Chapter I: Section I: The Build-up in the United Kingdom and the Air Offensive, Europe1

The build-up of the United States Army in the United Kingdom, from January 1942 until June 1944, with the huge amounts of supplies necessary to equip and maintain the forces and to prepare for the invasion of northern Europe was a tremendous undertaking. It involved the transportation of men and supplies across the Atlantic during a time when the German submarine menace was at its peak. The United States Navy played a vital role in transporting men and supplies and in protecting the convoys while en route. During this period the administrative task was enormous since facilities for quartering and training such large forces and for storing supplies and equipment had to be provided within the limited area of the United Kingdom. In October 1942 some of the units stationed in the United Kingdom were sent to the Mediterranean for the invasion of North Africa. The build-up continued after this, well-trained units arriving from the United States. As the time for the invasion of France approached, battle-tested units from the Mediterranean theater were transferred to England to prepare for their part in the assault. In spite of the limited terrain available, large-scale maneuvers and realistic amphibious operations were conducted. In the early spring of 1944 joint exercises of the ground, sea, and air forces which were to make the attack in Normandy were held along the southern coast of England. The last of these exercises was held in early May, the units then moving to the staging areas and embarkation points for the invasion.

While the ground forces were being equipped and trained the Allied air forces bombed the fortress of Europe. The Royal Air Force Bomber Command carried out the air assault by night and the United States Eighth Air Force by day. The first U. S. participation in the bombing of Europe from British bases was on 4 July 1942, when American crews flew six British bombers. During the fall of 1942 the Eighth Air Force prepared the Twelfth Air Force for the invasion of Africa, and it was not until the beginning of 1943 that U. S. bombers began to attack Europe from England in large-scale raids. From that time on the attacks on Germany continued with increasing intensity and shattering power until, in February 1944, the German Luftwaffe attempted to sweep the U. S. bombers from the skies over Europe. After a battle of one week’s duration over important industrial cities of Germany, the Luftwaffe was beaten and supremacy of the air was in Allied hands where it remained until the end of the war.

U. S. TROOPS arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first
U. S. troops to cross the Atlantic after the declaration of war
by the United States went to Northern Ireland in January 1942.
In the same month the Special Observer Group was replaced by
Headquarters, United States Armed Forces in the British Isles.
Shortly thereafter the center of concentration was transferred
from Ireland to England and the rapid build-up of personnel
commenced. Logistical planning began in April 1942. This
build-up of men and supplies was to become one of the greatest
logistical undertakings in military history. Supplies were
shipped from the United States in ever increasing quantities
until, during the month of June 1944, approximately 1,000,000
long tons were received in the United Kingdom.]

U. S. TROOPS marching through the streets of a town in Northern
Ireland escorted by a British sergeant. The first U. S. troops
to arrive in Ireland were 18 officers and 18 enlisted men, the
advance party for the first contingent. By 1 June 1944 there
were 1,562,000 U. S. troops in the United Kingdom. During the
early months after the United States’ entry into World War II a
large part of the equipment was similar to that of World War I.
In the succeeding months much was done to improve all types of
equipment and many of the changes may be seen in the pictures
that follow in this volume.]

TRAINING IN IRELAND, FEBRUARY 1942. Before leaving the United
States members of the U. S. armed forces normally had completed
their training, but to keep the men at the peak of their
fighting fitness programs in firing, field exercises, and
special problems were begun under varying weather and terrain
conditions. Men in their late teens or early twenties made the
finest soldiers as they had stamina and recuperative power
far beyond that of older men. This physical superiority often
determined the issue in heavy and prolonged fighting.]

INFANTRY MAN WITH WEAPONS. Soldier is holding a .45-caliber
Thompson submachine gun M 1928A 1; from left to right are:
60-mm. mortar M 2, British antitank gun, .30-caliber U. S. rifle
M 1 with bayonet M 1 attached, .30-caliber Browning machine
gun M 1919A 4, hand grenades, .45-caliber automatic pistol M
1911A 1, .30-caliber U. S. rifle M 1903 with grenade launcher
M 1 attached, .30-caliber Browning automatic rifle M 1913A 2,
and 81-mm. mortar M 1 (top). Infantryman has just completed an
obstacle course (bottom).]

