Hottelet: Coast guns silent as Allies landed
By Richard C. Hottelet
London, England (UP) –
I watched the first landing barges hit the beach exactly on the minute of H hour. I was in a 9th Air Force Marauder flying at 4,500 feet alone 20 miles of the invasion coast.
From what I could see in these first few minutes there was nothing stopping the assault parties from getting ashore. I spent about half an hour over enemy territory. We flew over and bombed some of the coastal fortifications but, except for some light flak from inland positions and from some types firing at us, we saw no enemy gunfire.
The only other sign of life in enemy territory were some white and yellow parachutes dotting the ground where our parachutists had hit.
The weather was favorable to the operation.
Offshore Allied warships were bombing the enemy coast. They seemed to do it without any opposition. The Luftwaffe just didn’t seem to be there.