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Contact Info
Home Town Asheville, NC
Last Address Lakeside
Date of Passing Nov 28, 2005
Location of Interment U.S. Military Academy West Point Post Cemetery (VLM) - West Point, New York
As a Lieutenant Colonel, Bennett, along with the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion on the June 6, 1944 landed with the second wave at 0720 on D-Day. His party was subjected to a tremendous volume of machine gun fire which inflicted 50 percent casualties before they reached the comparative safety of the shingle at the base of the cliff adjoining the beach. Observing that following units were pinned down on the beach, he immediately left his cover and moved about the beach under heavy fire in order to assemble and reorganize the infantry assault companies, four tanks, and an antiaircraft unit.
By redistributing the remaining officers and equipment; by emplacing the .50 calibre machine guns of the antiaircraft unit so as to give close support to the infantry; and by radioing for tank and artillery fire support from the LCTs, he organized a sizeable force and at about 10:00 hours, which successfully assaulted the ridge. He then continued moving about the beach under intense fire and succeeded in locating a protected place to bring his battalion and move it across the beach. Lieutenant Colonel Bennett, in disregarding his own safety under such heavy enemy fire throughout the day and in his clear thinking, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of the beachhead.
General Bennett recounts his WWII experience in his memoir, Honor Untarnished, published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC in 2003. General Bennett also served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy from 1966 to 1969. He retired in 1974 as commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific Command.
Retired Gen. Donald Vivian Bennett, 47th Superintendent of West Point, died Nov. 28 in Asheville, N.C. He was 90.
Bennett, a 1940 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, served in the military until 1974 when he retired as the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific Command. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross and two Purple Hearts for his service during World War II. As a lieutenant colonel commanding the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Bennett landed on Omaha Beach with the second wave on D-Day June 6, 1944.
His unit faced tremendous machine gun fire which inflicted 50 percent casualties before they reached relative safety at the base of the cliff adjoining the beach. By disregarding his own safety under heavy enemy fire throughout the day, he contributed immeasurably to the establishment of the beachhead by the Allied Forces. Bennett recounted his WWII experience in his memoir, Honor Untarnished, as he explained the sense of honor that was instilled in him by the Cadet’s Prayer and the way it sustained him during the war. Born in Lakeside, Ohio, on May 9, 1915, Bennett’s military service led him back to West Point where he served as superintendent of the academy from Jan. 1966 to June 1968.
After his time as superintendent, Bennett served as commanding general of U.S. VII Corps (1968-1969), director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (1969-1972), the Commander in Chief, United Nations Command, Korea (1972-1973) and then finished his career at USARPAC. Bennett was pre-deceased by his wife, Elizabeth and son, Peter. He is survived by his daughter, Marylyn.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Normandy Campaign (1944)/Operation Overlord/D-Day Beach Landings - Operation Neptune
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the restoration of the French Republic, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks.
The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five bridgeheads were not connected until 12 June. However, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day were around 1,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. Museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area host many visitors each year.