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Phil H. Bucklew
Capt. Phil H. Bucklew USN
U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive

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Spotting the Steeple: The invasion of Normandy

Oral History excerpt from Captain Phil H. Bucklew
By Taira Payne
October 2020
Naval History Magazine
Volume 34, Number 5
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A legendary figure within Navy circles, Captain Phil H. Bucklew devoted his entire Navy career to scouting, raiding, and intelligence. One of the Navy's first "frogmen" and a charter member of its Scouts and Raiders of World War II, he scouted the beaches at Normandy, Salerno, and Sicily weeks before Allied invasions.

Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach (U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive)

In this excerpt from his oral history, Captain Bucklew serves up a vivid, action filled account of D-Day at Normandy; the sights, the explosive sounds, the confusion, the perils—and the validating relief of spotting the steeple he first had noted on his recon mission.

 

Click here to read more about the Naval Institute Oral History Program.

 

U.S. Naval Institute · 1980 Interview with Captain Phil H. Bucklew, USN (Ret.) About Invading of Normandy at Omaha Beach

Taira Payne

Taira Payne was the Project Manager, Digital Assets & Web for the U.S. Naval Institute until January 2022. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science, specializing in Archives and Digital Curation, from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s in History from Washington College.

More Stories From This Author View Biography

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