit. For that “no-noâ€￾, I was grounded for a week."



"Peggy and I bought a 1932 Reo Flying Cloud 4-door Sedan with Michigan license but with no title or registration and a loud broken exhaust system.* Without registration we couldn’t get gas ration tickets and I needed a way to get back and forth to Bluthenthal.* So “necessity is the mother of invention.â€￾* Ground crews (keeper of the fuel) help us get 90 octane aviation fuel from drums at night.* We ride around in style with blue flames spouting from the old Reo."

*

We left Bluthenthal by troop train and stopped in Richmond, Virginia staging plus furloughs and leaves.



We headed to Camp Miles Standish near Boston, Mass. with the entire group and all its belongings (except the P-47s).



We boarded the “Empress of Australiaâ€￾, a British registered boat.* It was overloaded to the point some of the enlisted men slept on the open deck.



This type of transportation is entirely new to most of us.* It has taken several day to get our “sea legs.â€￾

*

January 1944

Jan. 1* (D-155)* Lt. John K. Stonnell of the 390th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, boards the “Empress of Australiaâ€￾ out of Boston bound for Europe. “I hope I will be with my wife next year at this time. It is a new day, new month, new year, and I am possibly headed for a great adventure.â€￾

*

Jan. 2* (D-154)* “We are now in the danger area. The gun crews were told all planes sighted were hostile.â€￾




Jan. 9* (D-147)* Lt. Stonnell with the 390th Fighter Squadron arrives in Scotland from the U.S. He writes “The green and brown hillsides and the perfectly blue water filled with all kinds of ships was a sight that will not be forgotten.â€￾



Jan. 10* (D-146)** “I’m on a train headed south to England (from Scotland). Last night we boarded a train for a 15 hour ride. No sleeping facilities of course.â€￾ *Stonnell’s unit is newly arrived to England to support the upcoming invasion.



Jan. 11* (D-145) * “Arrived at our destination. Muddy and damp and cold. The fires went out in the night and we nearly froze to death. Found out I am in the 9th Air Force.â€￾



Jan. 13 (D-143) Lt. Stonnell (390th Fighter Squadron) writes in his diary “Went to the PX and obtained my week’s ration: 7 packs cigs, one box of matches, 5 razor blades, bar of soap, 3 candy bars, gum, and a box of tobacco. Cost was darn small compared to U.S.â€￾ Stonnell is an American pilot newly arrived to England in support of the upcoming invasion.




Jan. 14* (D-142) “Brigadier General Queasda gave us the big picture. We are going to be in the biggest battle ever in the world, flying every kind of mission in P-47s. Says we will fly missions with heavies and strafe as practice for the big invasion.â€￾





Jan. 16* (D-140)* “Had intelligence lecture on what pilots are to know…Plenty of work ahead. Learned about evading the enemy if shot down and what to do if captured. It is really a neat outfit, and what intelligence does not know is not worth knowing. Lectures on air-sea rescue with raft demonstrations.â€￾ Lt. Stonnell’s outfit will be flying missions in support of Operation Overlord in the coming months against targets in western Europe.





Jan. 20* (D-136) “Left this AM for London with Bertza and Sylvester…Talked with two little fellows of the high English type who had the most unbelievable speech I had ever heard…one 9 and the other 11. …After stumbling around in the blackout for awhile, we went to bed around midnight.â€￾

*

Jan. 21 (D-135) Lt. Stonnell on leave in London writes in his diary “At 9PM, the air raid sirens blew and I witnessed my first air raid. The flak barrage was terrific. Could see them burning and search lights all over the sky. Heard the bombers and the bombs fall. Very exciting.â€￾

*

Jan. 24 (D-132)* “My parachute box arrived and I sewed on my squadron insignia. Still no planes to fly and don’t know what they will be. Whittled out a very small P-47 from fireman’s woodpile and painted it camouflage color. Stuck it up on the big map in operations.â€￾ Stonnell has been informed his unit will be flying missions as part of the coming invasion but for now he waits for planes and further training.