SOLDIERS LAND FROM AN ASSAULT BOAT during a training exercise
in Scotland, July 1942. The base of fire of a rifle platoon was
its automatic weapons. The riflemen concentrated their fire on
the impact area blocked out by the automatic weapons. The base
of fire of a U. S. rifle squad in World War II was the Browning
automatic rifle (BA R). The man in right foreground is armed
with this weapon. The two men behind the soldier with the BA R
are armed with .30-caliber U. S. rifles M 1.]

TWO TYPES OF U. S. HEAVY, FOUR-ENGINED BOMBERS. Consolidated
B-24 Liberators on a bombing mission over Europe (top); Boeing
B-17 Flying Fortresses dropping bombs on enemy installations in
Bremen, Germany, while flak bursts around them (bottom). The
first U. S. air unit to engage in combat over Europe was a light
bombardment squadron. Flying British planes, six U. S. crews
joined six RAF crews in a daylight attack against four airdromes
in the Netherlands on 4 July 1942. On 17 August twelve B-17’s,
accompanied by four RAF Spitfire fighter squadrons, attacked the
marshalling yards at Rouen, France, and successfully completed
the first U. S. attack over Europe. From these small beginnings
the number of planes taking part in the raids grew until the
average per raid in 1943 was 570 heavy bombers, a figure that
was to be almost doubled in 1944.]

THREE TYPES OF ESCORT FIGHTER PLANES over England. From top to
bottom: Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American P-51 Mustang,
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. P-47’s were the first to join the
British Spitfires in providing escort for heavy bombers, the
P-38 was available in small numbers in October 1943, and the
P-51 began to appear in January 1944. At first the 47’s flew top
cover, but before long they began to drop down and engage the
enemy fighter planes. As the war progressed the escort opened
out more and more until it became a huge net to envelop the
enemy.]

A BRITISH POLICE SERGEANT gives road direction to a U. S. first
sergeant during a march. By the end of June 1944 there was a
total of 140,656 Negro personnel in the European Theater of
Operations assigned to both combat and service units. The M 1
helmet worn by the sergeant was standardized on 9 June 1941,
and mass production began shortly thereafter, it replaced the
earlier M 1917A 1 helmet shown in preceding pictures.]

MEMBERS OF THE FIRST OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL (OCS) in the
United Kingdom decontaminating a building that has been
subjected to mustard gas (top). Machine gun training at OCS
(bottom). Qualified enlisted men were selected from units
stationed in the British Isles and sent to this school where,
upon the successful completion of the courses of instruction,
they were commissioned second lieutenants in the Army of the
United States. The first class began in September 1942 and there
were in all seven classes, each lasting for approximately three
months. The OCS in England graduated and commissioned a total of
472 men.]

A FIGHTER PILOT, Standing beside his plane in England, wearing
an oxygen mask and helmet equipped with earphones. Over his
leather flying jacket is a life preserver. A number of young
men from the United States joined the Canadian and British
air forces before America’s entry in the war. When the U. S.
declared war these pilots were transferred to the U. S. air
force. The strength of the U. S. air force in 1940 was about
43,000 men and 2,500 planes. In early 1944 there were 2,300,000
men and 80,000 aircraft.]

INTERIOR OF A B-17 showing two .50-caliber Browning machine
guns. These planes were highly complex machines, well armed,
with machine guns in front, rear, sides, top, and bottom. The
man in the picture is working on the gun turret which protruded
beneath the fuselage. The tank on top of this turret was for
oxygen.]

AN ORDNANCE SPECIALIST in the repair of optical equipment cleans
a pair of field glasses, England, September 1942. Ordnance
responsibility extended to “everything that rolls, shoots,
is shot, or is dropped from the air.” Its complete catalogue
contained 35,000 separate items, ranging from watch springs and
firing pins to 20-ton howitzers and 40-ton tanks.]

A REPAIRED M 3 MEDIUM TANK is given final check by Ordnance
personnel. Every tank, gun, or vehicle, damaged either by an
accident or later in combat, which could be repaired meant
one less new tank to be supplied. As the war progressed the
medium tank underwent changes as did a great deal of other U.
S. equipment. It became lower so as to present a more difficult
target, the riveted hull was replaced by a welded or cast hull,
and toward the end of the war the suspension system was changed.
These, and other mechanical changes, with the addition of better
armament and armor, made the vehicle a more formidable fighting
machine, better able to combat enemy tanks.]

