INTRODUCTION

In January and February of 1943, a great battle was waged on the plains and in the swamps of the Bayou country. It was the “Battle of Louisiana” with the 90th Motorized Division pitted against the 77th Infantry Division. A rugged, intensive, training maneuver, it emphasized with unforgettable force the final purpose of all combat training: “The Battle Is The Pay‑Off”!

Two months later, in Camp Berkeley, Texas, the unit was demotorized and redesignated the 90th Infantry Division – a combat team which was to create a name for battlefield courage second to none on the battle grounds of Europe.

As a part of the 90th Motorized Division, the 209th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company took part in the Louisiana maneuvers. With the re-designation of the Division, this company became the 790th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company.

In September, the Division, and the company, departed for the California‑Arizona Maneuver Area. Here the well‑named “Camp Granite” was set up (better remembered by the men as ‘The Rock’). This was a barren plateau established fifty miles from nowhere, or 225 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Three months of intensive training and strenuous maneuvers followed. Then, back to civilization.

Fort Dix, New Jersey!

Civilization. Ice cream. Chicken. Passes to New York. Passes to Trenton, Furloughs home. Pretty girls. Wine. And women. And song. And dancing . . . Oh, happy day!

Then, suddenly, playtime was over.

The company was re‑equipped, overage was dropped, weapons were zeroed in, A quick, hectic week at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, for final processing. And – the boat!

The company boarded Ship on 23 March 1944 at Staten Island. That night the motors turned, the great liner throbbed with power – and moved slowly out to sea. The next morning it turned back. Engine trouble. Six days, six long, impatient days the men stayed aboard, anchored solidly to the 23rd Street Pier, while mechanics and craftsmen labored below.

On the 29th, the motors hummed once again. The docks crept away from the ship. The waters were still and smooth. The convoy was large. And without further mishap or adventure, almost disappointing in its tranquility and peace, the troopship touched foreign soil – Liverpool, England – on 10 April 1944. The 790th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company was overseas.

An English locomotive with its procession of midget cars was waiting. The company climbed in and minutes later was jerking and bouncing through the impenetrable fog and blackness. At Bridge North a transfer was made to trucks. Another short trip followed to Colon Hall, approximately 7 miles from Kidderminster, the company’s permanent station while in England,

Invasion was in the air.

It was in the tenseness of the atmosphere, the hustle and incessant activity. When? Where? How? No one knew’. But it was there – the knowledge of it stirring you every minute of the day – the thought of it keeping you awake far into the night. And the company worked for it, prepared for it.

The supply platoon was in constant contact with the depot, picking up supplies, breaking them down, issuing them to the units. A tremendous amount of automotive transport equipment was broken down and issued,

The maintenance section, though hastily set up, was on the job night and day. Over 210 jobs of automotive equipment were handled. More than 100 various gun mounts for vehicles were installed.

It was – Preparation for Invasion.

The automotive section built 48 litter racks for the medical battalion. The sight of this newly constructed framework installed on the jeeps had a sobering effect.

Modification work went on rapidly. Vehicles and artillery were waterproofed for the short but dangerous water hop across the Channel. There was practice in loading and landing trucks, drill and more drill until every man knew his precise place and his specific job.

Then – a word – a whisper, This was it. The trucks came. Equipment was loaded on in record time. Men piled in, silent, anxious, expectant. At Cardiff, Wales, a quick transfer of personnel and equipment to the Liberty ship was effected.

The date was 4 June 1944. Ships or every size and shape and description filled the waters. As far as the eye could see, lost on the distant horizon were ships. They were close and crowded together stretching on and on – an awesome, inspiring spectacle of immense power. And this was only a small part, only a fraction, of what was the greatest Armada ever assembled in the history of the world.

The Invasion was just two days off …