Before my father reached the front lines in Europe, there was a journey that prepared him for what lay ahead. It was a time of training, movement, waiting, and uncertainty, long before the realities of combat began.
In this series, I follow that journey through the morning reports of Company G, 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, alongside his own memories. The records provide the details, while his words bring those moments to life.
Together, they tell the story of what happened before the front.
Embarkation and Departure
On September 29, 1944, Company G, 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, boarded a troop transport at the Boston Port of Embarkation. The morning report identified the vessel as Army Transport 917, a transport designation used by the Army to track the movement rather than the ship’s actual name. That morning at 0945, they embarked for overseas duty. The transport departed at 2100, or 9:00 in the evening, under the cover of darkness to reduce the risk of enemy detection as they began their journey across the Atlantic. They were bound for England and whatever lay ahead.
After boarding that morning, the men remained aboard for nearly eleven hours as the ship was loaded and prepared for departure. Company G, with 174 men present, was only a small part of the thousands of soldiers filling the transport. Troopships of this kind often carried between 3,000 and 5,000 men, as multiple companies and units were brought together for the journey overseas. During those hours in port, equipment was stowed, bunks were assigned, and final preparations were made before the ship slipped out into the Atlantic that evening.
This marked a turning point. The months of training in camps across the United States were behind them. Ahead was war.
Training at Sea
The morning report covering September 29 to October 11, 1944, provides a structured account of the journey. Even at sea, training continued. The reports document supervised calisthenics, close order drill, fire drill, boat drill, abandon ship drill, and gas mask drill. French and German classes, along with care and cleaning of equipment and interior guard duty, complemented the physical training and drills. Lectures included military courtesy, sex hygiene, and sanitation. The report concludes with their arrival in England at 1400, morale excellent.
A Ship Filled with Soldiers
Troop transports during World War II often carried several thousand soldiers at a time, filling every available space. Ships designed for comfort were transformed into crowded vessels with rows of stacked bunks and shared facilities. Company G, with 174 men present, was only a small part of the thousands aboard.
While the records present an orderly and efficient movement across the Atlantic, my dad’s memories reveal what the journey was really like.
Life Aboard Ship
On Sept 30, 1944, we shipped out of Boston to Southampton, England, a voyage of about 6 days. Many of the soldiers became seasick on the trip over. The guy above my bunk after the first two days never got out of his bunk except to go to the bathroom. He had me bring him a sandwich or something when I went to eat.
You would go into the bathroom aboard ship and there were about 20 stools lining each side of the room and ¾ of them would be occupied with men on their knees spitting their guts out.
I don’t know why, but I escaped the seasick syndrome and enjoyed the voyage and the food on board. I remember listening to a ball game on the ship radio the first day out which was the final day of the season, and the American league went down to the final out. I believe the old St. Louis Browns ended up victorious.
His memories bring the voyage into sharp focus. The crowded conditions, the constant motion of the ship, and the widespread seasickness stand in contrast to the simple phrase recorded in the morning report, “morale excellent.”
The St. Louis Browns did not win the World Series that year, the St. Louis Cardinals did, but it is not surprising that he remembered the game. Sports played a huge part in his life.
Across the Atlantic
The journey took longer than a typical Atlantic crossing. The morning report records their arrival in England on October 11, 1944, nearly twelve days after departing Boston. However, my dad's memories describe the ocean voyage itself as lasting about six days.
Traveling in convoy for protection, these ships carried thousands of soldiers across the Atlantic, moving entire units closer to combat.
Arrival in England
Arrival in England did not mean rest.
We finally arrived at Southampton and were immediately transported to Chester, a large city located close to the border of Wales. Its main claim to fame is that it is a well-preserved wall city that dates to the Middle Ages. We were there the better half of a month and then shipped to France and up to the front lines where we were entrenched in the Ardennes Forest and a lone unpaved country road was the dividing line between Belgium and Germany.
Within weeks, they would move from England to the European continent and into one of the most significant battlefields of the war.
While the morning reports provide a detailed account of Company G’s movements and training in England, my dad remembered the experience a bit differently. He recalled being transported to Chester, a historic walled city near the Welsh border, and spending several weeks there before moving on to France. The records instead place the company in Dorset, including Camp D-6 and later Piddlehinton, where they continued training. This difference likely reflects the way memory preserves meaningful places and experiences, while the records document official locations and daily activities. Together, they offer a more complete picture of this time in England.
The Point of No Return
This journey across the Atlantic was more than just a movement from one place to another. It was the moment when training gave way to reality. Packed aboard crowded ships, surrounded by thousands of other soldiers, and leaving home behind, they were on their way to the front.
In the next post, I will follow Company G as they continue their preparation in England before crossing into France and moving toward the front lines.
AI Disclosure
This post was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT tools were used to help organize research, refine grammar and clarity, and provide a direction for this post. Any images included that are identified as AI-generated were created to represent historical scenes when suitable public domain images were not available.
All historical records, interpretations, and final content have been reviewed and edited by the author.
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