PARATROOPERS having their parachutes inspected before taking
off for a practice jump, England, October 1942. These troops
were equipped with specially designed clothing and equipment
including helmets with a new type fiber liner and chin strap,
jump suits with large pockets that could be securely fastened,
and boots that laced higher up the leg and which had reinforced
toes and stronger ankle supports.]

SOLDIER BEING TRAINED in the correct method of attack when armed
with a knife. Note the difference between the uniform worn by
the infantryman here and that worn by paratroopers on opposite
page.]

AN ENGINEER COMPANY AT WORK ON AN AIRFIELD in England. By 1
June 1944 a total of 129 airfields was available in the United
Kingdom for the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. In addition there
were 3 base air depots, 7 combat crew and replacement centers,
2 reconnaissance and 1 photographic reconnaissance fields,
19 troop carrier fields, 11 advance landing grounds, and 2
miscellaneous fields. Living quarters for more than 400,000 air
force personnel had to be furnished, plus many thousands of
square feet of space for storage.]

B-17 LANDING, after having dropped two flares to indicate that
it has wounded crew members aboard, while two medical crews
stand by to give first aid to the wounded (top). During raids
over enemy territory crew members were sometimes wounded by flak
or gunfire from enemy fighter planes. A crew member receiving
medical attention as soon as his plane lands (bottom). In this
case blood plasma is being administered. Blood plasma, which is
whole blood minus the corpuscles, was given to those who had
lost blood or were in shock. The plasma increased the volume of
blood and kept the blood stream going. When casualties arrived
at a hospital whole blood was administered to replace the blood
lost and also to relieve shock before further treatment was
begun.]

ENLISTED MEN OF THE ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT operating caterpillar
tractor cranes to unload a crated gun carriage (half-track)
which weighed approximately 20,000 pounds. The Ordnance
Department maintained a large depot at Tidworth, England.]

BOMBS BEING UNLOADED at a U. S. Air Corps Ordnance Depot in
England. After being stacked the bombs were covered with
camouflage nets such as those behind tractors at left center of
picture. Facilities for storing bombs in any other manner were
limited. These stacks became common sights along the country
lanes and roads in England during the war years. (1,000-pound
bombs; crawler-type revolving crane on tractor mounting with
diesel engine.)]

MEDIUM M3 TANKS in an Ordnance Depot, England (top). Combat
tracked vehicles temporarily stored before being issued to the
using units (bottom). After a vehicle arrived in the United
Kingdom there was much to be done before it could be issued to
the using unit. Tanks were received from the United States with
about 500 items of accessory equipment, including small arms,
radio, tools, gun sights, and other incidentals, packed in
waterproofed containers; many were coated with a rust-preventive
compound. The job of preparing an M 4 tank took approximately
fifty working hours. Accessories were unpacked, cleaned, tested,
and installed; the motor and all mechanical components were
checked and tuned. When a vehicle left the Ordnance depot it was
completely supplied, including ammunition and rations.]

A 105-MM. HOWITZER MOTOR CARRIAGE M 7 on maneuvers in England,
March 1943. This was an open-top, lightly armored vehicle and
was the principal artillery weapon of an armored division.]

U. S. NAVY PLANE attacks and sinks a German submarine in the
North Atlantic, June 1943. The sinking of a British liner
without warning by a German submarine off the coast of Scotland
on 3 September 1939 opened the battle of the Atlantic, which
continued until 14 May 1945 when the last U-boats surrendered at
American Atlantic ports. Enemy submarines, traveling alone or in
wolf packs, sank many Allied ships but by the middle of 1943 the
menace had been reduced to a problem. This was accomplished by
the use of the interlocking convoy system that provided escort
protection along the important convoy routes, small escort
aircraft carriers and destroyer escorts, and planes, from which
hunter-killer groups were formed to seek out and destroy the
U-boats.]

