The battles in France during WW2 were really terrible. Here is the LST 282 which was sunk by a rocket bomb.

We went to the Mediterranean Sea directly to Naples. Was in a landing near Anzio and saw my first deaths on that beach. We were sent to Southern France and was in the Invasion there. Should have been killed there but by God's intervention (I believe) we got off the beach and was replaced at the same spot by the LST 282 that was completely destroyed by a flying rocket bomb. We went to Africa and picked up some Senegalese troops and delivered them to France. They were scary guys. Big knives and they loved to use them on the Krauts. They took ears off the corpses for payment.
 

We also went into Pisa Italy on a small landing. After some other stuff we would up in Palermo Sicily. I still communicate with a Sicilian guy who became a very good friend. His name is Umberto Aronica. Now is a retired Restaurateur in Goteborg Sweden.