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Bill Newman

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As a communications specialist with a field artillery unit, Bill Newman sometimes had to carry half of a hundred pound radio on his back. He had other duties and when he and his partner were clearing buildings in a town, he had a strange encounter with a German child. When he picked up a pack of bazooka rounds, he wound up using them, to his own amazement. (This interview made possible with the support of NORMAN PICKER SR.) (5:34)

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It was a standoff that didn't look good. Three German tanks were threatening Bill Newman's unit and air power was summoned and promised. The tanks left but the P-47's arrived and, to the horror of everyone, they circled and came in for an attack run on their own countrymen. (This interview made possible with the support of NORMAN PICKER SR.) (6:56)

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The captain asked, where is A Company? Bill Newman had just seen them and he agreed to take some men and go back and retrieve them. This led to some grief given by his comrades. (This interview made possible with the support of NORMAN PICKER SR.) (4:14)

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They were holed up in a basement for the night when the lookout yelled down for everyone to come up. What Bill Newman saw when he came up meant that the war was over. For a while after that, his unit was assigned to guard a Polish slave labor camp.(This interview made possible with the support of NORMAN PICKER SR.) (5:20)

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He was glad to be home, but Bill Newman was distressed that, after the campaign in Europe, he was slated to be part of the Japan invasion force that was gearing up. Thankfully, that operation never happened and he was able to finish his degree and raise a family. (This interview made possible with the support of NORMAN PICKER SR.) (3:53)

Bill Owens

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Bill Owens left the farm in South Carolina and enlisted in the Navy as World War II raged around the world. After an abbreviated basic training he was assigned to the USS Nevada, the only battleship to get underway during the Pearl Harbor attack. His destination, however, was across the Atlantic. (4:52)

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It was an unbelievable sight over the English Channel. From his 20 mm gun position on the battleship Nevada, Bill Owens could see a vast train of aircraft heading to Normandy and others returning. The sea was full of five thousand ships and it was all targeted on Hitler's war machine. (11:10)

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After the Normandy landings, the battleship Nevada was directed to Cherbourg, where they were directed to knock out big German guns. Bill Owens recalls how a smokescreen was used to hide minesweepers and the big ship as well. The shrapnel from the German artillery was falling like rain on the deck. (4:50)

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After the Normandy beachhead was secured, the USS Nevada was sent to the Mediterranean to aid in the coming invasion of southern France. First stop was North Africa, where Bill Owens and the rest of the crew were warned, don't go to the Casbah. (7:07)

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The first step is shore bombardment. The battleship Nevada let loose with it's big guns on the coast of southern France to kick off the operation. Bill Owens remembers how their big boomers were becoming less effective and had diminished range. The guns were simply worn out after the massive effort during the previous campaign at Normandy. (6:02)