LIGHTERS PULL ALONGSIDE THE QUEEN ELIZABETH to unload U. S.
troops in Scotland (top). Representatives of the American Red
Cross serving refreshments to Waacs who have just arrived in
Scotland (bottom). On one trip the Queen Elizabeth carried a
record load of 15,028 troops. Between December 1941 and June
1944 the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth transported a large
portion of the total number of troops to the United Kingdom,
running alone through seas in which their great speed was their
chief protection against enemy submarines.]

BOMBS TUMBLE FROM THE BAYS OF AN OVERTURNED B-24 BOMBER. The
plane was caught in a heavy flak belt while on a mission over
Germany. During 1943 the enemy became much more aggressive
as he shifted his fighters from the Russian front and the
Mediterranean theater to western Europe. The German day fighters
continually harassed U. S. heavy bombers, sometimes following
them far out to sea on their withdrawal.]

A ROYAL AIR FORCE SEA RESCUE LAUNCH picking up the crew of a
B-17 which crashed into the North Sea while returning to its
base in England after a bombing raid over Germany. The crew
members are in rubber boats and are flying a kite to which is
attached the aerial of a short wave radio used to signal and
give their position to the rescue craft. Many bombers were shot
down over enemy territory and their crews captured, killed, or
wounded; others were badly damaged and crashed into the North
Sea on their return; while still others managed to return to
their bases even though damaged. Many crews of the planes forced
down at sea were rescued in the manner shown here.]

SOLDIERS PLACING A BANGALORE TORPEDO under barbed wire during a
training problem in England, August 1943. When fired, the charge
would explode and clear a path through the obstruction. This
method was not only faster than cutting through the wire, but
also did not expose the men unnecessarily to enemy fire.]

MEMBERS OF AN AIRBORNE DIVISION loading a ¼-ton 4x4 truck into
a British Horsa glider (top). By removing the tail section,
the glider could be unloaded in approximately seven minutes.
Airborne infantrymen in a U. S. glider (bottom). In this
picture men are armed with .30-caliber U. S. rifles M 1903A 3;
.30-caliber U. S. rifles M 1; .45-caliber Thompson submachine
gun M 1; 2.36-inch rocket launcher M 1A 1; and .30-caliber
Browning automatic rifle M 1918A 2. Machine guns, mortars, and
light artillery weapons were dropped by parachutes and brought
in by gliders along with other supplies which made the airborne
troops a compact fighting unit.]

AERIAL VIEW OF SCHWEINFURT, GERMANY, October 1943. This city
was the center of the ball-bearing factories, one of the
target priorities picked for destruction by the strategic
air force. The order of these priorities was as follows: (1)
submarine construction yards and bases, (2) aircraft industry,
(3) ball-bearing industry, (4) oil industry, (5) synthetic
rubber plants, and (6) military transport vehicle industry. The
Schweinfurt raid had considerable significance at this time
because the Americans were still trying to prove the feasibility
of daylight precision bombing. This crucial raid was made by a
force of 228 heavy bombers and there ensued one of the greatest
battles in Eighth Air Force history. From the German frontier
at Aachen, where the fighter escort had to leave the bombers
because of limited gasoline capacities, to Schweinfurt and
return wave after wave of enemy fighters attacked the bombers.]

BOMBS STRIKING THE BALL-BEARING FACTORIES at Schweinfurt,
Germany, October 1943. Flak over the target was intense but good
visibility enabled the bombers to make an accurate run and more
than 450 tons of high explosives and incendiaries were dropped
in the target area. Heavy damage was inflicted on the major
plants. The cost to the attackers was also severe. Sixty-two
bombers were lost and 138 were damaged. Personnel casualties
were 599 killed and 40 wounded. Such losses could not be
sustained and deep penetrations without escort were suspended.
Schweinfurt was not attacked again for four months and the
Germans were given a chance to take countermeasures, which they
did with great energy and skill.]

HEAVY BOMBERS ON A MISSION over southwestern Germany, December
1943. Planes at upper level are Boeing B-17’s; those at
lower level are Consolidated B-24’s. After the Schweinfurt
raid unescorted bomber raids were discontinued until 1944
when long-range fighters equipped with wing tanks were able
to provide fighter escort for the B-17’s and B-24’s as far
as Berlin. By 1944 the Luftwaffe, although still offering
a formidable defense, basically had decayed and was very
vulnerable to Allied air power that was being concentrated
against it. By April 1944 the Allies had achieved air
superiority which permitted full-scale air attacks on Germany,
an indispensable prerequisite for the invasion of Normandy.]

