WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2009
GOURBESVILLE - R.B. LEWELLEN'S PERSONAL DZ |
The village of Gourbesville lies about 5
miles NNW of Ste. Mere Eglise. JAMES R. HATTRICK and R. B. LEWELLEN (I
Company) were best friends and jumped one behind the other on D-Day.
They were members of the stick led by Col. Mendez. HATTRICK landed near
the village square and was soon in a firefight with Germans. He did not
survive. Meanwhile, LEWELLEN dropped into a small field less than 100
meters distant. He too soon encountered the enemy, exchanged fire and
was severely wounded in one hand. While attempting to evade the troops
he was hit in the thigh and captured. Brought to an enemy aid station in
the town, his mangled hand was amputated by a German doctor. LEWELLEN
spent the rest of the war as a POW and returned to live in his native
Texas.
In 2009, R.B. was selected to be named a Gourbesville
"Citizen of Honor" in ceremonies slated to be held on June 4th.
Unable to travel due to ill health, he urged his son Randy to accept the
honor in his name.
On the evening of June 2, 2009, three days after he arrived in
Normandy, Randy Lewellen received a phone call that his father, R.B.
Lewellen had passed away the day before. Although devastated by
the news, Randy remained steadfast to see his mission through and
remained in Normandy. His father's funeral was delayed until Randy's
scheduled return.
On the following day, a group of us visited the spot where his father had
landed on D-Day. The spot had been earlier identified and was
readily marked by what had been a huge oak tree then but was now just a
stump as the tree had been blown down in a storm a few years earlier.
We arrived with a metal detector and in mere seconds got a "hit"
directly adjacent to the stump. It turned out to be an M-1 shell
casing that could very well have been fired by R.B. himself, 65 years
earlier as he had fired at the enemy while hidden behind the tree.
We were all stunned by the implication of the moment! |
Hand Drawn Map
enabled R.B. to mark where he landed. Unbeknownst to him,
James Hattrick came down at the church NW of the crossroads and 300
meters from his own position.
Hattrick was killed after sniping at Germans and Lewellen suffered
a grievous wound. After capture, his hand was amputated in the
Gourbesville German Aid station. |
Arial View
shows the detail of the map to be accurate. German Aid Station
is at upper left |
Three Hundred Meters
from Gourbesville square lies this field |
Within The Field
once stood an gigantic oak tree |
At This Spot, 6/6/1944
R.B. Lewellen hauled on his risers to avoid hitting the tree |
In His Father's Footsteps
Randy Lewellen stands approximately where his father engaged enemy
troops |
Entrenching Tool Ready
Don van den Bogert prepares to dig wherever the detector signals an
object |
First Find
A spent M1 cartridge casing lies at the base of the tree |
Less Than 24 Hours
after learning of his father's death, the poignant moment reduces
Randy to near tears |
 Almost
Exactly 65 Years Later
Randy holds the casing that may have been fired by his Dad on D-Day
morning |
At The Stump
[l-r] Mayor Maurice Gidon, Randy Lewellen and
Michel Flaux, property owner |
|
All Normandy 'D-Day Plus 65' trip photos are a
multi-national mixture of work
by Hervé Argoud, Hans DeBree, Gene Garren, Fred Hoek, Herbert
Lahout, Randy Lewellen, Cyndi Mathews, Bill Nation, Dick O'Donnell,
Dominique Potier, Vivian Roger, Zane Schlemmer, Donald van den Bogert and Nelly
van Loo. Individual credits have not been
given. |
