In just a few short weeks, the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion will be upon us. Some may recognize it as D-Day, Operation Overlord, or the day liberation from German rule came to the shores of France. To the world and for the sake of global history, June 6, 1944, was and remains “the largest amphibious invasion in military history,” forever turning the tide of World War II in favor of the Allied Forces.1
When the United States entered the war in 1941, Germany had a massive foothold in Europe. Daunting was the task already known to be a necessity: “a massive invasion of mainland Europe.” After years of planning and frustrating setbacks, Supreme Allied Commander (SAC) Dwight D. Eisenhower finally gave the painstaking nod to invade. It was his decision alone to send countless young men to their deaths. He understood the magnitude of the moment and what was being asked of his country along with those of his Allies. Young men would not return to their parents and wives. Children would grow up without fathers. In some instances, family trees would cease to grow. Yet, the global stakes were unimaginably higher. He had no other option but to invade.
In total, according to the D-Day Center, Operation Overlord included:
156,115 troops - combined forces of the United States, Britain, and Canada
6,939 ships and landing vessels
2,395 aircraft
867 gliders that delivered airborne troops
4,413 died that single day
226,000 total casualties throughout the campaign which ended in August ’44
For the general World War II enthusiast, none of the above comes as a surprise. It is a standard lesson in WWII 101. In almost any conversation pertaining to the subject, this along with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the use of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki are key points. They are indeed important details and defining moments. However, of equal importance, in our opinion, are the backstories.
Chalcie Gynn West was born on September 18, 1922, in Wilkes County, North Carolina, a mountainous community in the Appalachian chain.2 The eldest of six children, Chalcie was the son of Don (sawmill laborer) and Maggie West (homemaker).3 As was the case in most rural areas, he grew up assisting his family in provision and worked as a farmhand before the war.
Upon registering for the draft on February 16, 1942, Chalcie was soon called by the United States Army. After enlistment at Camp Croft, South Carolina, he would eventually serve with the 557th Quartermaster Corps in England. He would be a participant in the preparation and dress rehearsal for D-Day, known as Exercise Tiger (also referred to as Operation Tiger).
Slapton Sands, a beach in southwest England, was the chosen location for practice because of its similarities to the beaches of Normandy. 300 ships and 30,000 men would take part in the practice run. SAC Eisenhower wanted the men to experience sea sickness brought on by rough waters, to see what it would be like to land and make their way to the beach under fire, as it would be in the coming weeks. He ordered them to use live ammunition to simulate real war conditions. After a few days of preparation, April 27, 1944, was scheduled for the first landings. Communication problems led to delays as they worked toward landing the troops. Trying again the next day, April 28th, things started falling apart again. Doubts among the leadership were growing as the ships loaded with infantry, jeeps, trucks, and tanks neared the landing sites. A lack of German presence on the beaches soon turned to the realization that they were on the sea, and nearby. German Intelligence had been monitoring the buildup of men and ships along the Devon coast. Radar had picked up the LSTs (Landing Ship Tanks), LCUs (Landing Craft Utilities), and LCTs (Landing Craft Tanks).
Aboard LST-507, Private Chalcie West and crew were the first to hear a scraping sound below their ship. An hour passed before a torpedo hit knocking out power and radio. Fires started and blasts from the vehicles filled with gasoline added to the inferno. Other Allied ships were being hit, and blown up, with some sinking. Nearly all the soldiers aboard, including West, were either killed instantly, set on fire, or lost in the cold waters of the English Channel. As the firing ceased, the survivors began to see the bodies of some of their comrades floating in the waters. Estimates vary as to the loss of life, but more than 700 men perished during the attack.
As they tried to regroup and continue to shore, things again took another very deadly turn. While they were expecting the beaches to display quietly the battle scars of war, it was not what they found. Instead, British guns were still firing at what they thought were Germans coming ashore. Another huge communication error. No one had informed the British that Allied troops were landing. In the end, 300 more servicemen had lost their lives.