B-17’s DROPPING BOMBS OVER BREMEN, December 1943. Control of
the air started with an attack on the Focke-Wulf plant at
Bremen in April 1943, but the main attacks did not get under
way until that summer. On six successive days in late July
Allied air forces attacked the German aircraft industry so
successfully that the production rate started downward. It was
not until February 1944 that the decisive air battle came,
when for a period of six days of perfect weather a continuous
assault on the widely dispersed German aircraft-frame factories
and assembly plants seriously reduced the capabilities of the
Luftwaffe. Subsequent attacks affected the entire aircraft
industry and it never fully recovered.]

BRITISH FIRE FIGHTERS combating a fire started by bombs during
a German night attack over London, February 1944. The Battle
of Britain began in August 1940 and continued on a large scale
through October. During the air blitz over England the Luftwaffe
suffered irreparable losses from which its bombardment arm never
recovered, even though smaller attacks were carried out until
late in the war. In daytime raids over England during the Battle
of Britain from August to October 1940, the Germans lost 2,375
planes and crews, while the British lost 375 pilots.]

A BRITISH SPITFIRE FIGHTER chasing a German V-bomb over England.
Only fast low-level ships, such as the British Spitfire or the
U. S. P-47 or P-51, were good at this type of pursuit since the
robot bombs averaged well over 300 miles per hour. These bombs,
launched from sites along the invasion coast of France and the
Low Countries, caused considerable damage in England and in
addition were a demoralizing factor in that one never knew when
or where they would strike. The launching sites were placed
on the list of targets for the Allied air forces, but because
these sites could be easily moved and camouflaged they were
not completely destroyed until the invasion forces took over
the areas in which they were located. The first of the V-bombs
appeared over England on 13 June 1944.]

MEMBERS OF AN ENGINEER UNIT operating multiplex machines in the
process of preparing maps from aerial mosaics. Relief and other
features were plotted from photographic diapositives, contained
in the conical shaped holders on the beam in background of lower
picture, to sheets on which control and check points have been
plotted. In these two photographs contours are being drawn on
the maps by use of the multiplex machine. Contrary to general
opinion, France was not a well-mapped country. During World
War I detailed maps showed primarily trench fortifications and
special small areas. The Engineers were responsible for making
maps, which required the services of highly trained personnel.]

MEMBERS OF AN ENGINEER TOPOGRAPHICAL BATTALION preparing maps
of Europe prior to the invasion of France. In 1944 more than
125,000,000 maps giving more complete details than those shown
here were printed for the invasion alone. An average of 867
tons of maps was shipped each month from the United States. In
addition, 3,695,750 salvaged enemy maps were used for reverse
side printing. Large-scale maps showing beach and underwater
obstacles on the American and British assault beaches were
produced by the U. S. Army Engineers in preparation for the
invasion.]

ANEMOMETER AND WIND DIRECTION INDICATOR being checked by an
enlisted man of a weather section. Improvements in weather
forecasting, instrument bombing technique and equipment, and
operating procedures had advanced so much that whereas in 1942
U. S. bombers could operate on an average of only six days per
month, in the last year of the war they averaged twenty-two days.]

MEMBERS OF A FIGHTER GROUP being briefed before taking off on a
mission England, 1944]

WACS WORKING IN THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTION of the operations
room at an air force station. No opportunity was overlooked to
replace men with personnel of the Women’s Army Corps both in the
United States and overseas, Wacs were given many technical and
specialized jobs to do, as well as administrative and office
work. The Medical Corps employed the largest number of Wacs
in technical jobs, but other technical services such as the
Transportation Corps, Signal Corps, Ordnance Department, and
Quartermaster Corps had many positions that could be performed
by women as efficiently as by men.]

