England: Preparing for the Front

[connie]

Time spent in England varied. Those in the division infantry arrived a week apart in October. The division's artillery and special forces, arriving on the Wakefield November 17th had a shy two weeks there.

I know that "equipment was readied" and some gear issued. But, my detailed understanding of these preparations is limited.

Somewhere I heard hints that the individual fire arms (packed in a grease like material for transport) needed to be cleaned. Were these issued to individual soldiers who then did the cleaning?

I understand that those on the Wakefield had been waiting at Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts for so long that they had lost their priority for requisition of things as mundane as new socks. Does anyone remember such basics being issued in England?

It's my understanding that of those who got overshoes before the Bulge, most got them somewhere on the continent in December. Did anyone get overshoes in England?

(And while we're on the gear bit... what were you wearing on your feet? I watch today's soldiers boarding planes in fatigues and combat boots. Did you have combat boots? What were they like?

Did you have supplies for helping to waterproof them a bit?

What other preparations/ gear issued do you remember in England?

And what about the larger guns like howitzers? Did these come on the Wakefield and follow you to the midlands? Did they need prepping (grease removal?) Or, did they join you at the docks for the channel crossing?

Do these musings raise other thoughts or questions about the work during this period? Connie

[race7223]

Connie,

My father is Jack D. Smith, Sr., who was a Staff Sgt in 423/B. I showed him your post to see if he had any answers. He doesn't remember a lot of details from the time, but he did recall that the grease-like substance was called cosmoline.

He was issued his rifle at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and had it with him all the way to Europe as did most of the other soldiers traveling in his group. As far as cleaning off the cosmoline, he did that when he first received his rifle. He recalls the cosmoline being quite messy. He said there was a cleaner, probably some type of solvent, that was used to clean the cosmoline, but that there was never enough of it. Some soldiers, when taking their showers, would actually take their rifles in with them to try to clean the grease off, although they weren't supposed to do that. But the hot water help break up the grease. Afterward, of course, the men would then oil the rifles.

So his rifle did not need to be cleaned when he arrived in England, but at the time he received his weapon each individual soldier was responsible for cleaning his own weapon.

Mortars, my dad recalls, were also packed in cosmoline, but he doesn't remember having to clean them overseas. He was in charge of a mortar squad.

Regarding combat boots, my father remembers receiving them in England. But he said they were not waterproofed and he doesn't remember receiving any waterproofing material.

That's all he remembers for now. But sometimes if I ask him again another memory will pop up.

Oh, incidentally, he shipped overseas on the Queen Elizabeth.

Cheers,
David Smith
Baton Rouge, La., USA

[connie]

David,

This is interesting. Thanks! Cosmoline... that name rings a bell... The gun cleaning in the shower is American ingenuity at its best! Your notes help clear up some questions. It makes sense that most of the troops would take already cleaned weapons with them as they crossed the Atlantic. Someone who traveled on the Wakefield, however, did mention being issued his side arm in England and having to clean it there. I'll have to dig through my notes. If memory serves, I was thinking it was a medic imbedded in an artillery unit. But, another imbedded medic spoke of the fact that he was "armed only with a hypodermic needle" which makes sense. So, as some details clear, others remain a bit mirky in my mind. The Wakefield did arrive in England over a month after the rest of the ships. But, I don't think that would have much of an impact on anything we're discussing here. I'm assuming that the weapons issue and murky showers you spoke of probably happened at Camp Atterbury and not at Camp Myles Standish...(??) Anyway, thanks for helping flesh out the picture!

Connie

[race7223]

You're welcome, Connie. My dad witnessed the cleaning of rifles in the showers while at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, before the 106th moved to Camp Atterbury. But like you said, it was American ingenuity at its best! So I'd bet the same thing happened where ever there was a shower and a lack of a cleaning solvent.

[gfgrant8443]

My father was in an anti-tank platoon attached to HQ Co.,3rd Batt., of the 422nd and in one of his letters he talked about cleaning the three anti-tank guns they had with gallons of gasoline and rags. He also talked about spending a lot of time doing field problems and going to the rifle range , so I assume their small arms were clean and battle ready at that time. I also recall reading somewhere that some people boiled the cosmoline of their rifles in 55 gal. drums of hot water.