Jan. 27 (D-130)* “Had Geography lessons on French coast. *Have covered down to Paris.â€￾ Lt. Stonnell’s training is gradually taking turns that indicate an amphibious assault in France is in the offing.



Jan. 29 (D-128)* “Col. Williams instructed us in our coming role in this war. I will be escorting both heavy and medium bombers, strafing, skip bombing,* and dive bombing in the P-47. He said we were really going to have fun, just like hunting big game, everything furnished and paid for. We will be moving along with the invasion.â€￾

*

Jan. 31 (D-126) “One half year ago I married the dearest, prettiest girl. What a great day and night that was, shopping in the morning, married at 7PM, and off to the time of our lives. I shall never forget a moment of that, the greatest day of my life. My only wish is that I return to her unharmed.â€￾

*

February 1944

Feb. 1 (D-125) “So doggone many requests and regulations. Got to wear this, do that, comply now, expect this and that… Sent Louise a cablegram for our 6 month anniversary, which was late, damn it. I cannot get any time off.â€￾



Feb. 2 (D-124) “These are trying days now. The weather remains wet and cold. We are waiting to fly, waiting for combat, and waiting for mail. Been feeling pretty darn bad.â€￾

*


Feb. 6 (D-120)** “After a week, I finally got to fly… Made about 10 practice dives. Had a time with my ears and blacking out. We have about 2 weeks before going operational.â€￾ Stonnell has been waiting for weeks for an airplane since arriving in England.

*

Feb. 7 (D-119)* “Our big boss, Maj. Gen. Brehton, spoke about the coming invasion and these devilish German glider bombs. Ray and I got a flight* together, our first since we got here. We dive bombed and then went on deck strafing. Really had fun.â€￾

*

Feb. 8 (D-118) “Capt. Lee left for his first combat mission with the Col. and 2 others. A plane was assigned to me…It will be B2H letters on the side, last
*3 numbers are 701. So I am looking forward to old 701 carrying me a long ways and to see a lot of things.â€￾ It has taken almost four weeks for him to receive an airplane since arriving in England.

*

Feb. 10* (D-116) Finally in possession of a plane, Lt. Stonnell writes “Old 701 is getting in good shape…While flying around here, I think so much about what I will see through that same windshield. Wondering all of the time if I am going to get through it OK. What a future. What chances there are ahead. Life is but a gamble every day, but I’ll get through, just got to.â€￾

*

Feb. 11* (D-115)* Lt. John K. Stonnell writes “I have been picked to fly Ray’s wing in combat, so we fly together all of the time. …Looking back over all of those training days and wondering how I ever made it and here I am just about ready for real combat in such a small amount of time. It is my golden aim in flying to prove that I can fight and live too.â€￾ Stonnell’s training in dive-bombing and strafing is preparation for the Normandy invasion, now just a few months away.

*

Feb. 13* (D-113) “Not much to do so worked on Carter’s jacket, painting ‘Excalibur’ and the sword on the back. I put a yellow, black, and white insignia on mine. Started work on Capt. Smith’s ‘girl’ for his plane, enlarging a Varga girl…I love working on that kind of stuff, painting, drawing, creating something.â€￾

*

Feb.14** (D-112) “Lt. Joseph McCurdy was killed while on a routine training flight only a few miles from the field. It seems so cruel and unreal, a fellow pilot I’ve known personally for 6 months is here one minute and 30 minutes later he is dead.â€￾

*

Feb. 16* (D-110) “We are planning on sending [McCurdy’s] helmet to his folks, bronzed, as a memory of his squadron. We also decided to fix a system beneath our squadron insignia for all of the unfortunate. May there be no more.â€￾



Feb. 18* (D-108)* “My ship [plane] had to be painted, so Sgt. Huntley went to work. Really did a nice job on names, especially ‘Darling Louise’ [the name of Stonnell’s wife].â€￾



Feb. 19* (D-107) “Much practice… Flew a mission for the first time and I did not hit the damn target, overshooting it with 100 lb. sand filled* *bomb….Ground gunnery was awful… Don’t think I hit the devilish target over 2 or 3 times…. Disgusting.â€￾ Stonnell finds out later 
“I got 27 hits in gunnery – top man!â€￾