MAIL FOR UNITS STATIONED IN ENGLAND being sorted. The handling
of the mails through the Army Post Office (APO) was a function
of the Adjutant General’s Department. Mail normally was
delivered to the armed forces with the least possible delay as
it was an important morale factor for men stationed away from
home. During the last week of May 1944 an artificial delay of
ten days was imposed on the forwarding of all American mail to
the United States and elsewhere, and the use of transatlantic
telephone, radio, and cable facilities was denied to American
personnel. British mail was strictly censored by the military
authorities from April 1944 until the invasion on 6 June 1944.
These precautionary measures were taken to assure the secrecy
of the coming invasion. In addition, a block was also placed on
diplomatic correspondence of all countries except the United
States, Great Britain, and the USSR.]

ARTILLERY UNITS TRAINING IN ENGLAND. A liaison plane flying
over a battery of 105-mm. howitzers M 2A 1 (top). A 155-mm. gun
firing (bottom).]

155-MM. GUNS AND 105-MM. HOWITZERS (top and bottom respectively)
stored in England, 1944. After about 2,250 rounds had been
fired, the barrel of the 155-mm. gun had to be replaced; in
howitzers the number of rounds was higher.]

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES, TANK CARS, AND FREIGHT CARS lined up in
England to be used on the Continent after the invasion (top).
Caterpillar tractors and bulldozers stored at an Engineer depot
to be used after the invasion of France (bottom).]

20 GROSVENOR SQUARE, LONDON, U. S. Headquarters of the European
Theater of Operations (top). U. S. enlisted men passing Number
10, Downing Street, residence and office of the Prime Minister
of Great Britain (bottom). During the period of the build-up
in the British Isles, activities and plans were formulated
for the large and small units scattered throughout the United
Kingdom in a group of buildings located near the American
embassy in London. This group of buildings housed the offices
of the personnel whose task it was to co-ordinate the activity
and training of units and, in addition, to handle the problems
relating to the build-up of supplies for the invasion.]

A COLUMN OF HALF-TRACKS advancing along a road during the
training period in England (top). The second, third, and fourth
vehicles in the picture are 75-mm. gun motor carriages M 3.
This was the first standardized U. S. self-propelled antitank
weapon used in World War II, and provided high mobility for the
75-mm. gun. It was replaced in March 1944 by the 76-mm. motor
gun carriage M 18, and in September 1944 was declared obsolete.
Temporarily stored half-tracks (bottom). These vehicles were
used as gun and howitzer motor carriages, antiaircraft gun
carriages and personnel carriers.]

ARMORED UNITS PARTICIPATING IN MANEUVERS in England. In the
spring of 1944 intensified training was given to all units which
were to take part in the invasion of Normandy. Light tank M 5A 1
(top), medium tank M 4A 1 (bottom). The U. S. tank was designed
as a weapon of exploitation to be used in long-range thrusts
deep into the enemy’s rear where it could attack his supply
installations and communications. This required great endurance,
low consumption of gasoline, and ability to move long distances
without a break-down.]

MEN OF A SERVICE SQUADRON SALVAGING A FUEL TANK from the wing of
a P-51. These tanks helped to make the bomber escort planes into
long-range planes which gave fighter protection to the heavy
bombers. The tanks, the fuel from which was consumed first, were
dropped when empty and the plane then used gasoline from its
permanent tanks.]

P-51’S IN FORMATION. Each plane in this formation has
two wing tanks attached.]

A MEDICAL BATTALION QUARTERED IN TENTS, Cornwall, England
(top). A U. S. hospital installed in Quonset huts (bottom). The
hospital plan in the United Kingdom called for over 90,000 beds
in existing installations, conversions, and new constructions.
The program was later increased by 30,000 beds by using tents
for the hospital units.]

U. S. ARMY NURSE, wearing a helmet and fatigue uniform,
preparing an intravenous injection; a kerosene lamp provides
illumination. Hospital personnel worked under conditions
similar to those they might encounter upon their arrival on the
Continent after the invasion. Army nurses gave widely varying
types of skilled service, some of them in field hospitals and
others in the general hospitals farther behind the lines. World
War II was the first war in which nurses received full military
benefits and real instead of relative officer rank. There were
more than 17,000 Army nurses in the ETO in May 1945.]