[connie]

Locations for the cleaning operations you mentioned are unclear. I am assuming from the way you wrote it that the gasoline cleaning and the boiling you spoke of occurred stateside (at Atterbury, maybe?) before they traveled to England. Am I reading this correctly?

Mar 1, 2009 12:02:32 GMT -5 gfgrant8443 said:

My father was in an anti-tank platoon attached to HQ Co.,3rd Batt., of the 422nd and in one of his letters he talked about cleaning the three anti-tank guns they had with gallons of gasoline and rags. He also talked about spending a lot of time doing field problems and going to the rifle range , so I assume their small arms were clean and battle ready at that time. I also recall reading somewhere that some people boiled the cosmoline of their rifles in 55 gal. drums of hot water.

[gfgrant8443]

Sorry I wasn't clear about the location. He said said that when his 57mm Anti-Tank guns (his anti-tank platoon had three) arrived in England they were packed in grease. His Battalion was staying near a town called Stow-on-the-Wold in the Midlands of England and they had to clean off the grease with gasoline so they would be ready when they arrived in France. The reference I made to boiling cosmoline off rifles was something I read in a history book and not something I learned from my father's personal experience. I thought if I mentioned it that it might bring back a memory to someone that was there.

[connie]

Thanks. It's easier to see the big picture when there are little pieces from many perspectives.

Dad spoke of the time in England as one of getting equipment ready. And, being in a Service Battery, there may have been even more emphasis on this.

In other places I hear mention of England as a place for some final training. I can't imagine what that training might have covered that hadn't been covered already. Can anyone offer enlightenment on this? Was there new training here or perhaps just marches to keep in shape while you marked time before heading to the continent?

[gfgrant8443]

Connie

In one of my father's letters from England he talked about a march with full field equipment in the rain to the rifle range for additional small arms training. He mentioned how heavy the equipment he was carrying got when it was soaked by the rain. This was also an overnight march because he talked about catching a cold from camping out in tents overnight in the mud.

Another letter talked about winning a pass to London because his Quanset hut had the highest marks during their weeking inspection. He also complained in this letter about rationing of cigarettes and chewing gum.

Hope this is what you are looking for.

Frank Grant

[floydragsdale]

Posts: 38
Re: Preparations in England
« Reply #9 Today at 11:20am »

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Hello Connie:

What little time we had in England (a few weeks) was used running field problems (war games) in the countryside. That was getting ready for the real thing!

Also, there were orientation classes; we learned about "German" land mines. The bouncing Betsy was the most feared mine. Foot pressure would trip it; then it shot up in the air (about three feet) & explode, killing and wounding men in every direction.

Instructors taught us how to probe for mines & disarm them; a very risky occupation. We were told about Booby Traps; how to spot them and leave them for the "expert" to disarm. The Germans were very clever at making them.

Company Cooks served chow in the field; there were no "seconds". I recall that a buzzard (flying overhead) left a deposit in my mess kit (yuck). I did without the noon meal that day!

Speaking of chow; we had plenty of "mutton" which many American Soldiers didn't care for; including me. We thought that the English Soldiers got all the beef and we had the mutton.

Lamb stew was plentyfull. Many of us ate the vegetables & threw the meat away.

I could go on and on, however I'll stop here.

Floyd
2nd Btn.
424th Regiment

[connie]

Thanks, Floyd & Frank,

With Floyd's first hand experience and Frank's accounts from his Dad added to earlier replies, the picture is being fleshed out in my mind. The image of the condiments dropped by the bird will last! And, the idea of the rain adding weight to the gear... I wonder about the contents of the pack. I'm assuming there was some water protection, but with the rain able to add weight to the load, I wonder...

Knowing that your training in England included lessons on German Land Mines, and booby traps is interesting... and logical. I wonder how that training varied from unit to unit. Those who arrived on the Wakefield (division artillery and special forces) hit England 20- 27 days after earlier arrivals. They had equipment to distribute. I haven't seen mention of training but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Their time in England would have been shorter... And, I know that Dad did not get out of the camp (old English military base .) So, I think that all their meals in England were in a mess hall, eliminating airborne condiments...

Piecing all this together is interesting. Each observation, like the pieces of a puzzle, fits in somewhere....

Connie