This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page Below
We were taken down to the hold of the ship
to a compartment that had bunks in it. We were told that this was to be
our home until we arrived at our destination. We also were told to check
our gear and to get only that which was needed until we debarked for the
rest of our stuff would be stowed in another area. We did this and then
we were told to come up on deck where we would be briefed on what we were
to do while aboard. We did this and the rules were fairly simple. We were
to smoke only when the "smoking lamp was lit" which meant that
we would be told when we could smoke and otherwise no smoking. We also
were told that the only clothing rule was that we had to have on shorts
and a shirt when we ate, otherwise we could dress or undress as we pleased.
We were also told that a refrigerator would be stocked with material to
make sandwiches so we could use that at any time of the day or night. They
then told us that since we were military and knew how to shoot guns that
we had "volunteered" for the gun crew. They drew our names out
of a hat to determine what we would man. I was assigned to a 20 mm gun
that was mounted on a platform on the port (left) side of the ship. To
get to it, I had to climb a ladder to the bridge, then back over some walk
ways that had been built over cargo to the gun port. This was a pretty
good trip, was up fairly high and behind the smoke stack. We all were told
to go look at our stations and then return to the main deck for more information.
When we got back we were told that we could stay on deck or do what we
wanted until it got dark and then we would have to go below. We asked how
soon we would be leaving. They did not know for the planners were forming
up the convoy that would determine where we would be located. It began
to get dark so they told us to go to our quarters. We did and I went to
sleep. Sometime later I was awakened by the others talking, they said that
we were moving. I could then feel the throb of the propellors in the water
and hear the sound of the water passing the hull. Sometime later we were
told that we could come up and take a look around. We did and were surprised
to see a ship burning between us and the shore!
The next morning when we got on deck we could see ships in the convoy which
were
stretched out as far as we could see. We were in "coffin corner"
as they called it for we
were first in both rows and columns. We could see the escorts that we had,
mostly destroyers but one cruiser was in the bunch.
Nothing much happened on the way over the Atlantic. I would lay on a big
plate on the bow of the ship and watch the porpoises rolling in the wave
made from the ship going thru the water. We also saw whales and flying
fish. All in all it was very pleasant until we got to Gibralter. The American
Navy left us there and the British picked us up. They had mainly gunboats
which looked to be too small to do the job. The day we went through Gibralter
all hell broke loose! We had 12 air raids that day! I would have to climb
a ladder to the top deck, go back over some cargo on a temporary walkway
to my gun port and get strapped in to the gun. Since our ship was number
1 in both rows and columns we were throwing down a smoke screen. They did
this by putting excess oil into the boilers. That caused the unburned oil
to be thrown out the smoke stack as oily soot. I would get covered from
head to toe in the stuff if the wind was blowing the right way to blow
the smoke over me. The result of this was that I could not see anything
above me at all so did not get to fire at any planes as I could not see
them. The Germans had spotters sitting up where they could see the convoy
and as soon as our air cover left to go back to North Africa to refuel,
they would launch their planes to hit us. There were rumors that the bombing
did get some ships but they were only rumors for their was no official
statement on it. We proceeded in the Mediteranean until we got to Bizerte,
North Africa, then went into a harbor and anchored there. We were allowed
to swim so could be gone all day if we wanted. We were far enough out that
land was too far but there were a lot of ships anchored and we would go
"ship hopping". We would go from one ship to the other and talk
to the members of the crew or passengers. We were rather safe for the Germans
did not bomb us there and the submarines would not try to come through
the mine fields that they had set up. We were there for about two weeks
and we were then anxious to get on with it. They finally told us that we
would be leaving so to stay close and not go to any of the other ships.
Finally that night, just before dawn, several of the ships left , about
ten in all and we were one of them. When it got light enough to see I was
amazed for the invasion fleet that was going to hit southern France was
steaming on it's way. They had scheduled our leave to co-incide with that
for we could sneak by while this big fleet was sailing by and we would
not be bothered. We got to where we could see Sicily and the coast of Italy
so knew where we were going then. A few of the ships veered off to the
right or east from the way were headed and in a rather small amount of
time went to what looked like only land. When we got close enough one of
the ships went into a harbor where the opening into it was narrow enough
so that only one ship could go in between buildings on either side of the
opening. We were told to get our gear ready for we were going ashore. We
anchored in the harbor, then landing boats came out and took us and our
gear ashore. We had to wear leggings and carry a pack on our backs. We
again went down the gangplank to where they had the landing craft. We jumped
from the gangplank onto the landing craft. I remember thinking, "If
I miss this boat, I will be drug down pretty quickly by this pack on my
back." The landing craft took us to the dock where there were trucks
waiting. I stumbled around a bit getting my "land legs" back
for we had not been on shore for 42 days. The trucks took us across Italy
to Bari which is on the east coast. All of the 12 pilots that I had been
a part of since Lubbock were still together. They dropped us off in a replacement
depot for the B-25 outfit where we were supposed to be assigned had filled
up with earlier replacements so we were in quarantine there for a few days.
The replacement depot had been fenced in so that we were not allowed out.
One funny thing that happened while I was there occurred while I was shaving
one morning. We did this in the open and I was the only American there.
An Italian worker came and saw a tube of toothpaste laying there. He picked
it up, squeezed some on his hands and then smeared it on his face then
tried to shave. He moaned and muttered in Italian for I am sure he thought
we were crazy using something to shave with that hurt that bad.
Six of the twelve of us that had been together were then picked out, put
on trucks with all our gear and taken to Brindisi where we had been assigned
as replacement pilots.
This was my new "outfit"! I was assigned to the 12th Troop Carrier
Squadron of the 60th Troop Carrier Group of the 12th Air Force!
Get your own Free Home Page