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LCI Memories...
551 LCA Flotilla (Royal Navy)

This message comes to the LCI Assocation from England. Any LCI veterans or readers of this page who'd like to help the British LCA veterans of the first wave assault with Company A/116th Regiment/29th Infantry Division at Dog Green / Vierville-sur-Mere set the historical record straight are invited to email their recollections to Dr. Kevan Elsby.

My father-in-law, George "Jimmy" Green is a veteran of the British LCA Landing Craft used at Omaha beach for the assaults by Company A/116th Regiment/29th Infantry Division at Dog Green / Vierville-sur-Mere.

 He was sub-lieutenant in charge of the first wave of assault at the Vierville draw. As you may know, there were few survivors.

Jimmy is a member of a 551 LCA Flotilla Veterans Association in England.There are approximately twenty members. Approximately 32 British LCA's were used for the assaults at Point du Hoc and at Vierville, landing alongside US Landing Craft.

551 LCA Flotilla (18 LCA's) was based on the Empire Javelin with 116thRegt/29th Infantry Division, whereas other LCA's (Rangers) were based on the Prince Baudouin and The Prince Leopold. The eighteen LCA's from the Empire Javelin landed in three waves of six.

In the past two weeks I have started to search the Internet to find out more information and to make contact with US veterans from Omaha, particularly from the first wave at Dog Green/Vierville and surrounding sectors in and around Point du Hoc.

I have made contact with Ranger veterans from the Point du Hoc andVierville assaults. (Two Rangers LCA's joined the first wave atVierville). I have also started to make contact with veterans from the 29th Infantry Division.

I discovered two days ago that the National D-Day Memorial in the US willbe in Bedford,VA. This was the home town of many of the Company A/116th Regiment Infantry who were casualties of the first wave from the LCA's in Jimmy's group. Jimmy was very moved when I gave him this information.

Jimmy led six LCA's from the Empire Javelin in the assault on the Vierville draw at Dog Green in the first wave. His LCA was LCA910. On the way into the beach, one of the group floundered (LCA911: having been hit by artillery fire.) The remaining five craft went on tothe beach and landed as far up as they could go in about 4 to 6 feet of water. Two Rangers LCA's came in behind them on the right flank.

The Company A/116th Infantry LCA's were the first on the beach, as pertheir training at Slapton Sands and their briefing for D-Day. They became the focus of intense enemy fire.

On the way into the beach, Jimmy asked the Captain of Company A where exactly he wanted to land. He replied that he wanted to land either sideof the Vierville draw. The group of LCA's split into two groups and landed either side of the draw. Jimmy led the group to the right in the final assault and his colleague, Tony Drew led the group to the left. (They are both members of the veterans association. There are three members from this first wave who landed alongside US landing craft.)

One of the Rangers LCA's was hit on the bow by artillery and floundered onthe beach. The crew waded out to Jimmy's LCA910 and were taken back to the Empire Javelin.

On the way back to the Empire Javelin, the LCA's returned to the floundered LCA911 to pick up the infantry survivors.

On the way in they had called out to the floundered LCA911 that they would pick them up on the way back. All Landing Craft were under orders to continue on to the beach and to let the following craft pick up survivors.

On the way in they had called out to the floundered LCA911 that they would pick them up on the way back. All Landing Craft were under orders to continue on to the beach and to let the following craft pick up survivors.

The British crew from LCA 911 had been rescued by US landing craft going on to the beach. The officer of LCA911 (I believe his name was Stewart) was thrown a rope by a passing US landing craft. He dislocated his arm so badly that he had to have it amputated and was invalided out.

Jimmy's LCA910 lowered the ramp in deep water and Jimmy used his knife to cut the equipment from the drowning infantry. They asked to go back to the beach, but as Jimmy puts it, they were in no fit state to go on. He took them back to the Empire Javelin with the crew of the floundered Rangers' LCA.

Jimmy was in charge of this assault wave of LCA's from the Empire Javelin. They were the only group to land on target in the first wave at Omaha and they were the first on the beach.

I am emailing you with two objectives:

Firstly, I would like to make contact with US landing craft veterans from the assault around Dog Green/Vierville and from the first wave in particular.

Secondly, I ask for your assistance. The records of the LCA's from the Empire Javelin are centred around the second wave, who hesitated 100 metres from the beach. These LCA's were encouraged at gunpoint by Sgt. Bob Slaughter of the 29th Infantry Division to go right up to the beach, which they did.Two of the six LCA's were lost to mines.

This incident is featured in the recent book and tapes "D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II," by Stephen E. Ambrose in the chapter: "116th Infantry - Visitors to Hell."

This incident was news to my father-in-law. We are deeply concerned that this incident should become the permanent record of the British 551 LCA Flotilla at Omaha.

Jimmy is also mentioned in the Stephen E. Ambrose book and tapes referring to the floundered LCA911 from the first wave, though the number of the landing craft is not mentioned. Jimmy is referred to by an 116th Infantry veteran who is quoted saying, "We heard the voice of some friendly Limey. We recognised the coxswain", after they had been in the water for some time. The coxswain he mentions was from Jimmy's LCA 910 and Jimmy called out to the survivors. There were very few Limeys at Omaha!

We have taken it upon ourselves to put the information from the LCA's inthe first wave of assault by Company A/116th Regiment on the record. I am looking for further first hand information from veterans of US Landing craft in the vicinity of Dog Green (Vierville Draw), particularly if they remember the LCA's in the first wave.

Can you help me?

I am already in contact with a Victor Hicken from 20 LCT(A)s in the first wave at Dog Green/Vierville. He remembers the British LCA's. Jimmyremembers going past LCT's on the way to the beach. In any case, I would like to make contact with US veterans from the firstwave of landings in the vicinity of Dog Green / Vierville.

Please use my email address for the time being to both reply to my email or to make contact with the British veterans from the LCA landing craft.

Best Regards, Dr. Kevan Elsby, England

*Note: Since this article appeared, we?ve come in contact with an LCI veteran who is meeting with a French witness to the assault. He may, in fact, have photographs of the first wave hitting the beach, and the second wave attempting to turn away. If and when we get the photos, we?ll post them.