Solutions to the communications problems could not come too quickly for the sailors on Blue Beach. Late in the morning, tanks came rumbling toward the beach. German engineers were in the process of clearing a path that would allow their tanks through the minefields.

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The sailors’ nearest supporting infantry from the 36th Division, a mile away down the beach, could not be contacted by radio. The radio had not worked properly all day, having gotten wet during the landing. The radio operator did manage to warn off approaching landing craft, as German tanks were only 80 yards from the water. Before the radio went dead, the sailors continued sending signals for fire support and reinforcements. They also reported the position of the enemy armor.

The sailors on Blue Beach found themselves all alone for three hours. When their radio finally died, it was assumed that the beach had been overrun. Admiral Hewitt had the destroyers Bristol, Edison, Ludlow and Woolsey move parallel to the shore and begin shelling the beach to drive the tanks away. Their first two salvoes were short, however, falling at the water’s edge and killing and wounding a number of Americans. Some tried to escape the friendly fire, but Corpsman Johnstone, caring for six wounded men, refused to abandon his charges.

Caught between the Germans to their front and the American ships to their rear, the sailors were desperate. Signalman Bingaman made his way to the water’s edge, where he used a pair of handkerchiefs to semaphore word to the ships indicating the presence of sailors on the beach. Fortunately, the signal was seen and the destroyers transferred their fire to the German tanks that were still threatening the beach. The Navy gunners knocked out several of the tanks and drove the rest away. Bingaman’s action undoubtedly saved Blue Beach for the Americans. He was later awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry.

Brigadier General John Lange, commander of the 36th Infantry Division, which landed in the first wave of the attack, spoke for all the men on the beaches when he said, ‘Thank God for the fire from the blue belly Navy ships.’ Edison alone knocked out 11 tanks during the day, while the cruisers Savannah and Philadelphia, joining the fray, accounted for 10 between them.

Meanwhile, Yellow Beach was also opened up thanks to the efforts of the 4th Beach Battalion. Sailors there used the only operable radio in the area to call in naval gunfire from destroyers in the bay. As the ships dueled with German tanks, other members of the beach party were busy searching for a channel that was deep enough to allow LSTs laden with armor and artillery to reach the beach. Ensign Luther Kern of Platoon C-8, accompanied by two other seamen, boarded a British LCVP to conduct the reconnaissance. The boat was hit three times and sunk, with all British personnel on board lost. Kern was mortally wounded, but he did locate a channel.

Soon thereafter, a British vessel was able to come to the aid of Yellow Beach. Moving close inshore, she poured smoke shells into the Torre di Paestum area, enabling men of the 531st Shore Engineers, reinforced by beach party members, to storm the strongpoint. They neutralized the tanks and machine guns around the tower and cleared out snipers, taking six prisoners in the bargain.

Through the efforts of the 4th Beach Battalion, the situation on the landing beaches was slowly beginning to improve. By midafternoon, most of the German guns and tanks along the shore were silent and air attacks on the beaches had diminished. Finally, boats circling offshore were able to come in. Reserve infantry splashed ashore, and efforts were made to clear beaches jammed with supplies.

The Americans exploited the retreat of the surviving German armor. Lieutenant Bentley remembered: ‘That big Tiger tank, waving its cannon around looking for a target on the beach, finally left, leaving its tracks behind! It did us a real favor. All the 531st Engineers had to do was follow these tank tracks to put in a road off the beach. With our guys laying the metal roadway through the mine fields, the area beyond the beach was open.’

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