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the duties not only of field guns but of railroad
 
guns. It is in reality like corps artillery. I
 
think it is probably true that never before has
 
it been attempted to silence with naval gun fire
 
so elaborate a system of coast defenses as here.
 
After the first day the great block of firing was
 
on targets requested by Signal Force Control Par-
 
ties both to break up threatened counter-attacks
 
and to prepare the .advance of our troops. The.
 
Nevada, operating close inshore and threatened by
 
a great number of small and medium batteries, performed with the greatest gallantry and 
 
effectiveness. She succeeded, with her fourteen inch main
 
battery, in breaking up a serious counter-attack
 
which was forming the night of D-day north of
 
Carentan, consisting of armored troops and artilery.
 
     All of this demonstrated to me the tremendous
 
strides that have been made which are scarcely apprecia-
 
ted by those who have not observed closely the new equip-