27. A Day After His Brother Was Killed in Normandy, Preston Niland Was Killed Just a Few Miles Away
On the same morning that Robert Niland was killed, his brother Preston, a lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division, led his men ashore on Utah Beach. Unlike the neighboring Omaha Beach where US attackers suffered horrific losses, the casualties on Utah Beach were relatively light. However, they began to mount once the GIs moved inland and came under fire from numerous German artillery positions. Lieutenant Preston Niland and his platoon were ordered to take out a particularly troublesome artillery position at Crisbeck.
The German battery at Crisbeck had already sunk an American destroyer, the USS Corry, so it was vital that it be taken out as soon as possible. On June 7th, 1944, Lieutenant Niland led his men in an attack against that artillery position, and amidst heavy fighting, he fell, mortally wounded. Within a mere three weeks, tragedy had befallen three Niland brothers, and Michael and Augusta Niland received the terrible news about three of their sons within a brief span of time.