Edward Ellsberg
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Annapolis Days
  • Publications
  • WW II Letters & Diary
  • Audio Files
  • Obituary
  • What's New
  • Gallery
  • Guestbook
  • Contact Me

List of Normandy Letters


These letters are important because they document where Ellsberg was during the critical days leading up to the Normandy invasion and his contact with Churchill, as described in detail in The Far Shore. The problem was that the huge cement Phoenixes that were to be an integral part of the Mulberry harbors were solidly stuck on the ocean floor, and the Royal Engineers who were in control of the project could not raise them. Ellsberg had showed them how to, but realized that they weren't capable of the task. He communicated this to Admiral Stark, who, in turn, contacted the King, who used his influence in getting Churchill to visit Selsey Bill where Ellsberg was stationed. The facts surrounding Churchill's involvement in the Mulberry aspect of the invasion are practically unknown, and it is solely through these letters that his involvement is documented. Immediately upon reviewing the problem, Churchill went back to London, took the job away from the Royal Engineers and gave it to the royal Navy. Ellsberg and others had pushed for the Americans to get the job, but due to politics, that never could have happened. See The Far Shore for a full account of the events leading up to D-Day, and how Ellsberg's efforts changed the outcome of the invasion. It is important to note that the date the letter was written may not correspond to the postmark date. This will be especially important for those letters written prior to the invasion.​
NO.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33

​34
35
36

​37
38
39

​40
41
​42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
​60

​61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74

​75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97

​98

​99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
Date Written
​5/3/1944
5/3/1944
5/5/1944
5/7/1944
5/9/1944
5/12/1944
5/16/1944
5/18/1944
5/21/1944
5/23/1944
5/27/1944
5/29/1944
5/31/1944
6/3/1944
6/5/1944
6/6/1944
6/9/1944
6/9/1944
6/12/1944
6/12/1944
6/18/1944
6/19/1944
6/20/1944
6/21/1944
6/22/1944
6/23/1944
6/24/1944
6/27/1944
6/29/1944
7/2/1944
7/4/1944
7/5/1944

​7/6/1944
7/7/1944
7/7/1944

​7/8/1944
7/9/1944
7/10/1944

​7/11/1944
7/12/1944
​7/14/1944
7/15/1944
7/16/1944
7/17/1944
7/18/1944
7/19/1944
7/20/1944
7/21/1944
7/23/1944
7/24/1944
7/25/1944
7/26/1944
7/27/1944
7/28/1944
7/29/1944
7/30/1944
7/31/1944
8/1/1944
​8/2/1944

​8/3/1944
8/4/1944
8/5/1944
8/6/1944
8/7/1944
8/8/1944
8/9/1944
8/10/1944
8/11/1944
8/12/1944
8/13/1944
8/14/1944
8/15/1944
8/16/1944
​
​8/17/1944
8/18/1944
8/19/1944
8/20/1944
8/21/1944
8/22/1944
8/23/1944
8/24/1944
8/25/1944
8/26/1944
8/26/1944
8/27/1944
8/28/1944
8/29/1944
8/29/1944
8/30/1944
8/31/1944
9/1/1944
9/2/1944
9/3/1944
9/4/1944
9/4/1944
9/5/1944
​
​9/6/1944
​
​9/7/1944
​9/8/1944
9/9/1944
9/10/1944
9/11/1944
9/12/1944
9/13/1944
9/14/1944
9/15/1944
9/16/1944
9/17/1944
9/18/1944
9/19/1944
9/20/1944
9/21/1944
9/22/1944
9/24/1944
LOCATION
​London
London
London
London
London
London
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
London/Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
Shore
At sea
London
London
London
London
London
London
France
At sea
France
London
London
London

London
London
London

​London
London
London

​London
London
​London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
​London

​London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
​
​London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
​
London

