The Story of BILL RYAN

...I vividly remember a US Navy Destroyer coming as close to the beach as he could without running aground. He turned the ship broadside and commenced firing on the various bunkers, gun emplacements and trenches that had not been already destroyed by the Army Air Corps and the British Navy during the pre-invasion bombardment. These enemy positions were keeping the troops pinned down on the beach and we were taking terrible casualties. This Destroyer was later joined by other ships. I firmly believe that the fire power of these small ships turned certain defeat on Omaha Beach into a victory. I remember reading after the war that the Skipper of this first Destroyer was ordered back out to sea to a more protected position. He refused saying he was not going to leave his position as long as troops remained pinned down on the beach.

This is just one of the many acts of heroism that took place during those first few hours on Omaha. When you read this account I will be back on Omaha Beach after an absence of 50 years. After so long it will be such an interesting experience for me to correlate my distant memories of that long day with the current conditions at Omaha.

Over 2000 American troops are known to have died on that first day on Bloody Omaha. The topography and high cliffs alone made taking this beach a formidable objective. Early allied air bombardments had failed to destroy the coastal defences, so the German troops awaiting the invasion were in greater numbers than the Allies had believed.

In the company of his British comrades who shared those events of June 1944, Bill Ryan once again stood on Omaha Beach, this time to commemorate the 65th Anniversary. The strong allied bond remains. Bill took part in visits to Pegasus Bridge and joined in the parades at Bayeux and Arromanches with his transatlantic friends.

The British D-Day Revisited Group was invited to attend ceremonies in the American Sector at Ste Mère Eglise. The veterans visited the Airborne Museum before marching to the C47 cafe on Sunday 7th June by which time Bill felt right at home. The group stood in the exact spot where the first American parachutist landed 65 years ago, and were joined by another veteran who had been in the same plane and happened to be sitting in the front room!