Norman Harry Pool MC. SAS Officer who was the first to land on D-Day.
The death is announced of Norman Poole who as an officer of the 1st SAS Regiment, dropped into enemy territory with his troops on D-Day ahead of the main invasion.
He led a select group of men who acted as live bait to lure the German reserve offensive away from Omaha and Utah beaches. As part of Operation Titanic Norman and his men had effectively volunteered for a mission against which there was no hope of support or rescue. He was dropped into the west coast of Normandy along with 200 dummy parachutists and battle noise equipment. Despite the operation not running as smoothly as planned a whole German Kampfgruppe from the 915th Grenadier Regiment, which was the only reserve element of the 352nd Infantry Division, was diverted away from ‘Omaha’ and the 101st Airborne Division's drop zones thereby assisting the Allies to get a foothold on the beach.
You can read Norman's Military Cross Citation in the Lifestories section of the Tribute.
He led a select group of men who acted as live bait to lure the German reserve offensive away from Omaha and Utah beaches. As part of Operation Titanic Norman and his men had effectively volunteered for a mission against which there was no hope of support or rescue. He was dropped into the west coast of Normandy along with 200 dummy parachutists and battle noise equipment. Despite the operation not running as smoothly as planned a whole German Kampfgruppe from the 915th Grenadier Regiment, which was the only reserve element of the 352nd Infantry Division, was diverted away from ‘Omaha’ and the 101st Airborne Division's drop zones thereby assisting the Allies to get a foothold on the beach.
You can read Norman's Military Cross Citation in the Lifestories section of the Tribute.
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Thoughts
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We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.
Sent by F. H. Halliday and Son on 01/07/2015
I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.
Extract from a poem by Henry Scott Holland