London
​London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
London
CONTENT
​Arrival
General chat; cable sent
General chat/food
Censorship/walking around London
Shaving/Mary/staying in a hotel
General chat/mail from home/Forrestal
Arrival at the shore/air raid
Air raid/conference: Churchill
Cottage/longjohns/tin hat/Italy campaign
Air raid/air superiority
Comments on invasion/Lord Haw Haw/navy's role
Injured/air raid/his job as technical advisor
Anniversary thoughts/D-Day hopes
D-Day-3/pay
D-Day-2/ on a sub-chaser/weather/Cathedral
D-Day commentary
I'm OK note
Mail problems/general family chat/weather
D+5, interesting comments on the invasion
Mail & pay problems
D-day results/feelings about French & Nazis
Job ended;flying bombs;tribute to Lucy
New assignment;surprise at lack of naval losses; lack of flying bombs
Air raid; shell shock cases
Act II job; life's dissatisfaction
Course of war; flying bombs; finances
New orders to far shore
New assignment; weather
New assignment; money; food in France; snipers
Visit to Cherbourg; war report
Jeep injury story - fascinating!
Flying bombs; propaganda
Cherbourg: no job in France - Sullivan there; beachheads working; people killed by flying bombs; Churchill's speech about the bombs; von Rundstedt replaced
Newspaper-Churchill speech (no letter)
Rommel's error; propaganda, love
Ellsberg: main beachhead, Sullivan: Cherbourg; picked up a German rifle in Cherbourg; fall of Cherbourg a German disgrace
War victories by Bradley & Monty; his hotel (Goring); people killed in Guards chapel
Great love letter
Finances; food was bad in France; food in London; thoughts on war: need to finish Germany off for good; propaganda & Jews
Saw flying bombs; Patton coming soon; "A Bell for Adano" helping Goebbels & hurting Patton
Propaganda, Craftsweld
Flying bomb sites moving; desperate propaganda trying to split Allies; German fronts weakening
"A Bell for Adano"
Weather; general chat; candy & fruitcake not wanted
Rommel's mistakes; war critics
Mulberries' effect on invasion
Present: silver tea kettle
New flying bomb tactics; Tojo's ouster; attempt on Hitler; feelings about Hitler
Family; Hitler; attack on freedom
Views on FDR's 4th term; '36 trip on "Exeter"
ME chit-chat; H. Laski's book
Flying bomb close by
Armed Services editions of his books; German problems on the Eastern Front
German radio; propaganda lies; Lady Gowers; General McNair killed
LBE injury; no future war with Russia
Life in London dull; Lunts; Bradley on the move; the far shore again for EE?
Made stove for tea 
Life in London; Buckingham Palace w/o window glass
Patton taking the field
To Far Shore again? Mulberries revealed & their importance in supplying the troops & making the Invasion "stick" - EE went over on one
Politics - will FDR be a perpetual leader?; democracy; war progress in Brittany
Patton blitzkreig; Hitler shooting generals; views on going after Nazis if they should flee
"Torpedo Junction" book
Propaganda campaign causing rift among allies
Military tactical mistakes by the Germans
Patton's successes in France & German errors
LBE gets to ME; family; making tea with a lamp
ESU; BBC vs. US radio programs
Draft evasion?; war progress; propaganda; de Gaulle's army
Bomb damage on Fleet Street; humor; Mary's car
Nazis about to retreat; ME
Nice assault begins; Patton is revealed as in command of the Third Army
Curtain coming down on Rommel; radio Berlin and Axis Sally; Vichy
LBE's accidents; no work since 7/4; won't become a British citizen; view on "indispensable" leaders; Moon's death; Patton's progress; German mistakes
LBE's g-gmom; Vichy fleeing; Capt. Ives killed; going after "terrorists"!!
Frustration over waiting for his job that he was sent over for to begin
Rain; war results in France; bomb damage nearby
War success; propaganda; are Germans dumb: how can they believe all Goebbels' propaganda?
Bad weather; flying bombs; love
Paris free; Marseilles captured;German war effort crumbling rapidly
Westminster Abbey bells ring for liberation of Paris; Goebbels' propaganda changes; war strategy
Family stuff; casualty ratios; Harry Kemp's book on communists
V-2 bombs launched?; Ned Benson (my dad)
Ready to go home; record for no flying bombs; English go to beaches; Selfridge's breaks out allied flags
Strategy in France; effect of bombs; evacuation; future trips with Lucy
Nazis collapsing; good analysis of Goebbels' tactics; end will be different than 1918; grapes @ $2 a pound
Emlyn Williams' broadcast
Fewer flying bombs; forces advance quickly in France; German 7th Army crushed & 15th coming to cover them
Patton's strategy; killing of Jews
Bradley, Patton & Montgomery's progress; Montgomery made Field Marshal
Job prospects; ME house; Pope's broadcast; "Invasion Calling;" victories; military songs
Adm. Irish:possible promotion; Oradour massacre;V-1 fading; "people's army;" Goebbel's propaganda machine
Brit. edition of Capt Paul; importance of the artificial harbors; war progress; hates peacetime salvage
Belgium entered; Finland withdraws from war; death of von Kluge
Chandler & Drew Pearson trying to cause trouble between Allies; Brussels is freed
Sees Ned Benson at his camp
Flat tires; short war vs. Bulgaria; no war criminals in some countries; propaganda; Germany looking for "political decision;" false armistice
Bad car ride; blackout lifting; flying bomb defense tactics released; German radio using scare tactics about occupied countries' conditions
OK to use oil in Westfield; no coal: no fog in London; sees Ned Benson
End of the flying bombs; reason for evacuation of London; Germany encircled; the end is near; planes over Germany
Amery's vicious statement for the Nazis; sunny day; doing ironing; Model is C-in-C in the west
Next job was to be Brittany, but probably won't go as the war has moved to the east
Le Havre falls & its value; view of FDR as a perpetual candidate
Air raids over Germany; Goebbels' new tone & no talk of V1 & V2 or invasion
Lucy's mother fractures hip; evacuees coming back; opinion of Bullitt; who are we fighting?; helping our enemies
EE has a cold; bombing German cities; progress against Siegfried Line & the Philippines; view of Russian neutrality
Sees Richard III; Ned Benson goes to France; Siegfried Line is crossed;more flying bombs
Airborne lands in Holland; blackout ends; sympathisers; von Rundstedt is back
Benson letter; blackout ends but not much changes; flying bomb hits
Lost laundry; importance of airborne assault
EE chides LBE for driving in a hurricane; LBE's mother; Brest falls
Good view of flying bomb; bombs coming from new direction; ultra-violet & infra-red treatment for cold
LBE's parents' health; trip ME to NJ
Orders to go home coming
Sent cable about going home; cryptic message about a ship; last letter

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Annapolis Days
  • Publications
  • WW II Letters & Diary
  • Audio Files
  • Obituary
  • What's New
  • Gallery
  • Guestbook
  • Contact Me