U.S. 6th Naval Beach Battalion
Dedicated to Ed Marriott's Scuttlebutt
U.S. 6th Naval Beach Battalion in World War II
The 6th Naval Beach Battalion was commissioned 9 October 1943 under the command of Eugene C. Carusi, USNR, an Annapolis graduate and Washington D.C. attorney. On 7 January 1944, after six months of intensive amphibious warfare training at the ATB in Fort Pierce, FL and Camp Bradford, VA, the Battalion traveled overseas on the SS Mauritania to the UK in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.
The Battalion was attached to the 5th Engineer Special Brigade 12 April 1944 in order to achieve a closer coordination between the Navy afloat and the Army ashore during the invasion landings. In support of the 16th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Commander Carusi’s amphibious unit had the mission of providing battlefield medicine, establishing shore-to-ship communications, marking sea lanes, making emergency boat repairs, assisting in the removal of underwater obstructions, directing the landings and evacuating the casualties in the eastern Omaha Beach sectors code-named Easy Red, Fox Green and Fox Red.
With a total strength of 42 officers and 362 enlisted men, Battalion elements were attached for the 6 June 1944 cross-Channel attack as follows:
Company A - 336th Engineer Combat Battalion
Company B - 348th Engineer Combat Battalion
Company C - 37th Engineer Combat Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - to land with C-8 platoon and
37th Engineer Combat Battalion
The 7th Naval Beach Battalion, attached to the 6th Engineer Special Brigade, would coordinate the landings on the western sectors of Omaha while the veteran 2nd Naval Beach Battalion, attached to the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, would be in charge of Utah Beach. The Royal Naval Commandos would handle troop landings and casualty evacuation on the British and Canadian beaches code-named Sword, Juno and Gold.
In “Cross-Channel Trip,” initially published in the 1, 8 and 15 July 1944 issues of The New Yorker magazine, war correspondent A.J. Liebling describes Commander Carusi and Beachmaster Joe Vaghi's C-8 platoon disembarking the USCG LCI(L) 88 port ramp and elements of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion going down the starboard ramp at H+65 minutes [7:35 A.M.] on D-Day. Destined for “Easy Red” Omaha Beach, Liebling describes Beachmaster Vaghi first off the landing craft followed by Commander Carusi, Coxswain Ed Marriott, Louis “little boats” Strickland, John Hanley, Eddie Gorski, Frank Hurley, Amin Isbir, Harold Roderick, Ray Casper, John Shrode, Corpsman Andy Chmiel, Dr. Russ Davey and the remainder of C-8 platoon of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion. “Cross-Channel Trip” can be read in Reporting World War II: American Journalism 1944-1946.
Navy censors removed from “Cross-Channel Trip,” in Liebling’s original 1944 manuscript, the actual number of the LCI(L) 88, descriptions of the casualties, Carusi’s name and the disastrous fate of the USCG-manned LCI(L) 85. Platoon C-7 of Co. C, headed by Beachmaster Vince Perrin, disembarked from LCI(L) 89 while Beachmaster Karl Hein and surviving C-9 platoon members disembarked from LCI(L) 85 at 8:30 A.M. on D-Day. LCI(L) 85 took 25 direct hits and was later sunk. Among the numerous 6th Naval Beach Battalion casualties KIA aboard LCI(L) 85 were three of Carusi's junior officers – Jack Hagerty, G.E. Wade and Len Lewis. Later, USN Beachmaster James Allison was killed on the Fox Green sector of Omaha Beach.
6th Naval Beach Battalion
Casualties sustained on D-Day:
Killed in action: 4 Officers, 18 Enlisted Men
Wounded in action: 12 Officers, 55 Enlisted Men
The 2nd, 6th and 7th Naval Beach Battalions, attached to the U.S. Army Engineer Special Brigades, had the shared mission of signaling landing craft ashore and getting casualties off the beach. By the end of June 1944, 452,460 troops, 70,910 vehicles and 289,827 tons of supplies were in northern France. As a result of expert Army and Navy aid on the beachhead and medical care during the Channel crossing, a majority of the 41,035 wounded Americans reaching England were in excellent condition. The mortality rate was 3/10 of 1%.
Col. William D. Bridges of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade reported, “The outstanding action of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion under heavy enemy fire contributed materially to the successful establishment of the Omaha beachhead. This battalion not only performed all of its own missions, but aided many other units in the accomplishment of theirs. But for this aid, the precarious situation of the units on the beach might have been turned into disaster.”
The SIXTH Naval Beach Battalion was awarded the Bronze Service Arrowhead, the Croix de Guerre with Palm by the Provisional Government of France and the Presidential Unit Citation 22 August 2000 by the U.S. Army. The 6th Naval Beach Battalion Presidential Unit Citation and a letter from President George W. Bush remain archived at The National D-Day Memorial Foundation in Bedford, VA.
