Arkansas (BB 33) - Naval Cruise Book

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fvva WE I-IIT AGAIN I X xlvvvvvvvvvv x4x4x1x1x 4x1 i 6 1 1 T 6 T 1 1 6 6 1 1 6 1 1 i 1 1 T T 1 T T T i 6 i T 7 When the Arkansas left the Cherbourg Penin- sula many believed that her role had been played in the European Theater and that she would gracefully retire from the combat stage. Such a suspicion was soon dispelled as she set out for the Mediterranean area seeking new conquests and Nazi objectives. It was mid-August. Again she headed another armada-parade. The destination was the coast of Southern France. The show was a good one, following the pat- tern of the Normandy invasion - moving up to the coast in the night closely trailed by an im- pressive armada of invasion ships and landing craft from many Allied nations - watching our roaring swarms of heavy and medium bombers blast coastal defenses and enemy troop concen- trations until our turn came to open fire. This time, however, we fired before we were fired upon, possibly because the coastal batteries which were our targets were too stunned by the shattering aerial bombardment to open up on us. The Arky's first target was a large battery of case- mated heavy guns, at short range. She plastered it with a smashing barrage of twelve-inch shells until it was neutralized. Next came the landing beach. She drenched it with high explosive' from her twelve and five-inch guns, frequently throwing in a twelve-gun salvo from her main batteries to pep things up ashore. Our last designated target was a good-sized coast town, an important harbor, and Nazi headquarters area. Again our twelve-inch shells 1x1 1x1x 1x4x1x1x1x 1x4x4x1 vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv quickly reduced much of it to rubble, fires and shattered buildings. Some Nazi prisoners we later took aboard said the naval bombardment was the worst experience they had ever undergone. Following D-day the Arky stood by to act as artillery for our troops ashore, but the Nazi usuper-men' and their motley assortment of slave soldiers from conquered countries either sur- rendered or Hadvancedw backward so rapidly we had no further opportunity to fire at them. Need- less to say, the whole crew enjoyed this shoot. Getting shelled doesn't seem so bad when one can hand it back as we did on D-day. No enemy shells came close this time. Once again the Arky came through without a scratch. Although she was in the ffhot spot and expected plenty. At night she retired from her close-range position and consequently was not bothered as much by enemy planes as she was at the Normandy beach. Gur AA gunners got in a little target practice at the few planes that did come over but they weren't lucky enough to bag them. The whole show was beautifully timed and executed, clicking smoothly with perfect team- work between the combining Army, Navy and Air Forces of several nations. A couple of thrilling sights - big squadrons of heavy Liberator bomb- ers coming in at low level, dumping tons of ex- plosive all over the beach within a few short seconds - watching the French cruisers and destroyers having a field day celebrating their big moment of triumph, slashing away at targets up SIS xlx 1x 1y1x 1x v yxvlxv Jxixlxkv v v v we-1 'k

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