Merriam Press World War 2 Memoir SeriesThe big adventure for the men of D Troop, 94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized (their official name), really began on October 8, 1944, when following a long cramped train ride they arrived at Camp Shanks, New Jersey.
The journey which started in Camp Campbell, Kentucky, was finally over, and morale took a noticeable turn for the better. This was the staging area for the New York Port of Embarkation (POE), and the start of the Big One for which they had trained so long and so hard.
At that point in time the author's Main Occupational Specialty (MOS) was to man the .50-caliber machine gun in a "Peep" (the armored soldier's name for a jeep). Later, he became the gunner of an M8 armored car.
The story of the author and his unit starts with their shipment overseas on the troopship Gen. James A. Parker and their landing in Marseilles, France. They undergo more training, followed by their first foray into combat in early December 1944.
The rest of the story unfolds as the author and his unit move inexorably towards Germany and the end of the war. The story will be familiar to all veterans, with episodes of camaraderie, laughter, combat, fear, losses, tears, peace and joy.
This is not a war story, nor is it a story about war; rather it is a story about men whose lives happened to become entangled in a war. The material for it has been derived from several sources; first of all from Troop and Platoon diaries in the author's possession which were written during the months of occupation shortly after the end of the conflict; secondly from the published history of the 14th Armored Division, and lastly drawn from several published texts which pertain to the events and places which are depicted.
That it is written in the first person was not the author's original intention, as it is meant to be a narrative about a team of which he was only one player, but once started this seemed the only practical way to accomplish the end product.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1: Embarkation
Chapter 2: Arrival in France
Chapter 3: Mount Up
Chapter 4: First Combat
Chapter 5: Taking Gambsheim
Chapter 6: Radio Watch
Chapter 7: Into Germany
Chapter 8: Booby Trap
Chapter 9: Holding Position Inside Germany
Chapter 10: Operation NORTHWIND
Chapter 11: Hatten-Rittershofen
Chapter 12: Withdrawal
Chapter 13: Spring Thaw
Chapter 14: Siegfried Line
Chapter 15: Across the Rhine
Chapter 16: The Final Curtain
52 B&W photos
5 maps;
13 documents
1 illustration
