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The D-Day Tapes
an oral history audiobook on CD
True story. Several years ago, somebody posted a question on an Internet message board trying to find the answer to a question about the Battle of the Bulge. The question involved the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion, so I looked up the unit on a veterans organization listing, and there was a contact number, so I called it. Chuck Hurlbut, of Ithaca, N.Y., answered the phone, and suddenly I found myself talking with a D-Day veteran of Omaha Beach.
Chuck invited me up to Ithaca to interview him. I never did get a definitive answer to the message-board question, but I did get one of the most moving interviews I've had in my career as an oral historian. Dan Rather interviewed Chuck for a documentary on the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, and his story moved me to tears; not that I recognized him or remembered his name. So when the story came up in the interview, instead of getting all choked up -- as I have many times over listening to the recording -- I blurted out, "That was you?!!!" And then I explained he had me in tears when I watched the documentary a few years earlier.
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994, I interviewed several D-Day veterans for the newspaper where I have my "day job." Some of the interviews lasted three hours, and you can only fit so much into 26 column inches in a newspaper.
Since reaction has been so positive to the first three oral history audiobooks I've produced from my interviews, I decided to reach into my archives and create an audiobook from my series of D-Day interviews.
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Battle Fatigue: My colleague Paul Lapidus, who I make listen to all my CDs and give me feedback, says my interview with Bill Pirone is one of the best I've done. Pirone was a corporal with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and was wounded three times; the last time by a shell in the Hurtgen Forest that left him semi-comatose for 37 days. Here's an excerpt from the hour-long cd: real audio mp3
Ed Boccafogli of the 82nd Airborne Division parachuted into Normandy in the predawn hours of June 6th. He fought in the battle for Hill 30 and several other skirmishes before being wounded at Baupte. He returned to take part in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. This interview is more than two hours on two CDs. Here's an excerpt: real audio mp3
McNamara's Band: The third time Vincent "Mike" McKinney got wounded, in the Hurtgen Forest, he came out of surgery singing "McNamara's Band" and saying he was hungry. A veteran of the famed 1st Infantry Division, McKinney was at home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with his son Tom watching the 50th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies on TV when former President Bill Clinton introduced a man who claimed to have been the first American on Omaha Beach. Tom looked at his father and saw him getting red in the face. McKinney believed he was, if not the first, at least one of the first Americans to set foot on Omaha Beach. McKinney, who would later serve a distinguished career as a New York City cop, was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on Omaha Beach. This interview is two hours on two CDS. Here's an excerpt: real audio mp3
Lou Putnoky: Although its identity was concealed in this famous D-Day picture, the ship doing all this firing was the USS Bayfield, a Coast Guard vessel that was the flagship of the Utah Beach invasion fleet. Motor Machinist's Mate Lou Putnoky is a veteran of the Bayfield. This interview is two hours on two CDs. Listen to an excerpt: real audio mp3
Tiger Burning: One of the things that fascinated Putnoky was Exercise Tiger, a practice landing for D-Day that went tragically awry. The Bayfield was the flagship for the operation, but was not involved in the disaster, in which three fully loaded LSTs (landing ship-tanks) were torpedoed by German e-Boats that slipped into the convoy late at night. Putnoky recommended a book about the operation, and when I discovered that one of the sailors mentioned in the book was local, I gave him a call. Angelo Crapanzano, that veteran, once told me that he had no problem seeing "Saving Private Ryan," but hell would freeze over before he went to see "Titanic." Toward the end of the interview, Crapanzano said that his father, who served on a sub tender in World War I, suggested he join the Navy, where he would have good food and a bunk to sleep in. Angelo, who spent four and a half hours in the English Channel before being rescued, didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry when he added, "But he didn't tell me about torpedoes." This interview is two hours on two CDs. Listen to an excerpt: real audio mp3
Patsy Giacchi's daughter found my interview with Angelo Crapanzano on the Internet and her father called to tell me he was also a survivor of the LST 507. When I discovered that he and Angelo lived a half-hour apart, I arranged for the two of them to get together. Before I did so, however, I interviewed Giacchi separately. Imagine, if you will, that Joe Pesce, and not Leonardo DiCaprio, landed the starring role in "Titanic," and you'll have some idea of how my interview with Giacchi went. This interview is 70 minutes on one CD. Listen to an excerpt, but fasten your seatbelt: real audio mp3
My original tape with Chuck Hurlbut has more hiss in the background than the headphones in "Snakes on a Plane," but his story is so compelling I felt it had to be included in this collection. This interview is an hour long on one CD. Listen to an excerpt: real audio mp3
Many books have been written about D-Day, movies have been made and documentaries filmed about it. These CDs are far from a comprehensive look at D-Day. Rather, they're a series of conversations that give "the rest of the story," the anecdotes you won't see in a documentary or read about in a book.
-- Aaron Elson, Oral Historian
Here are some of the things people who bought Elson's audiobooks are saying:
"Another great collection of WWII memories from guys who were there."
"Great WWII oral historical recordings/accounts!!!"
"Great product -- think it will be a hit!"
"Great seller who made Christmas shopping for my husband easy."
"A lot of good history I'll be able to enjoy for years."
"An amazing story; thanks for getting these for those of us that weren't there."
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Order a set from our eBay store
What you get:
Seven interviews on 11 CDs with some of the most compelling war stories you'll ever hear. Some of the stories will make you laugh, others will get you all choked up. Some will do both.
What you don't get:
Fancy packaging. Expensive casing. Graphics and liner notes, although more information and transcripts of some of the interviews are available at tankbooks.com. The CDs come in paper sleeves, and slimline cases are available upon request.
This is the fourth in a series of oral history audiobooks produced by Aaron Elson. Please visit our eBay store to purchase or bid on other audiobooks in the series and books of World War II oral history.
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This set makes a perfect gift for the veteran or the history buff in your family, or you may simply want to listen to the interviews themselves. You can listen at home or in your car, or convert the files to MP3s and put them on your iPod. And best of all, you'll be helping to keep alive the memory of the veterans of World War II.
Because the small batch production and the use of paper labels on the CDs, it is recommended that you make a backup copy, and not expose the CDs to water or excessive heat. If there should be any problem, such as skipping or blistering of labels, the affected CDs will be replaced free of charge.
To order the D-Day Tapes on CD, please call 1-877-KASSELM or visit our eBay store.