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On June 6th, the final step in the liberation of Europe took place with the invasion of Normandy. The following following article describes what three local veterans saw from their vantage vantage point in this milestone of histone- histone- . . 'v. - r. ■ On board à Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper, Norm Baumk- en, could see some of the ships taking taking part in the invasion of Omaha Beach at six a.m. Mr. Baumken, a resident of the Wilmot Creek community, could see the aircraft, the barges firing dozens of rockets and ships firing their 16-inch guns. All night, prior to the invasion, the minesweepers in his group cleared the way for the ships. They were, at times, within three miles of the French coast Around 4 a.m., the bombardment began. Later in the day, Mr. Baumken recalls that volunteers were requested requested from the ships, in the event that the troops storming the beaches needed reinforcements. Norm Baumken was a seaman/torpedoer. But the sailors had also taken some training in land warfare. Like many on board the vessel, he volunteered. "I was 19 and you never thought of fear and all that," he recalled. The volunteers were never required required and the beach was secured. The final push for the liberation of Europe had begun and Mr. Baumken had a front-row seat on history. So did Art Sheehan, a motorcycle dispatch rider in the Second Survey Regiment. /This photo, taken about a week after D-Day, shows soldiers washing washing up, using water in four-gallon tanks which had contained gasoline. gasoline. That's Ait Sheehan (centre of photo, without shirt) He and his comrades had shaved their heads in preparation for the D-Day operation. operation. Although he was not among the soldiers who hit the beaches on Î)- Day, he saw the action from on board a ship and vividly recalls the thousands of aircraft overhead and the size of the armada which transported transported the troops across the English Channel and also provided firepower. firepower. "You'd wonder how they got them all in the English Channel. There were so many," said Mr. Sheehan, in describing the D-Day scene. He recalls the landing craft ferrying ferrying troops towards the shore and evacuating the wounded. He was close enough to see men being hit by the bullets and shells which were flying on the beach. "We had to sit offshore for two days," Mr. Sheehan recalls. The reason reason for the delay was due to the sheer size of the operation and the fact that it took time to find a place put their unit. V L . When their turn came " to go ashore, he climbed down a rope lad- 1 der into a landing barge. He rode his Norton motorcycle (sometimes referred referred to as a "Snortin Norton") right onto the beach. His unit was assigned a place near a hedge-row about two miles inland. They arrived arrived on the beach around 8 a.m. and it took until four p.m. betore they were in their position. . The Second Survey Regiment had a number of duties, one of which was to calculate the correct locations for gun emplacements. Art Sheehan, a Bowmanville man from a family of four brothers who all enlisted, enlisted, had the job of taking the data from the site to a "computing centre" centre" where the information was assessed. assessed. Art Sheehan was starting a lengthy stint in Europe. He recalled that people were really really glad to see the Allies. In one instance, instance, when members of his unit were stopping to wash up, the local residents stood along the shore of a creek and cheered. The group must have been somewhat odd-looking to the onlookers, since they had all shaved their heads before the invasion. invasion. Although many miles from the Normandy beaches, a third local resident resident was also a part of the D-Day operation. His role illustrates just how widespread the attack was. A1 Tomlinson, a resident of the Wilmot Creek community near Newcastle, was a wireless operator on board a Royal Canadian navy frigate whose job it was to patrol the English Channel from Land's End to the coast of France. Military planners knew that any submarine which managed to attack the invading fleet would be a major threat And so, the frigate on which A1 Tomlinson was serving was part of an operation which protected the invasion force from submarines. :,"We really didn't see too much," ; he said oî thê events occurring during during D-Day invasion. "I guess it was all part of the job. The historic invasion occurred SO years ago, on June 6th. More than 5,000 ships were utilized. utilized. And an estimated 100,000 troops in five divisions assaulted the beaches code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Units from the Canadian Third Division took Juno Beach. Norm Baumken SUPREME HEADQUARTERS ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force ! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which wé have striven these many months/ The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty- loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944 1 Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned I The free men of the world are marching together to Victory l I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will Accept nothing less than full Victory ! Good Luck 1 And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty Almighty God upon this great ancj noble undertaking. JiflteMA. This memo, signed by Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, was given to Allied troops hours before the D-Day invasion began. Art Sheehan, a dispatch rider, with his "Snortin' Norton" motorcycle motorcycle in Antwerp. Art Sheehan Editorial Comment