The Things Our Fathers Saw Vol. V - D-Day and Beyond

Step into history with firsthand accounts from the heroes of World War II. From the bloody beaches of Omaha to the hedgerows of Normandy and beyond, hear the untold stories of American soldiers, sailors, tank gunners, glider pilots, and more—shared as if you’re sitting across the kitchen table.

Volume 5 of The Things Our Fathers Saw series is the book author Matt Rozell always envisioned when he began collecting these powerful interviews. Inspired by veterans returning to Normandy for the 40th anniversary of D-Day, Rozell captures their experiences like never before. Don’t miss these moving, never-before-shared reflections from the Greatest Generation.

Quotes from the Book:

"I had a vision, if you want to call it that. At my home, the mailman would walk up towards the front porch, and I saw it just as clear as if he's standing beside me—I see his blue jacket and the blue cap and the leather mailbag. Here he goes up to the house, but he doesn’t turn. He goes right up the front steps.

“My last mission was the Bastogne mission. We were being towed, we're approaching Bastogne, and I see a cloud of flak, anti-aircraft fire. I said to myself, ‘I'm not going to make it.’ There were a couple of groups ahead of us, so now the anti-aircraft batteries are zeroing in. Every time a new group came over, they kept zeroing in. My outfit had, I think, 95% casualties.” —Glider pilot, D-Day and Beyond

“I was fighting in the hedgerows for five days; it was murder. But psychologically, we were the best troops in the world. There was nobody like us; I had all the training that they could give us, but nothing prepares you for some things.

You know, in my platoon, the assistant platoon leader got shot right through the head, right through the helmet, dead, right there in front of me. That affects you, doesn’t it?” ” —Paratrooper, D-Day and Beyond

“Somebody asked me once, what was the hardest part for you in the war? And I thought about a young boy who came in as a replacement; the first thing he said was, ‘How long will it be before I'm a veteran?’

I said, ‘If I'm talking to you the day after you're in combat, you're a veteran.’

He replaced one of the gunners who had been killed on the back of the half-track. Now, all of a sudden, the Germans were pouring this fire in on us. He was working on the track and when he jumped off, he went down, called my name. I ran over to him and he was bleeding in the mouth…

From my experience before, all I could do was hold that kid’s hand and tell him it’s going to be all right. ‘You'll be all right.’ I knew he wasn't going to last, and he was gone the minute that he squeezed my hand…” —Armored sergeant, D-Day and Beyond