The John Bannister Collection - D-Day and Militaria
Lot 1029:
Description
WWII D-Day BIGOT Force U Op Order 3-44
“We’ll start the war from right here!” Famously uttered by Brig. General Teddy Roosevelt Jr. to the young soldiers scrambling onto the beachhead. He became the only U.S. general to storm the beaches in the first wave of the Normandy invasion on D-Day, leading the 4th Infantry Division, 8th Infantry Regiment, into France. His landing craft had drifted off its intended course and reached shore nearly a mile from its targeted landing on Utah Beach.
This is an extraordinary historical archive consisting of original “TOP SECRET – BIGOT – NEPTUNE” documents for Operation Order No. 3-44 of Assault Force “U” (Utah Beach), dated May 15, 1944, Serial No. 00010 [found throughout the document grouping] The presence of this SN is of paramount importance; in the rigid “BIGOT” hierarchy, the first ten copies were exclusively reserved for flag officers and supreme command headquarters. Historical records confirm that Serial 00010 of this specific order was assigned to the Demolition Plan (Appendix Three to Annex “George”), a critical component of the invasion architecture. This copy would have been utilized by high-ranking officers coordinating the Naval and Army Demolition Units tasked with breaching obstacles on Utah Beach to permit the landing of the VII Corps. This specific copy was likely assigned to the Chief of Staff for the Western Naval Task Force or the Commander of the VII Corps, Major General J. Lawton Collins.
Among many historic documents, the archive also includes an exceptionally rare map, Serial No. 1987, which is a “BIGOT” amphibious beach chart titled “Utah Beach – North (Ravenoville).” This museum-grade map, scaled at 1:10,000, illustrates the Roger, Sugar, and Tare Green sectors of the coast. This specific serial number (1987) belongs to the limited print run of detailed charts issued just days before D-Day to guide landing craft commanders. The map contains vital data on beach obstacles, tidal zones, and enemy coastal defenses, intended to ensure the success of the largest seaborne invasion in history. The entire archive consists of typed directives and multi-colored tactical maps on period paper, showing authentic field wear including edge fraying, heavy toning, and oxidation at the metal binding points. H 13″, W 9″, D 3″. Part of the John Bannister Collection. John acquired over a lifetime of collecting. Please see photos.
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