Auction Date:2010 May 20 @ 05:00 (UTC-7 : PDT/MST)
Location:11901 Santa Monica Blvd. #555, Los Angeles, California, 90025, United States
Diary and original WWII items formerly belonging to Fred W. Habel, a crew member on the U.S.S. Nevada during the invasion of Normandy. Handwritten on notebook paper, this ten page diary offers a riveting account of U.S.S. Nevada's bombardment of the Normandy Coast and inland targets during the invasion, with details of gliders, fighter planes, wounded coming aboard, bombings, Nevada's detailed targets, LST's & ships blown up, sinking ships, crashed airplanes and shelling. Diary dated 5 June to 10 June 1944, reads in part: ''Invasion of France. The invasion of France was planned for June 5-44 on account of weather it was delayed until June 6. Hour to be at 0630. This landing began on the coast near Cherboug France…during the night of June 5 a large number of Bombers bombed the coast of France to soften them up for the invasion. Also many other places in France & Germany. The English channel in which we have to pass through is the largest mine field in the world. The British mine sweepers are assigned to this job of sweeping the English Channel in which we have to pass through…while at anchor we could see bombs exploding on the beach. there was also a very heavy…fire from the enemy. We seen 10 of our planes shot down. A squadron of planes came over and drop red & white flares, then a squadron of bombers would come over and drop a load & then go home. This went on all night. The light from the flares & bombs light the sky pretty good…the Nevada was called on by army to back off enemy counter attacks as enemy tanks & mobilized units were forming. After completing this mission the Nevada ceased firing for the day except in case of emergency…everything o.k. expecting a air raid or raid from surface craft. Main battery has fired all day at targets directed by army. The main deck is covered with shell cases…Allied bombers bomb beach, losses kinda heavy…All this time we are taking prisoners, up to 1600 on June 4 we had 15,000 captives…we had K rations to eat & also candy that we had stocked up. Also food & can good that we had stolen from chiefs quarters. One of our targets was a troop of Germans on a road coming towards the beach with equipment. We put a 14'' into them & blew them to hell. We also knock out a German troop train & concentrations of tanks used for counter attacks. We got some shrapnel on deck but had to turn it in for examination. The evening for the first day June 6 about 1900 heavy bombers came over pulling [?] gliders with Paratroopers. Many Paratroopers lost their lives. Men dieing all this time and getting wounded…as the ships went down there was cases of food floating in the water. At one time a belly tank from a spitfire was floating towards us that we thought to be a torpedo or rocket bomb. A USS mine sweeper shot at it and then recovered it. The came a long side & we gave them food & cigarettes and bait. They had a dog on board. The Germans that were captured had quarts of wine & stinked like goats. After being captured they were loaded in empty LSTs and taken to Plymouth. I had liberty in Plymouth and seen all the houses bomb. The had a very nice port there. These silver balloons were also tied up here to entangle aircraft.'' Also included are several 1944 Nevada orders of the day, a letter to Habel, various shipboard documents, two period newspapers and more.
Auction Location:
11901 Santa Monica Blvd. #555, Los Angeles, California, 90025, United States
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