Military ExperienceCulpepper was 25 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Camp Shelby on October 23, 1943 and was single. Otis was a little short standing at 5’7” and 130 lbs. He had blonde hair and his left forefinger was cutoff, presumably during an accident before the war. He was assigned to the 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division. The 314th Infantry Regiment was involved in the invasion of France and participated in D-Day
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D-Day
The 314th Infantry Regiment was assigned to invade at Utah Beach and continue into mainland France. Utah Beach was the westernmost front of the initial invasion. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander for the invasion of France and recommended troops land at Cotentin, where Utah Beach was located.
The first wave started at 6:30 in the morning, after airdrops at 1:30 earlier. The paratroopers suffered extensive casualties compared to the main invasion force. There was less resistance on Utah Beach than on the other landing sites, and infantry and tanks secured the beachhead rather quickly. However, the invasion was largely botched from the beginning with craft landing far from their designated zone. In addition, many German defenders remained. First, engineers cleared the area of mines, then the infantry, and thus likely Otis, moved inland to clear them out. Luckily for them, the Germans were ill-equipped for the most part and they were mostly foreign conscripts. Foreign conscripts were notoriously unreliable fighters, and in many cases, simply surrendered to the Allies when encountered.
The first wave started at 6:30 in the morning, after airdrops at 1:30 earlier. The paratroopers suffered extensive casualties compared to the main invasion force. There was less resistance on Utah Beach than on the other landing sites, and infantry and tanks secured the beachhead rather quickly. However, the invasion was largely botched from the beginning with craft landing far from their designated zone. In addition, many German defenders remained. First, engineers cleared the area of mines, then the infantry, and thus likely Otis, moved inland to clear them out. Luckily for them, the Germans were ill-equipped for the most part and they were mostly foreign conscripts. Foreign conscripts were notoriously unreliable fighters, and in many cases, simply surrendered to the Allies when encountered.
Utah Beach During the D-Day Invasion