FIRING GERMAN WEAPONS. In order to become familiar with German
weapons and to learn the capabilities of enemy arms, U. S.
infantrymen fired them during training in Northern Ireland in
the spring of 1944. The men in the top picture are firing a
German standard dual-purpose machine gun (7.92-mm. M. G. 34).
The soldier in the bottom picture is firing a German rifle
(7.92-mm. Karbiner 98K--Mauser-Kar. 98K) which was the standard
shoulder weapon of the German Army and very similar to the U. S.
rifle M1903.]

MEMBERS OF AN ARMORED INFANTRY REGIMENT firing U. S. weapons
during training in England. In 1941 the Ordnance Department
began its experiments with the rocket launcher, which resulted
in the invention of the 2.36-inch rocket launcher (bazooka).
This was the first weapon of its type to be used in the
war. Designed originally as an antitank weapon, it was used
effectively against machine gun nests, pillboxes, and even
fortified houses. It required only a two-man team--a gunner and
a loader--and as it weighed only a little more than a rifle it
could be carried everywhere (top). The crew of a 60-mm. mortar
M2 firing at a simulated enemy position (bottom).]

AN ENLISTED MAN ON GUARD DUTY at a rail junction in Wales where
American-made locomotives were stored. The United States shipped
1,000 locomotives and 20,000 railroad cars to the United Kingdom
for use on the Continent after the invasion. In addition, 270
miles of railroad were constructed in England to facilitate
movements. The Transportation Corps was responsible for the
movement of men and supplies by land and water, and for the
operation and supply of a great deal of this equipment. Since
much of the railroad equipment in Europe had been destroyed
or damaged by preinvasion bombing by the Allied airforces,
locomotives and cars had to be supplied by both the United
States and the United Kingdom for use in Europe.]

AN LST ARRIVES IN PLYMOUTH, England, carrying an LCT(6) as
deckload, after crossing the Atlantic under its own power (top).
The LCT was unloaded by sliding it over the side of the LST into
the water (bottom). A great many landing craft were needed to
mount the coming invasion. These were built in the United States
and the United Kingdom.]

OUTDOOR STORAGE OF FIELD WIRE which was to be used after
the invasion of France by the Signal Corps for telephone
communications. The large rolls contained one mile of wire
while the smaller ones had a half-mile capacity (top). The
Quartermaster Corps, after salvaging shoes, supervised the
rebuilding of them in English shoe factories and returned the
remade shoes to troops in the field. Bottom picture shows shoes
before and after being rebuilt.]

MEN OF A QUARTERMASTER UNIT STORING FIELD RATIONS in a warehouse
in England, March 1944 (top). The U. S. Army was unquestionably
better fed than any other in history. However, food in combat
can never be the same as that in garrison or cantonment, since
field rations must be nonperishable, compact, and easily carried
by the individual soldier. Combat rations were improved as the
war progressed and C rations were supplied in a more varied
assortment. Engineer construction supplies stored in England in
preparation for the invasion of Normandy (bottom). The large
rolls of wire netting were to be used on the invasion beaches to
make improvised roadways for vehicles.]

PARATROOPERS MAKING A MASS JUMP during their training in
England. In practice jumps prior to the drop into Normandy there
were numerous casualties. The injured were quickly cared for and
the experience showed airborne medics what they could expect
during the actual invasion.]

REPUBLIC P-47 FIGHTER PLANES (top) and Boeing B-17 heavy bombers
(bottom) lined up on an airfield in England before being issued
to the units who will fly them over the Continent against the
enemy.]

ENGINEERS CONSTRUCTING A PONTON BRIDGE in England during the
training period (top). Members of an antiaircraft artillery unit
receiving instruction from a British officer while training with
a 40-mm. automatic antiaircraft gun M1 (bottom).]

GUN CREW OF AN ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY GROUP operating a 90-mm.
gun M1 near the coast of England, April 1944. In order to cope
with the latest developments in the fields of high-altitude
bombing, a 90-mm. antiaircraft gun with longer range, greater
muzzle velocity, and a larger effective shell-burst area was
introduced.]

