FIRST PLATOON COMPANY “A”

On July 11, 1944 the first platoon along with the rest of the Battalion closed all training manuals and began cleaning house. Army officials had come to the conclusion that we were thoroughly trained for the mission which lay in the future for us. No more “dry runs” or maneuvers, this was to be the start of the “real McCoy”. Most of us had already had our furloughs a few days previous so parting was not so bad. We left Camp Livingstin that day loaded with G.I. issues and boarded the train headed for Camp Miles Standish.

In most opinions this was a long and gruesome ride because it took three nights and four days to reach our destination. It was hard on some of the boys passing within sight of their old backyards and favorite meeting places, but to others not having seen the Eastern States it broadened their knowledge as to how the rest of our states lived.

We finally reached Miles Standish where we were greeted by music coming through the loud speaker system. Our stay here was short, but not too short to prevent some of the boys who lived near by to once more see their Mom, Wife or Sweethearts. Here we saw and participated in what was at the time thought was the longest chow line anywhere in the Army. Little did we know how long the chow line was to be abroad the troopship, the Wakefield , formerly the U.S.S. Manhattan, luxury liner reconverted for the transportation of military personnel.

During the early morning hours of July 25, 1944 we again slung packs, this time with duffle bags in our hands, or rather dragging behind us. One more train ride took us in a short time to Boston Harbor . Every step from here on made us feel more and more important figures waiting eagerly to prove our title “The Fighting First”, having boarded ship under cover of darkness we quietly slipped out to sea. So quiet was our departure that some of us upon awakening in the morning were very much surprised to see nothing but water and more water. Life at sea was not bad at all, our ship had already proven its worth on previous Atlantic crossings. Unescorted we made the entire voyage from Boston Harbor to Liverpool England in seven days. The only complaint on the trip was the long and seemingly endless chow lines. Orchestra music was part of the entertainment provided for us. A great majority of the boys occupied their time by playing cards and reading. In the evenings practically everyone spent their time on deck looking out to the sea, each with his own individual thoughts. One day word spread that a submarine was in the vicinity but it turned out to be just a rumor. All in all the entire crossing was a great adventure for everyone.

Our landing at Liverpool , England was another important occasion to us for this country was one of our Allies. Here we were to see, hear and together participate in a fight for world freedom. Hearing our first Englishman speck sounded somewhat funny to us but it was not long before we acquired the same accent. The people were all very friendly at Creek Howell. Our stay here was approximately three weeks. During our stay here most of our time was spent in drawing the worlds best combat equipment, a few inspections and other minor but important details. From here we convoyed to the docks of Southampton arriving there on the 27^th of August, eighty-two days after the invasion of France , a date known to the world as “D” Day. At Southampton we boarded ship to cross the English Channel , a distance of approximately 85 miles of somewhat rougher waters than the previous ocean crossing. Each man aboard ship was given his quota of emergency rations. Needless to mention most everyone had eaten theirs before reaching the sandy and blood stained beaches of Normandy . Our landing took place at Utah Beach . A mighty sad picture greeted us here. Boats of all kind could still be seen half submerged in the black water. Black sands from shell explosions stared at us. The area had already been policed up to a certain degree, but the destruction to the farms and buildings still were plain to the eye. To most of us it gave us a strange feeling at first. As we rode on and the more we saw it made us want to get in the thick of it and avenge those brothers of ours who has gallantly fallen before the foe in the high hopes of establishing an everlasting peace. It was not long before we got this chance. A week had hardly passed since our landing and we were already out of the Normandy area steadily gaining on the 3^rd Army front. This was our secret destination. Next came a date which we will long remember, September 10^th 1944, this was the day out Battalion was committed to action. Several days previous to this we had done all the taking, now it was our turn to give.

            Nothing worth recording happened until September 14^th when we were given our first mission, up until now we were in reserve eagerly awaiting some kind of a task to perform. We were to secure the lateral roads and routes into the Forest Du Haye leading to Nancy . Or actions proved successful for together with the aid of Company I of the 319^th Inf. Our Battalion on the following day was the first Americans to enter the large city of Nancy . The only loss here was one half track belonging to Company C. This was due to an enemy land mine.

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