In the 30 May 2000 letter President Bush wrote, “The generation of World War II defeated history’s greatest tyranny, leaving graves and freedom from Europe to Asia. Perhaps nowhere was this heroism more vividly displayed than on the beaches of Normandy, and few units paid so heavy a price as the 6th Naval Beach Battalion at Omaha Beach. The unusual hazards they faced required exceptional daring and courage, yet the 6th Naval Beach Battalion stood tall in spite of tremendous odds. They risked their lives and often paid the ultimate price in defending the independence and freedoms we hold so dear.”
Surviving battalion officers include Dr. Lee Parker, Virgil Weathers, Karl Hein, Alex Whittle and Joe Vaghi. Dr. Parker was featured in BuMed’s Department of Defense documentary Navy Medicine at Normandy D-Day June 6, 1944. Lt. Commander Vaghi was interviewed for “Untold Stories of D-Day” in the June 2002 issue of National Geographic, served as a Voorsanger Architects, PC consultant regarding the National D-Day Museum expansion in New Orleans, and delivered the keynote speech at the unveiling of the National WWII Memorial Stamp in Washington, D.C.
The NYU School of Journalism includes war correspondent A.J. Liebling’s “Cross-Channel Trip” - covering the Battalion on D-Day in the The New Yorker Book of War Pieces - among the top 100 journalistic pieces of the 20th Century.
Ed Marriott Bandemar@bellsouth.net is editor of the Scuttlebutt newsletter and a highly dedicated leader of the U.S. 6th Naval Beach Battalion Association. For additional 6th NBB historical information, contact Dtreefarm@aol.com ~ KCD
Easy Red Easier This Time In!
By Betts Marriott
Reprint from the Scuttlebutt 6 June 1994
At St. Lazarre Station in Paris, a huge map of the assault area was on the apron of the station, and crowds gathered and studied it constantly, some staying but a moment, others studying intently, some with tears. Almost without a break, if a veteran was identified by his I.D. tag or special clothing, (and Americans do stand out!) the French, men and woman alike, all ages, would greet them warmly, some offering the double-cheek kiss, some an embrace, others a timid handshake. They wanted to know exactly where the particular veteran they were talking to had "gone in," and when Omaha was mentioned, there were extra "ahhs," and their knowledge of the battle was apparent. The St. Lazarre Station was the main link from Paris to the pretty little towns in Normandy, thus the large display.
The writer and veteran stayed in Bayeaux, in a home where we had stayed five years ago. The price was raised fivefold, but did include three meals a day and transportation to the sites we wanted to visit. Our permits were for the ceremony at the American Cemetery at Colleville, during which the President of the United States was to speak.
Buses took us to a staging point, where we boarded other busses all numbered. We were told we would return to those buses for the ride back into Bayeaux at the conclusion of the Ceremony. Our bus was number M-50. We could remember that, M was our initial and it was the 50th anniversary. The Ceremony was to take place at 5:30, about 25 miles from where we were. There was an army of busses, and they departed the staging area about 5-7 minutes apart, effectively allowing us to get off the bus, file through a tent housing hot coffee, cold Cokes, donuts, literature etc. We didn't even realize we were being "herded," it was so smoothly done. Outside the huge tent, we formed four lines, and went through security checks. Then we were free to find our seats. The I.D. tags were coded by the hour you were on the beach, so unbeknownst to us, we had priority seating and actually were on the fourth row, about three seats from Walter Cronkite and about 15 from the President. We went very early, thinking we would have to push and shove a little to get a sight of the stage, so it was with great pride we were escorted to the front. Ongoing concerts made the time fly. The music brought jubilation and tears. It was intensely emotional.
Ed Marriott wandered through the aisles looking for buddies, when a voice asked if that was a Beach Battalion insignia on his jacket. It took but a moment for Joe Vaghi and Ed Marriott to recognize each other, and they embraced under the sky at the American Cemetery in Colleville.
There had been telephone calls and a few exchanges over the years, but this was face-to-face. Touching. Powerful.
The two walked quietly through the white crosses at Colleville, each with memories too locked in to discuss. It was healing.
White House Postscript
In tribute to Ed Marriott and his shipmates, President Bill Clinton wrote the following to the son of a deceased 6th Beach Battalion veteran. “The recent ceremonies commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day were extremely moving, and I was honored to participate in them. The brave soldiers like your father who stormed the beaches of Omaha, together with so many others who sacrificed during World War II for causes of liberty and justice, successfully turned the tide of the twentieth century and helped shape the world as we know it. America can be proud of their valiant efforts, which helped secure our freedoms for the last fifty years.”
