This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Brenda Brubaker, LT
to remember
Paulson, Bruce, MM1c.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Following WWII, Bruce returned to teaching history and industrial arts and coaching basketball and football at Maple Lake, MN where he met his future wife.
They would relocate to Madelia, MN where their children were born and Bruce continued teaching and coaching football. He was forced to give up his beloved football when he became the Principal of Madelia High School.
The family relocated to Mankato, MN when Bruce joined the Education Department faculty of Mankato State.
Bruce was active throughout his life in the Boy Scouts and attained the honor of the Silver Beaver.
Other Comments:
Dad served aboard LCI-193 from it's commission in Feb 1943, until it was transferred to British control. LCI-193 saw combat in North Africa and participated in invasions in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Nettuno before participating in the Normandy invasion. LCI-193 made at least 22 crossings during the invasion. Following D-day, LCI-193 was released to the British Navy, and Dad was transferred to the Pacific Fleet joining the USS Finnegan for the remainder of WWII.
From War Diary:
List of shipmates aboard LCI-193 (photos available of most):
A Memorial has been added for each of these shipmates
Surname
First Name
Hometown
?
Frank
?
Pat
Bellville
"Doc" Gerald
Hartford, CT
Brown
Allen
Charleston, SC
Carr
Leonard William
Winding Gulf, WV
Ceachy
John Joseph
Chicago, IL
Cooper
George Walter
Freeport, IL
Costick
Thomas Gerard
Binghamton, NY
Crudele
Donald J
Currie
Davis
Wilson
Raymond E
Doherty
Raymond J—fatally wounded by enemy fire when ship grounded off-course
Providence, RI
Durland
Arthur Edwin
NewYork, NY
Foley
John William "Jack"
Columbia, MO
Freeman, Jr
Leonard John
Gray
Edsel Richard
Oakland, CA
Hanson
?
either army or British attache
Heath
Carroll H
Attlebow, MA
Horne
Kenneth Rhett
Charleston, SC
Hunter
William "Bruce"
Cleveland, OH
Knestrick
Earl Cecil "Shorty"
Washington, PA
Kolchek
Jim
Layne
Roy Franklin
Ironton, OH
Lewis
William Patrick
Tyler, TX
Lloyd
Marshall
Emory E
Manuel J
West Columbia, SC
McGovern
Clement C. "Terry"
Peasta, IA
Patton
Ralph James
Pittsburg, PA
Paulson
Bruce Curtis
Hatton, ND
Poledna
James Earl
Cleveland, OH
Reales
Vincent
Raton, NM
Rosky
Edward G
Sauer, Jr
Joseph
Detroit Lakes, MN
Schlasser
Herray Francis
Baldrium, Long Island, NY
Simmons
Fred Robert
Lincoln, NE
Stefan
John Louis
Chicago, IL
Wagner
John H.
Turtle Creek, PA
Yanker
Peter
NewYork, NY
Officers
Claxton
Norman L. (LT)
Boney
William "Bill" (ENS)
Clark
Frank (ENS)
Smart
Samuel (ENS)
Normandy Campaign (1944)/Operation Overlord
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the restoration of the French Republic, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks.
The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five bridgeheads were not connected until 12 June. However, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day were around 1,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. Museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area host many visitors each year.
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day). A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than three million allied troops were in France by the end of August.
The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion in 1944 was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), and General Bernard Montgomery was named as commander of the 21st Army Group, which comprised all the land forces involved in the invasion. The Normandy coast was chosen as the site of the invasion, with the Americans assigned to land at Utah and Omaha Beaches, the British at Sword and Gold Beaches, and Canadians at Juno Beach. To meet the conditions expected on the Normandy beachhead, special technology was developed, including two artificial ports called Mulberry harbours and an array of specialised tanks nicknamed Hobart's Funnies. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, Operation Bodyguard, using both electronic and visual misinformation. This misled the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in charge of developing fortifications all along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an invasion.
The Allies failed to reach their goals for the first day, but gained a tenuous foothold that they gradually expanded as they captured the port at Cherbourg on 26 June and the city of Caen on 21 July. A failed counterattack by German forces on 8 August led to 50,000 soldiers of the German 7th Army being trapped in the Falaise pocket. The Allies launched an invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) on 15 August, and the Liberation of Paris followed on 25 August. German forces retreated across the Seine on 30 August 1944, marking the close of Operation Overlord.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Transported British troops. Made crossing multiple times.