I’ve been having a difficult time getting grandpa Ivo’s journal and “Logmeter’s Long Toms” uploaded. I finally ended up compromising and doing a work-around so that it could be viewed. The solution isn’t perfect, but it’s better than not being up at all. They can be found in the ‘Memoirs‘ section of the website. Enjoy…
733rd Field Artillery Battalion, Utah Beach, 02 July 1944
D-Day was 25,567 days ago (70 years ago) today. The 733rd Field Artillery Battalion landed on Utah Beach on D-Day +26. This is the earliest they could land with their large equipment and artillery because there had to be enough land for them to dig in, not to mention the Army Corps of Engineers needed to build makeshift roads from the shoreline so all the heavy equipment could access the roads above. The 733rd were among the first artillery in France. They transferred from the Third Army to the First Army for the landing and initial invasion, then back to the Third Army, XX Corps when the Third arrived on the continent (early August 1944).
Just prior to when this photograph was taken, B Battery (where grandpa Ivo was) was strafed by a German plane as they beached and were about to unload. Nobody was hurt, but the LST (boat) was damaged and it was difficult for them to get the bow doors open to open so they could exit and unload the guns and tractors. Eventually they were able to open them and get on the beach.
The photo above was printed in a newspaper. Just to the right of center in the photo you can see the first 155mm Long Tom on the beach being towed by a M4 High Speed Tractor. The gun, most of the equipment and soldiers in the photo are of the 733rd FA Bn. Ambrose Little was standing behind the photographer when he took this picture, and he recognizes one of the men near the camera.
Links:
D-Day invasion in real time: Watch it like it was happening today. Thanks for the link cousin Katrina!
D-Day landing sites (then and now): Amazing photos of then and now.
Clinton Stillman was my grandfather’s best friend through the war and was the only GI grandpa Ivo regularly kept in touch with after the war (all the way up until he passed away in 2003). ‘Stillman’ passed in December of 2005. He and his wife Barbara (also deceased) didn’t have any children, which has made finding anyone with any information about his time in the war nearly impossible. Thankfully his extended family stayed in Lompoc, California where Stillman spent his entire life. I was able to connect with his nephew who remembers some of the war stories he used to tell. He has some pictures that he may be sharing with me; I’m really looking forward to seeing them. Most of the photos that my grandfather kept from the war were of Stillman.
This photo, taken by my grandfather, could have been captured in the US (winter of 1943) or around the time of the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 or January 1945) when there was snow. I think the treatment of the shells from the 155mm Long Tom as a novelty, coupled with the fact that they were posing for pictures, makes it more likely that it was captured in the US prior to the war. Their clothing may provide a clue. I will ask Ambrose Little to inspect the photo for clues the next time I visit him; he was there – if anyone would know, it would be him!
I happened upon an AM radio interview of Lloyd Renfro of the 733rd FA Bn. from 2008 (see the multimedia section of this website) and began searching for him and his family. I was able to locate several people in his immediate family, but finding contact information for any of them proved nearly impossible. I ended up dropping three letters in the mail, but it is still too soon to expect a reply. I sent out a number of emails, and finally received a reply from a grandson of Lloyd. I look forward to any information he may send my way.
I happened upon this interview of Lloyd Renfro (recorded 2008), conducted by the AM talk radio host of Hometown Heroes. Lloyd was living in Fresno at the time of the interview. He served in the 144th on the California coast and went on to form the 733rd with 90 other soldiers from the 144th (along with grandpa Ivo and Ambrose Little). He was a message commander (actual title?) who would relay messages between HQ Battery, the gun batteries, and the Forward Observers.
Today I traveled up to Ventura with my mom and my aunt to meet Ambrose Little (Service Battery 733rd FA B – read my previous posts in this blog and his memoir to learn more about him). It was quite an honor to get to meet him. Not only did he know my grandfather from the time they were in junior high (not to mention going through the war together), but he also became an amazing artist and an all-around great guy. His son and daughter also joined us. It was a great day and I look forward to heading back up to Ventura in the near future to pay them another visit.
