In the presence of the enemy, with his vessel still under fire, Nye Moses died at about 0830 on 6 June, 1944. In the midst of the battle it was clear that the skipper would succumb to shock and blood loss. The Allies would win Omaha Beach by the end of the day, and the valor of LCT-540 was one key to that costly victory.Įnsign Frederick Nye Moses would not live to see that success.
This time, the crew was able to offload its cargo of men, vehicles, fuel and ammunition. At a safer distance, repairs were affected, and LCT-540 made a second run to Omaha Beach. Ensign Wilhoit ordered the vessel to withdraw. However, in the attack the ramp’s engine had been damaged and could not be lowered. Reaching the beach and still under intense fire, 540 attempted to offload its valuable cargo of vehicles. At least eight other sailors were wounded. His executive officer William Wilhoit took command and continued the charge to the beach, despite the vessel sustaining at least eight serious artillery hits and three of the army engineers also being killed. The shocked crew ran to his aid and attempted to treat his wounds, but it was clear that he was mortally wounded.ĭespite the pain and shock, Moses continued to give orders and encourage his men. Shrapnel rebounded off of the bulkhead and hit him as he fell, inflicting more injury. Half in and half out of the door, a German shell hit Nye Moses, severing his left leg below the knee. Nonetheless, Moses ordered his ship to continue to the beach, even as artillery shells began to splash around the vessel.Ībout 900 yards from the beach, Moses stepped out of the pilot house to shout instructions to some of his men on the deck below. The landings were chaos, the obstacles and mines were still in place, and the signal informing the LCT where and when to land was nowhere in sight. The LCT would be one of the first large vessels to approach the beach, making it a prime target for the German artillery awaiting them.Īs 540 approached the beach, it was clear that things were not going well. Nye Moses received his orders: 540 was to assault the Easy Red Sector of Omaha Beach only an hour after the invasion began.
It soon became clear that this was more than another practice: the invasion was at hand. On June 1, 1944, LCT-540 received orders to load the men and equipment of the 5 th Engineer Special Brigade, attached to the 1 st Infantry Division. Through diligence and uncompromising discipline, Moses lowered the time it took his men to unload their cargo to less than four minutes. He led his men in extensive training and practice exercises, including Operation Tiger, the disastrous practice landings at Slapton Sands, England. It was not long before the men of 540 were informed that, in addition to their daily tasks of moving men and equipment around southern England, they would soon take part in the greatest invasion of the war, Operation Overlord, the assault on the beaches of Normandy.Įnsign Moses was determined to prepare his crew for their vital role. Upon graduation in 1943, Nye reported to Northwestern University for further training, and then to England to take command of Landing Craft Tank 540 by the beginning of 1944. When the US entered WWII, Moses (usually known by his middle name Nye) was a student at the University of Southern California and a naval reservist. was born in Wyoming in 1920 but grew up in Hermosa Beach, California.
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