*

Feb. 23* (D-103) “Went to London from Hungerford…. Went shopping and bought a good atlas to keep up with world events…. The sirens let loose. We figured we would watch it from the roof of the [hotel]. There we saw a Hun in lights but flak fell close. We went to a window and no sooner than we did a bomb fell darn close. What hell that was. We had to go to another Red Cross club.â€￾



Feb. 24* (D-102)* “Still shaking this morning after last night (air raid). It was the most terrifying thing that ever happened to me. We actually had our*heads out of the window watching flares come down and then saw this blinding flash just in time to turn our backs. Several bomb* fragments hit so close that we were knocked onto the floor.* The dust was so thick that flashlights were of no use. Ray was so stunned I had to help him down the stairs…. There was glass for 3 blocks in every direction.â€￾



Feb. 26* (D-100) Word finally comes for the 366th to move to its operational base. Lt. Stonnell writes “We are to move next week, I reckon. The waiting is awful and now Ray and I have been split up.â€￾


Feb. 27 (D-99)* “No ships to fly so no flying for us….Moving to Thuxton about 20 miles south of here. It is an RAF field and they say it is really a mess. They are trying to get this outfit mobile so we will be ready when the invasion comes to hop over to France. Our part is going to be a bloody one it seems…. No mail. I miss Louise so much.â€￾



Feb. 29* (D-97)** “I will be flying [Vic] Grisanti’s wing now. He is a very fine pilot. We call ourselves ‘the old man and the kid.’ He is 32 years old. Got paid* $275 and sent Louise $200. No mail but my sweet wife has been so good about writing. Will I ever see her again?â€￾



March 1944

March 1 (D-96)* “Flew 10 ship formation to Thuxton… Found out we are to go operational in 7 days. Look out Jerry, the 366th is practically there!â€￾



March 3 (D-94)* “Another accident in our squadron. Fraser didn’t get off the ground and washed his ship out. Ran through a hedge and a fence, belly crash. He was not hurt, but ship is no good. Runways are awful short around here.â€￾



March 4 (D-93)* “Still waiting for a cylinder for my plane so can’t fly, damn it…. Carter came back from a test hop with a hole knocked in his wing and doesn’t even know what happened.â€￾

*

March 6 (D-91)***“Still trying to run down a cylinder but no luck…. Went to have my picture taken for passport used for evasion tactics if forced down in occupied country.â€￾ Stonnell is waiting for a cylinder for his P-47 in order to go operational and provide fighter support to bombers over western Europe as part of the D-Day air campaign.

*

March 11 (D-86)* “Even though it was cloudy and a low ceiling, I finally flew my plane once again. Slow-timed it for an hour and ended up with oil all over the windshield. Almost cracked up landing. Saw some guys I went through basic with… they have lost 4 planes and 2 pilots. Cogan was killed. I knew him.â€￾



March 14 (D-83)** P-47 pilot Lt. John K. Stonnell writes in his diary from England “All of a sudden at 4:30AM we were practically thrown out of bed. Big mission this morning. …I was not on the operation by the board but at the last minute Maj. Holt told me to go as a spare. I got halfway across the English Channel and was not getting oxygen so I had to come home. What an empty feeling!â€￾

*

March 15 (D-82)**“I went on my first mission today! A fighter sweep 478 miles into France. ..It was awfully exciting but hard on the nerves, sweating out that plane… The tension is terrific flying over enemy lands. Found an airdrome and 8 of our ships dive bombed it with hits… There was flak but I never saw it…. I don’t have the confidence I should have yet. There is still some fear in my mind.â€￾

*

March 16 (D-81)**“Had heavy escort into France. We lost the group and ended up with hundreds of bombers and flew nearly to Paris expecting to catch up with the group. Old Squires cracked up and will be in the hospital 8 months.â€￾



