10. "We are getting ready for an invasion."

Area of operations.

WAR UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2, 1942. Rommel driven back in Battle of Alam Halfa, North Africa.


Thursday, September 17, 1942

My pay record for overseas hazardous duty pay was opened on September 17, 1942.

Thursday, September 24, 1942
Train at Beach Hill Camp near Londonderry for about five weeks. We now move, go by truck to New Castle, [Northern] Ireland. Here we set up camp and continue our training.

Newcastle, Northern Ireland, as it appears today. [photo by Astrid Lied]

Saturday, September 26, 1942
Fire rifles on range.

Saturday, October 3, 1942
Leave at 3 a.m., go by truck to Belfast. Load on USS Brazil.


The route from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Liverpool, England, and on to Crewe.

Sunday, October 4, 1942
Arrive at Liverpool, England. Go by train to city of Crewe, about 30 miles from Liverpool. Here, our camp is at Crewe Hall, an old castle 2 or 3 miles from Crewe.

Crewe Hall as it appears today; Crewe, Cheshire, England. We used this castle as camp for 10 days. [courtesy: www.cheshire.gov.uk]

BACK IN THE WORLD: October 5, 1942. St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees four games to one.

Thursday, October 8, 1942
Our outfit is reorganized. We are getting ready for an invasion. I am to be a bridge carpenter, altho I have hardly ever seen a bridge. I had been a radio operator, but didn't have a radio to operate.

We are now plain old combat engineers. Our company will be the "beach party." We will land ahead of everything and prepare the beach for other units to follow, including infantry, tanks, etc.

Friday, October 9, 1942
Go on nite problem [training]. We train part of the nite. I help lay summervelt matting which will keep tanks and trucks from getting stuck in the soft sand on beach. I also have walkie-talkie radio so our unit can keep in contact with other units in the operation.

Wednesday, October 14, 1942
Load everything we have on train and go to Liverpool.

Friday, October 16, 1942
Load on HMS Durban Castle. This ship is from the South African ship lines.

A postcard of HMS Durban Castle. [courtesy: www.simplonpc.co.uk]

Monday, October 19, 1942
Anchored off Glasgow, Scotland. Here we continue our training on the ship.

Wednesday, October 21, 1942
We climb down side of ship on rope netting with full field pack. It is foggy, netting is slippery. We go from top of ship down to the water and back up again. Several of our men fall and get hurt.

Soldiers climbing rope netting with full field pack in a training maneuver during World War Two [courtesy: www.45thdivision.org]

Saturday, October 24, 1942
Training on ship while anchored at Glasgow. Have nite problem [training].

WAR UPDATE: November 1, 1942. Operation Supercharge begins; Allies break Axis lines at the Battle of El Alamein, North Africa.