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Return to Frequently
Asked Questions page. Recollections of Lieutenant Commander
Joseph H. Gibbons, USNR, Commanding Officer of U.S. Navy Combat
Demolitions Units in Force "O" during combat operations
on Omaha Beach during and after the D-day landings.
Adapted from Joseph H. Gibbon interview in box 11 of World War
II Interviews, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center.
This is Lieutenant Commander
Joseph H. Gibbons who was in command of Naval Combat Demolition
Units in Force "O" which attacked the eastern beaches
of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
The Naval Combat Demolition Units were charged with the responsibility
of clearing sixteen 50- yard gaps on the beaches assigned to that
force. They worked in conjunction with the Army engineers who
were charged with the responsibility of clearing the shoreward
obstacles. Throughout the entire operation we worked very closely
together and there was an understanding between Lieutenant Colonel
O'Neil and myself that while the initial responsibility of clearing
the seaward gaps was the Navy['s] and the shoreward gaps was the
Army['s], that they would work just as American men fighting an
overall objective and that if I got stuck he was going to help
me and if he got stuck I would help him, and that as soon as the
seaward gaps were blown we would join in helping the Army clear
the shoreward gaps if that had not been accomplished.
After accomplishing our initial objective of sixteen 50-gaps we
were then to proceed to clear all enemy obstacles off the beaches.
It was expected that all enemy gunfire would be neutralized by
H-hour [the time when the first wave of the Allied invasion force
landed on D-day] when we were to land. The plan called for the
Navy Combat Demolition Unit to land at H-hour plus three minutes.
Unfortunately [enemy] gunfire was not neutralized and as we approached
the beaches we were subjected to heavy enemy gunfire of 88 mm
[artillery,] 75s [artillery,] 50 machine gun and rifle fire. In
the engagement we suffered 41% casualties, 20% killed, 21% wounded.
This excluded those who were wounded but were not evacuated from
the beaches.
The gunfire was intense, but we were successful in clearing initially
six gaps [of] 50 yards each and three semi-partially cleared gaps.
By the end of D-day we had been successful in clearing 10 gaps
completely. By D plus 2 day [two days after the initial Allied
landings], 85% of the enemy obstacles on the beaches had been
cleared and by D plus 4 the beaches on Omaha were cleared of all
enemy obstacles dangerous to invasion craft.
Some of the unusual events which occurred was first the complete
decimation of one crew which was killed by a direct hit of an
88 mm gun [German high-velocity anti-aircraft artillery which
was also used effectively against land targets]. The boys went
into the beaches carrying 40 pounds of specially prepared explosives.
We carried in rubber boats 300 pounds of additional explosives.
This particular unit had place their charges on the obstacles
and in placing these charges, they were all hand placed. They
were prepared to pull the fuse detonating the charges, when an
88 shell made a direct hit on one of the rubber boats exploding
the auxiliary ammunition, the concussion therefrom set off the
explosives on the obstacles which in turn killed all members of
that crew with the exception of one man who had gone up the beach
to place markers to guide in subsequent craft.
Another crew received a direct hit by [a German] 88 in the boat
and were killed with the exception of [all] but two men. In another
case an officer was standing by to pull the fuses after the charges
had been placed when rifle fire cut his fingers off and the fuse
assemblies. In still another instance enemy rifle fire set off
the charges which had been placed on the obstacles which cleared
the gap but unfortunately also caused casualties. One unit was
decimated[,] with the exception of three men[,] by enemy sniper
fire. Throughout the entire operation the loyalty and bravery
and devotion to duty of the men were most outstanding. All of
those who were killed died with their faces toward the enemy and
as they moved forward to accomplish their objectives.
One gets rather fatalistic regarding operations of this nature,
and to cite three different illustrations that cause one to believe
that.
Three of my officers were walking down the beaches which were
strewn with mines. They were walking in the ruts [tire tracks]
of a truck. Twenty paces behind the last officer came a soldier.
The three naval officers passed by[,] stepping in each others
footprint, [but when] the soldier came by stepping in the footprints
made by the last naval officer, [he] set off the mine and was
blown to pieces.
In another instance, an officer was in the command post, which
was [located in] a foxhole [a one or two-man fighting hole used
for protection from enemy artillery and small arms fire] on the
beach. Another officer approached him stating that he thought
that particular position was dangerous for the evening, inasmuch
as there was a road which had been cut through the sand dunes
and which would probably be subjected to enemy gunfire during
the night. The officer accosted at first declined to accept it
as a dangerous position but subsequently informed the officer
that if he could find a more secure place he would be willing
to move there for the night. In front of this particular foxhole
or command post were six trucks including ammunition trailers
which had been stalled. When the officers moved out approximately
five minutes later, enemy gunfire opened on these tracks setting
them on fire and they burned and exploded all night long.
One officer had a sniper shooting at him for five minutes, without
success but unfortunately he did hit the man adjacent to this
officer, shooting him between the eyes.
On the enemy[-]placed obstacles on the beaches they [the Germans]
had also placed teller mines. These were placed on approximately
75% on top of stakes, at the apex of ramps and at the top of the
elements "C" and in some cases in the center of hedgehogs
[beach obstacles constructed of clusters of wooden or metal stakes
sticking into the air at different angles]. In order to detonated
those mines, it was decided that they should be detonated at the
time the obstacle was destroyed in order to avoid having those
mines blown into the beach unexploded to be a hazzard later.
To accomplish that, it was necessary to place a charge alongside
the mine to assure it being detonated when the obstacle was demolished.
To accomplish this men shinnied up the stakes and stood on each
others shoulders all in the face of heavy enemy gunfire.
As a result of the performance and the successful accomplishment
of their mission of the Naval Combat Demolition Units of Force
"O" were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation [the
highest U.S. unit award for combat action - equivalent to an individual
award of the Medal of Honor]. This was awarded by the Secretary
of the Navy in behalf of the President.