There were more men lost in the exercise than would be killed on Utah Beach in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944.
Private West and the servicemen who participated in the practice run on that very costly day had no idea they were involved in a top-secret exercise. Leadership wanted them to be ready for real war experiences, and at the same time, wanted to keep quiet their plans for D-Day from German Intelligence. No better way to get them to that state of mind than to subject them to the noises of battle, bullets firing over their heads, explosions, and being able to deal with their buddies being hit: all while using real ammunition.
Hospital personnel were told not to ask any questions of the men being brought in for treatment. Higher-ups did not want the public to know of the terrible disaster that occurred that day. They did not want the troops who would participate in the real landing to know of the unsuccessful efforts for fear of what it would do to their state of mind as they entered into battle. And, they did not want the Germans to know they had successfully thwarted the Allied training effort. Operation Tiger was not talked about for years afterward. It was an embarrassing fact America and its allies wanted to disappear.
Private Chalcie West’s life (and approximately 1000 others) ended in a chaotic and ill-planned practice preparing for the inevitable and necessary invasion of Europe. Logged between the sinking of the HMT Rohna in November 1943 and the USS Indianapolis in July 1945, the United States received another costly black eye. Their status quo response was one of secrecy, keeping grieving families in the dark about the terms of their loved one’s death.
Alma Johnson, Chalcie’s fiancée, “did her bit” along with most American females while anxiously awaiting his return. She worked, sold war bonds, and took care of her family and community, all while planning her future when the dreaded war would finally be over.
Also in common with many other women, her dreams would not be realized. She and his family grieved and longed for the return of his remains. As if the pain of his death was not enough, they were not able to receive and bury his body until December of 1948, shortly after the passing of his father in November.
As we reflect upon the 80th anniversary of the greatest sea and land invasion in history, inarguably, it is important to remember those who perished on June 6, 1944. In addition to these remembrances, let us also recall and appreciate the sacrifice of no less value than that of Private Chalcie Gynn West and millions like him. For in equal share, they too gave their lives for the freedom we continue to enjoy.
(written by Laura A. Bailey and Kathy C. Bibey)
https://www.history.com/news/d-day-normandy-wwii-facts
Various birthdates were found while researching this article. September 18, 1922 appears on West’s draft card (with Chalcie’s signature) and request for his headstone (signed by his mother, Maggie West.) His IDPF (Individual Deceased Personnel File) and actual headstone show varying dates. We chose to publish the one he and his mother signed for.
In all official documentation, CHALCIE is the official spelling of his name. In the lead photo, his name is spelled CHELSIE. That is the name his fiancee, Alma Johnson, called him. The photo is from her estate collection.
Funny you should mention LST 507. In 1994 I interviewed Angelo Crapanzano, a motor machinist's mate who was the only person to get out of the engine room alive when the LST was torpedoed. After posting the interview on my web site, it was read by the daughter of Patsy J. Giacchi, who was one of the few members of the quartermaster battalion to escape, and contacted me. A week later I interviewed Patsy, and it turned out he and Angelo lived only a few miles apart in New Jersey, so I got the two of them together and interviewed them both! Many of the Army personnel who escaped the burning ship drowned because they didn't know how to wear their life preservers. Angelo's interview is available in my book "A Mile in Their Shoes," and Patsy's interview is in my follow-up book, Nine Lives: An Oral History. Both men wound up taking part in the D-Day invasion, Angelo on another LST and Patsy reassigned to the 94th Quartermaster Railhead Battalion. Both were told never to talk about Exercise Tiger. Patsy didn't talk about it until I interviewed him in 1994 and Angelo, who was awarded a Bronze Star, didn't speak about it until 20 / 20 did an expose on it. Both interviews are online. Patsy had a girlfriend, Emily, whom he later married. I'm not sure when Angelo met his wife, Ida.