EXHAUST STACKS AND AIR-INTAKE VENTS being installed on a medium
tank M4 (top). After the installation was completed, the tank
was tested off the coast of England (bottom). In addition to
stacks, the tanks were further waterproofed by sealing all
unvented openings with tape and sealing compound to render the
hull watertight. Special attachments permitted rapid jettisoning
of any waterproofing equipment which might interfere with
satisfactory operation of the vehicles when on shore. These
methods were first successfully used in the invasion of North
Africa in November 1942. All vehicles which were to be driven
ashore in Normandy under their own power, through water, and in
the face of enemy fire, were waterproofed. Ordnance inspectors
checked the vehicle in the marshalling yards a few hours before
the tanks were loaded for the invasion.]

LCT(R) FIRING ROCKETS DURING A TEST in Portsmouth Harbor,
England (top). Close-up of the rocket launchers (bottom). These
ships converted from landing craft, tank, were equipped to fire
as many as 1,000 rockets.]

LANDING MANEUVERS. During late April and early May 1944 these
were held for the invasion troops. Infantrymen landing from an
LGI(L) (top). A combination gun motor carriage M15A1 landing on
the beach from an LCT (bottom). This was a highly mobile weapon,
capable of a concentration of rapid fire, and designed for
antiaircraft defense.]

WATERPROOFED TANK RECOVERY VEHICLE M31 being loaded on an LCT
during training along the English coast (top). For camouflage
purposes, the normal appearance of the tank was retained as far
as possible. A simulated turret without cupola was used and
dummy 75-mm. and 37-mm. guns were mounted in place of the real
guns. Actual armament was limited to two .30-caliber machine
guns. A half-track 81-mm. mortar carrier M21 maneuvering on
a road in England (bottom). The mortar could be used on the
vehicle or separate from it.]

BOAT-LANDING DRILL during a training exercise, Slapton Sands
near Weymouth, Devon, England, May 1944. The infantrymen shown
here have their equipment as complete as it will be during the
actual invasion landings. They are descending ladders into an
LCVP. Standing with his back to the camera at the top of the
ladder is an officer, identified by the broad white vertical
stripe painted on the back of his helmet. Noncommissioned
officers had a similar horizontal stripe painted on their
helmets.]

MEN AND TRUCKS ON THE UPPER DECK OF AN LST near Slapton Sands in
May 1944. As D Day drew nearer loading exercises and amphibious
operations were practiced by the invasion troops. The greatest
advantage the United States was to have in equipment over the
Germans was the multiple-drive motor equipment, principally the
¼-ton truck and the 2½-ton truck. Shown in the picture are:
¼-ton 4×4 truck, ¾-ton 4×4 weapons carrier truck, 1½-ton 6 × 6
personnel and cargo truck and 2½-ton 6×6 truck.]

AMPHIBIAN TRUCKS CARRY SUPPLIES ASHORE from a coaster under the
protection of a smoke screen during landing maneuvers (top).
A 2½-ton amphibian truck hitting the beach during maneuvers
(bottom). These versatile trucks proved invaluable in bringing
supplies to the beaches during the early stages of landing and
during the build-up after the invasion of Normandy. During
one of the amphibious exercises, which were made as realistic
as possible, two LST’s were sunk by German E-boats. In other
respects the training was successful and valuable lessons were
learned.]

LCVP’S CIRCLING NEAR THE MOTHER SHIP while waiting for the
signal to land on the beach during landing operation training at
Slapton Sands (top). Members of an armored unit being briefed at
a marshalling area (bottom). At the conclusion of the training
exercises in May all the assault, follow-up, and build-up troops
moved from their camps to marshalling areas for final staging.]

MEN AND EQUIPMENT BEING LOADED INTO LST’S (top) and LCVP’s
(bottom) during the first days of June 1944 at one of the
“hards” (paved strips running to the water’s edge) in southern
England for the invasion of Normandy. The training given the
assault forces during the amphibious exercises was so thorough
that the final loadings for the invasion were accomplished with
a minimum of delay and confusion and resembled another exercise
more than the real thing. Two and one-half years after the first
U. S. troops sailed for the United Kingdom, the training and
preparation was completed and the large invasion force of U. S.
and Allied troops was to receive its real test in battle against
the enemy.]

NORMANDY CAMPAIGN

The American and British Invasion Beaches and the Allied Advance
during the Normandy Campaign 6 June 1944 to 24 July 1944]