Sterne - The cover-up at Omaha Beach: D-Day, the US Rangers, and the untold story of Maisy Battery

Copyright 2014 by Gary Sterne

Foreword copyright 2014 by Don Mann

FIRST NORTH AMERICAN EDITION 2014

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Pen & Sword Military, an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd

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Typeset in Ehrhardt by Mac Style, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sterne, Gary.

The cover-up at Omaha Beach : D-Day, the US Rangers, and the untold story of Maisy Battery/Gary Sterne; foreword by Don Mann, SEAL Team Six (Ret.).First North American edition.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-62914-327-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. World War, 1939-1945--CampaignsFranceNormandy. 2. United States. Army. Ranger Battalion, 2nd. 3. United States. Army. Ranger Battalion, 5th. I. Title.

D756.5.N6S75 2014

940.5421422dc23

2014011474

Jacket design by Jon Wilkinson

ISBN: 978-1-62914-327-9

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62914-328-6

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Foreword

T he Cover-Up at Omaha Beach is a very interesting, well-written, and accurate acvount of the Rangers untold experiences on D-Day.

In the decades since World War II, countless texts have been published on the amazing sagas that took place on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion. But many stories were never told. As explained by the author, most, if not all, books on D-Day do not even mention the Rangers at Maisy.

Every day we lose over seven hundred World War II veterans along with their untold stories. Gary Sternes book is a prime example of a story that that did not emerge from those perilous times until now.

Sternes book is not just another testament to the courage of Americas Greatest Generation or that of the Army Rangers, but also is an attempt to correct history as we know it and to correct one of the largest mistakes made surrounding the history of D-Daythe omission of the Maisy Battery.

I felt as though I was in Normandy as I was reading about the Rangers advance on Maisy. Sternes methodical research on what he refers to as the D-Day myth includes historical references from numerous after action reports and accounts from French locals from Maisy, the Rangers, the Allied forces, the German 352 infantry division, and German Grenadier Regiment 916, as well many other military accounts. The story is factual and fascinating!

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II history or the military in general or anybody just looking for a fantastic read.

Don Mann, SEAL Team Six (Ret.)

Don Mann , a bestselling author and accomplished endurance athlete and mountaineer, played a crucial role in some of Americas most daring military missions for more than two decades. A former member of Navy SEAL Team Six who was twice captured by enemy forces, he now focuses his attention on inspiring others to achieve goals they never thought they could. As a sought-after motivational speaker and trainer, Mann addresses a wide range of audiences around the United Statesfrom major corporations to universities to professional sports teamswith a message that is equal parts inspiration and strategy. Manns books include Inside Seal Team Six, The Modern Day Gunslinger, The U.S. Navy SEAL Survival Handbook , and the Thomas Crocker SEAL Team Six series of thrillers.

Preface

T he purpose of this book is primarily to correct one of the largest mistakes made surrounding the history of D-Daythat is the omission of the Maisy Battery in the history of the defence of France6 June 1944. At this point it would appear a grand and pretty laughable statement that so many people could apparently get the history of D-Day wrong. I agree it is a bold declaration, but this bookwith its recollections of the Rangers, the re-construction of the Maisy Battery and the information it brings to lighthopefully will justify it.

I am often asked why I did ituncover a place that only I believed had historical value. The answer is quite simple. I felt that 99.9 per cent of the thousands of books written about D-Day were inaccurate. Not because the facts that they repeat are in themselves inaccurate, but that the interpretation of those facts causes the reader to be misled. This stems not only from the accounts of individual units, but also because soldiers only have their own perspective on a battle and report just that, which inevitably creates misinterpretations afterwards by historians. If those facts are repeated enough then they often become accepted reality, which few will question.

The book requires the reader to have some knowledge of D-Day, and in particular the story of two of the more dramatic battles that took placeone at Omaha Beach and the other at the gun battery of Pointe du Hoc. Both actions were undertaken by the US Army Rangers and were portrayed in the film The Longest Day , where the Rangers are seen dramatically landing on the beach at Vierville-sur-Mer, moving inland and also climbing the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, only to find that the guns had been removed.

Over a long period of time I have conducted interviews with Second World War US Rangers and recorded the accounts of French people who lived and worked in the village of Maisy during the war. I have also gathered information and objects relating to D-Day from around the world and this has given me a unique collection of evidence. Equally, I will try to explain why certain things happened as a result of other thingsmistakes that lead to accidents, people being in the wrong place at the wrong time, such as the friendly fire incident at Pointe du Hoc on 8 June and the Rangers landing at a different part of the beach on the 6th, which is widely recognised as having saved many of their lives, thus allowing the battalion to act as a more effective fighting unit. It was a positive situation created out of a necessary deviation to stay alivean on-the-spot decision that worked.

I am hoping to tell more of the Rangers story on D-Day and where appropriate I have included pieces from other members of the armed forces fighting alongside or near to the Rangers. In particular, the achievements of the 5th Battalion of the Rangers have often been overshadowed by the 2nd Battalions efforts, as reported at Pointe du Hoc. Yet a number of men from the 5th Battalion were at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day. Equally, a number of men from the 2nd Battalion were at Maisy and did the same. This book is all about telling more of the Rangers story in Normandy in greater detail and where possible, through the men themselves. These are their words and history.

I hope this book puts a different slant on D-Day in the American sector. I want people to see what happened and better understand the facts of the day with all the evidence in place now. To coin a well-used phrase, I think this book helps to re-write D-Day history more effectively.