March 17 (D-80)**“Fate struck at us again. Smith and Hair went down in France after being attacked by FW-190s. We had an escort mission with B-26s. We got off course and ended up right over Paris. The flak was terrific. I got separated from the rest of my flight for a few minutes over the city. I saw 11 enemy aircraft east of us. So neither Smith or Hair returned. They are missing in action.â€￾



March 18 (D-79)
The day after losing two comrades over France, Lt. John K. Stonnell writes “It is hard to believe Smitty and Hair are down. Ray and I packed all of their clothes. What a painful job…. Afraid I am sort of homesick, definitely lonesome. I would give anything to be with Louise. Escorted B-26s over Calais area.â€￾



March 23 (D-74) *“The mission outlined seemed impossible. Withdrawal support for heavies from beyond Dutch Islands back to East Anglia – 660 mile trip….I saw Holland and Belgium for the first time… Major saw 4 Jerries so Blue section went after them… Flak was pretty accurate…I blew a cylinder. Major and I flew alone for a while and patrolled. All returned OK. I won the Air Medal.â€￾

*

March 28 (D-69)**A few days after Churchill and Eisenhower set out on a joint inspection of American troops in England, pilot John Stonnell writes “The generals came in full strength. General Eisenhower was here with his staff. Air Marshall Mallory of the RAF. General Quesda and a horde of other stars came also. General Ike gave us a mighty nice talk… What a job he has.â€￾

*

March 29 (D-68)**“We learned that we will be top cover in the invasion. It is bound to be soon…. What will be the circumstances of my career one year from now? To date, I have 9 missions to my credit, 17 sortie credits, and the Air Medal applied for, but no kills. It has been great work but a lot of worry and sweat. It is all in the game. The idea of not coming back from these missions is always so evident and vivid… This part of the war really makes me think a lot about my life, both past and future.â€￾

*

April 1944

April 5 (D-61) Flying bomber support missions from England, Lt. John Stonnell writes “After a week without a mission, they call one today in the very worst weather – an escort, dive-bombing combination. At 8 AM they lined up and took off not even being able to see the end of the runway. Then they started wandering on deck and could not find each other. Most of 89 landed right away. They were running in all directions, nearly colliding… Captain Fergerson and Whitten never came in. They both went in south of here. Just a few pieces of metal left… I aged 10 years standing on the ground.â€￾



April 6 (D-60)**Following the loss of two comrades in a blundered mission the previous day, Lt. John Stonnell writes “Dive bombing mission. I managed to go as a spare. Went to St. Andre south of Souen… Nobody aborted so I came back with Merz. Then at 1:30 another briefing for a fighter sweep. I could not go because my ship was out. I sweated them out, the longest mission thus far. Lt. Collins bailed out of a spin right after take-off and broke both legs.â€￾

*

April 8 (D-58)**“Unusual mission. Escort for B-26 and dive-bomb same target. We followed one box, got to target, and blasted the hell out of it. I shot 555 rounds on the way down… Longest mission for me, 3 hours 25 minutes.â€￾

*

April 13 (D-53)*****Sadly, Lt. Stonnell with the 366th Fighter Group records today “Missions to Rouen and Ruhr, Germany last several days. Chandler flew my plane today. The engine conked but he managed to get back. Buckled wings landing so my old standby 701 is gone.â€￾ Stonnell had christened 701 “Darling Louiseâ€￾ after his wife back home in Virginia.

*

April 16* (D-50)****Pilot John K. Stonnell writes “The group got its first medals for combat…. My medal did not come today. It was late getting applied for and I have just made 10 sorties. Wish they didn’t have to make a show for them though. I despise to have to be out in front of a bunch of men for a thing like that. Why don’t they just mail them?â€￾

*

April 29 (D-38)*P-47 pilot Lt. Stonnell writes “Worked on my belly-tank footlocker to carry my belongings to France. We are practicing invasion tactics, patrolling, dive-bombing near troops, smoke missions. Never saw so many planes. All kinds and plenty of them.â€￾ Stonnell’s commanders have made it clear that his unit will support the invasion of France, and training now focuses on this effort.



