Kingston veteran was there as D-Day preparations unfolded

June 02-- Jun. 2--KINGSTON -- After spending days in a secret marshaling area in England in 1944, Ed Umphred felt the roar of planes rattling everything on the ground one night and knew the big day had arrived.

The mission to liberate Europe had launched in preparation for the massive air, land and sea assault on June 6, 1944. The date infamously became known as "D-Day."

"That particular night, I'll never forget the sound of all those planes roaring eastward to Europe. You knew this was something that was bigger than normal," Umphred, 94, recalled recently from his Kingston home with the 75th anniversary of D-Day approaching. "That night, June 5th, the ground was shaking from the tremendous roar of planes overhead."

Word soon began to break on the radio that American forces were storming the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

Umphred wasn't far behind.

He was part of the convoy of ships that took part in the amphibious assault on the beachhead. He was part of "D-Day plus three," scheduled to land June 9, 1944.

Even before they hit shore, Umphred witnessed the horrors of war.

A Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) ship carrying Army Infantry soldiers passed the tank landing ship (LST) he was on.

"As we were proceeding to the landing destination, an LCI passed in front of us and they hit a mine. It was a devastating sight as that LCI went up in the air, split in two and the men all were thrown out of it and into the water," Umphred recalled. "And nobody stops. Nobody stops to pick them up. Behind us firing were the cruisers and the battleship Texas. Just before we landed, they let loose with a salvo, the Texas. It sounded like boxcars running down the side of a mountain; they were firing inland at targets pointed out for them."

Umphred's ship was supposed to land in Utah Beach, but was diverted to Omaha Beach. By the time they arrived, the fighting had advanced more inland than the beachhead. But the aftermath was evident.

As his unit drove to meet other troops at Utah Beach, he witnessed the carnage.

"As we proceeded down, still hanging in the trees were paratroopers. Laying flat in the flooded areas you could still see the bodies of paratroopers," Umphred recalled. "That was quite a sight. It made up my mind; I was glad I was not a paratrooper."

While Umphred was a member of the 3rd Army, he was wearing a patch for 1st Army for the invasion.

That was a decoy technique that aided the D-Day mission.

At the time, famous and feared U.S. Gen. George Patton was still sidelined for slapping several soldiers who sought treatment for combat stress, better known today as post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Patton still played a big role in the day.

The United States had built a ghost Army farther north in England full of a fake fleet of tanks, airplanes, and ships that were balloons to fool German intelligence officers. Patton made himself visible in the area as the fleet's "commander" for German spies to see. The goal was to divert German resources away from Normandy, making them think Patton's Army was going to invade another location as well. It worked.

After the invasion of Normandy, Patton soon was sent back to the battlefield in Europe to command Umphred and the rest of the 3rd Army.

"Of all the American officers, the Germans respected Patton more because he understood tank warfare," Umphred said.

For the most part, the troops loved the brash-talking Patton, Umphred said.

"He had that star quality like the quarterback of an Army that nobody could stop," Umphred said. "He spoke the common language of the enlisted man. That was deliberate. The "F" word was a common word. My ears were offended sometimes."

Over 11 months, Umphred's Army unit marched through France and Germany. He served as an anti-aircraft gun controller.

He took part in shooting down what probably was the final German plane blasted out of the sky by Allied forces.

It was May 8, 1945. The Germans had surrendered. But word had not reached Umphred's unit yet, so they shot the plane down.

Soon they celebrated Victory in Europe day -- something always in doubt as they prepared for D-Day.

Prior to D-Day, Umphred spent several months in England.

As June 6 approached, everyone knew a big mission was coming as American troops were arriving at a secret assembly area. Umphred likened the security to that of a prison, where they was subjected to strict secrecy and censorship.

"We were told we were being prepared for the invasion."

The people of England, ravaged by years of war, were cheering them on as they arrived, he said.

"Everybody knew the invasion was coming. The British people were out on the sidewalks and they were waiving the Stars and Stripes, saying 'Go get em' Yanks. Thanks for everything.' They were so happy. They knew this big assembly was the beginning of the end," Umphred recalled. "In some cases, some of the young women were crying because they had fallen in love with GIs and they might not be coming back, but that's warfare."

Then Umphred and his comrades deployed to go try to save the world from evil.

"Yes we did," Umphred said. "We saved the world."

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055; @cvbobkal

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