The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1945-05-31

| guns. They had been at it for
week, but this was a concentra-
ton whose fury hadn't been ap-
preached before.
Bombardment of
Shore Deafening
The power of the thing was
CHASTITY. Great sheets Of flame would
flash out from battery Of guns,
| gray brownish smoke would puff up
in huge cloud, then the crash Of
sound and conclusion would carry
across the water and hit you. Multi
ply that by hundreds and you have
bedlam.
Now and then the smoke from
battlewagon would come out in
smoke ring, an enormous one, 20 or
80 feet across, and float upward
with perfect symmetry.
Then came our carrier planes, div
ing on the beaches. And torpedo
planes. carrying heavy bombs and
incendiaries that spread deep red
flame.
Smoke and dust rose up from the
shore. thousands Of feet high, until
finally the land was completely
yelled.
Bombs and strafng machine guns
and roaring engines mingled with
the blended crash Of naval lombard
ment and seemed to drown out all
existence.
| The water was turmoil Of move
ment. Dispatch and control boats
were running about. LSMs and
LISTS were moving slowly forward
to their unloading areas.
Motor torpedo boats dashed around
as guides. Even the destroyers
moved majestically across the fleet
as they closed up for the bonn
bardment Of the shore.
From our little control ship and
the scores like it, waves Of assault
craft were directed, advised. hur-
ried up, or slowed down.
H-Hour was set for $3.50. BY 8
a. m. directions were being radioed
and voice doomed out to sea to
form waves and 2, to hurry up, to
get things moving.
Our first wave consisted solely
Of heavy guns on amphibious tanks
which were to wade ashore and blast
out the pillboxes on the beaches.
One minute behind them came the
second wave-the first Of our foot
troops.
After that, waves came at about
10-minute intervals. Wave was on
its way before wave ever hit
the beach. Wave Is was moving up
before wave got to the beach.
That's the way it went.
We were on the control boat about
an hour. felt miserable and that
awful weight was still on my heart.
There's nothing romantic whatever
in knowing that an hour from now
you may be dead.
Some officers knew came aboard.
They weren't going ashore until
afternoon. They wanted to talk.
simply couldn't carry on a con.
versation. just couldn't talk.
Word came by radio that waves
l and 2 were ashore without much
opposition and there were no mines
on the beaches. So far, so good.
We looked at the shore through
binoculars. We could see tanks
moving across the fields and the
men of the second wave walking in
land, standing upright. There were
few splashes in the water at the
beach, but we couldn't make out
any real fire coming from the shore
1t was all very indefinite and yet
it was indicative. The weight began
to lift. wasn't really conscious
Of it. But l found myself talking
more easily with the sailors, and
somehow the feeling gradually took
hold of me that we were to be
spared. The 7th wave was to pick us
up as it came by. didn't even see
it approaching. Suddenly they called
my name and said the boats were
alongside.
I grabbed my pack and ran to the
rail. I'm glad they came suddenly
like that. The sailors shouted, Good
luck" over and over and waved us
off. We were on our way.