April 30 (D-37) Lt. Stonnell writes “My BIG DAY! I shot at enemy planes. They were on the ground but nonetheless I got to shoot at them. I got some good hits on a FW-190 on an airfield near Paris… We really got shot at but were not hit. What a show!â€￾

*

May 1944

May 1 (D-36)* Lt. Stonnell* with the 366th Fighter Group writes “I celebrate my 20th birthday today…. So I am 20 and have already lived 40 years it seems. Combat is OK but damn hard on a guy’s system. I have 22 missions, 41 sorties, and an Air Medal, plus being a pilot and having the best and prettiest wife in the world!â€￾




May 2 (D-35) Lt. Stonnell writes this day from an air base in England “The best news of all is M.L. Smith is back. He’s in London. Gosh that is wonderful. We are all so happy. He went down March 17 and is back already…. Hair is our only combat loss now. I am getting tired of the war now. My nerves are cracking and I have been having the worst dreams. It is bad enough being shot at on missions, but to be shot at all night in dreams is too much.â€￾



May 11 (D-26)* P-47 Pilot Lt. John Stonnell writes in his diary this day “More missions. I was hit in the elevator near Cherbourg and had to hold forward on stick with both hands all the way home. Ayers led me home. Got a hole in my flap also. 8 ships hit one way or another…. Am packing my footlocker for home.â€￾ Stonnell’s mission over Cherbourg and his news about packing his footlocker are clear indications that the invasion is almost at hand.

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May 13 (D-24) From England with the 366th Fighter Group, Lt. John Stonnell writes “We bombed a bridge near Brussels, an airfield on the coast, then flew up and down the channel. The devils really shot at us, too.â€￾

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May 26 (D-11)* P-47 pilot Lt. John K. Stonnell writes in his diary “Carter and I went to London.* Finally got my picture taken… Stayed at the Jules Club, the same place I was bombed out of last time.â€￾ Stonnell was in London in February with a fellow pilot watching an air raid from their hotel window when a bomb went off nearby and nearly killed them both.

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May 30 (D-7)* One week before D-Day, P-47 pilot Lt. John Stonnell notes in his diary “Well today was quite a day. This night I spend in Weston-Sur-Mere after being forced down due to weather after one of the navy missions. Never been in such a spot in my life. Mery was with me… Storm moved in 5 minutes after landing…Stayed with ack-ack boys in converted hotel. Bobby Duke went down today in same place as Vic.â€￾ Stonnell has been flying dive bombing missions and bomber support over western Europe for months, targeting aircraft industries and railways as part of the buildup to Normandy. He has flown 13 missions since May 1st – roughly 1 mission every two days.



May 31 (D-6) At an airbase in southern England, Lt. John Stonnell writes “Last day I will have to write in here for quite a while. The invasion is close, really close… As I have to end this for now, I am glad I have written 5 months in the ETO. I have 33 missions and 60 sorties to date, and have been presented with the Air Medal. My hopes and wishes and prayers are that I may get through this coming invasion and back to the grand old USA to my wife…Here’s hoping I can look over this someday.â€￾



June 6 – D-DAY

Flying air support over Omaha Beach, P-47 pilot Lt. Stonnell writes later “We flew in a solid overcast toward France and let down using time and distance navigation over the Cherbourg peninsula. We broke out of the overcast at less than 1000 feet and began patrolling Omaha Beach with two 1000 lb. bombs on each P-47. We flew back and forth over the beachhead with the overcast at 500 to 800 feet, experienced moderate flak, lots of small arms fire and no sign of enemy aircraft… My flight leader Steve Van Buren was shot down and was fished out of the Channel by some good-hearted Navy people who were anchored in the midst of hundreds of boats and ships supporting the invasion. Another of our pilots (Krause) was shot down and burned on the ground near the Channel.â€￾
 
D Day :bump:

Never forget the ones who gave all for those they did not know.
By this time my time our time the first days battle was drawing down and over 3,000 allied troops lay dead on the beaches of Normandy.
To all our troops and all the troops from countries that helped from my family to theirs and yours THANK YOU beyond words.
God bless....
 
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