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Chapter 1
Across the Channel and Over the Beach
The 90th Infantry Division crossed the English Channel in a variety of transports of all
sizes. I was aboard the liberty ship Frank R. Stockton, together with the rest of Hq & Hq Battery
of the 915th. Most of the holds of the ship were full of loaded vehicles, but one, just under the
main deck, was furnished with bunks and left without a hatch cover: men could sleep in it. A
single narrow ladder led down from the deck. This hold was big enough for maybe 25 % of the
men. The rest had to find spots on deck with some shelter from the frigid breeze or in the holds
with the equipment. As an officer, I was lucky: the second mate let me sleep in his stateroom (the
size of a walk-in closet) on a stiff leatherette settee only two feet shorter than I was.
My roommate was a strange character who spent the first day, before we even left the
dock, trying to pump our destination out of me. It was Top Secret, and I knew how important it
was that no one not specifically authorized find out in advance. On the other hand, I didn't want
to offend him and possibly lose my billet as a result. So I lied, saying I had no idea, but thought it
was somewhere either in Norway or on the Black Sea.
He made one comment which surprised me. "The thing I like about these men of yours is
that they're tough. They aren't soft, like our sailors." I looked around, and sure enough he was
talking about our men - the same ones we had trained at Camp Barkeley and on the desert. It had
never occurred to me that they could be classified as tough, but now that he mentioned it, I saw
that they were! As a matter of fact, someone decided that the TO on our shoulder patch stood for
Tough ' Ombres instead of Texas and Oklahoma.
We tough 'ombres had been issued Ten-in-One rations, which were one step up from C-
or K rations, but required some minimal preparation. Field ranges were set up on deck to do the
necessary cooking and provide boiling water for washing mess gear. This sanitary arrangement
was not entirely effective. The heads (latrines) built into the ship were adequate for the crew, but
not for the number of passengers aboard, so long urinal troughs had been installed along the rails.
Unfortunately, the drain-spouts intended to take the flow down to the ocean were cut off at deck
level, so the contents of the windward trough was frequently sprinkled over the kitchen and
dining facilities. I couldn't see that it affected appetites much, even in the constant rolling swell
of the English Channel.
A lot of preparations had been made before we embarked. All the vehicle engines were
waterproofed and equipped with snorkels so that they would run for short distances even
immersed in water-a possibility definitely worth considering. Then they were driven about 20
miles to the port for loading, and during the drive some of the waterproofing loosened and
burned off, as we discovered later.
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