The Skyline Fades
On March 22 troops of the Regiment rode the rails to New York harbor, where under the cover
of darkness they boarded the M.S. John Erickson, sister ship to the famous Gripsholm. In the early
morning haze of the following day she sailed majestically toward the open sea as a famous skyline faded
out of sight on the distant horizon. Soon she joined a convoy of the other ships and a naval escort that
stood by like big brothers. On the second night out to sea the liner was forced to put back into port for
engine repairs, but after three days in New York Harbor, she again put out to sea and proceeded across
the Atlantic without further incident. So it was a welcome sight indeed on Easter Sunday, the eighth of
April, when troops of the Regiment looked out on Liverpool harbor.
Life In England
At Liverpool the Regiment was hustled aboard English trains and transported across the neatly
patterned English countryside to two camps just south of Birmingham. The Second and Third
Battalions, and the Special Units were billeted at Camp Sturt Common near the town of Bewdley, while
the First Battalion was at camp Coton Hall. Training began immediately with special emphasis on
physical conditioning exercises and marches over the picturesque English countryside. Daily the men
were required to carry a full combat equipment on fast road marches. Another hike was added to the
busy schedule for some when they set out for the nearby villages of Kidderminster and Bewdley, where
local atmosphere as well as ale was absorbed.
To The Last Shoe String
On May 12 the units moved again – this time to settle as a Regiment at Llanmartin, near
Newport, Wales. The stay at Camp Llanmartin, however, was to be short lived with most of the time
devoted to checking of equipment down to the last shoe string. The hardening and toughening training
in the nature of fast road marches with full combat equipment continued and soon brought the men to
the peak of physical condition. Meanwhile, the outfit was “sealed” in the camp. The mysterious,
heavily guarded building with its boarded up windows took on added significance as high commanders
entered to study impending operations.
Invasion
On June 4th the Regiment packed up and moved in closest secrecy to dockside at Newport,
Wales – the personnel of the Third Battalion loading into the Bienville and the rest of the Regiment into
the Excelsior. The vehicles and heavier equipment were loaded into Liberty ships. When loading was
completed, the ominous gray ships slipped into Newport harbor and proceeded to rendezvous off
Cardiff, Wales with several other ships. On board, it was soon obvious the big event which had been in
the wind for so long was about to happen and on the second day the Convoy sailed from Cardiff,
remaining within sight of the English coast for some time.
Then it was no longer a secret. The ship’s radio announced that this was D Day. Paratroopers
were fighting in France – Allied troops had already landed on the Normandy coast. Intermittent radio
reports throughout the day added a tenseness to the expected atmosphere as the roll of the 358th Infantry
was unveiled. Maps and detailed plans appeared from everywhere, and last minute preparations were
made for debarkation and movement to the first assembly area in France. Prior to debarking, the
Regiment’s chaplains held well-attended church services in the mess halls and compartments of the
troop ships.
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