My Dad, Ernest Earl Vosburg was drafted on his 18th Birthday July 15th 1943. Shipped out to Fort Knox, slept in tar paper shacks and learned how to work on Sherman Tanks. My Dad specifically assembled flame throwers on the tanks for the pacific theater. He said his Sargent would come in at night and open the windows up in the shack to "toughen" the guys up for the European theater. Either the Sargent knew where they were going but didn't want that out there and was trying to throw off any spying, but they all went to the pacific theater, Dad to Hawaii as a tank mechanic. He shipped out after basic and took a troop train across the USA to California and the up the pacific coast to Washington State and boarded the ship "Oriole" Going to Hawaii from there. There was a sub scare and the convoy did deploy depth charges en route. I have some black and white snap shots of the route up the coast, a bunch of Fort Knox and a bunch of Hawaii.
My Mom's Brother my Uncle Lou enlisted in the USAAC and was sent to Rantoul, Illinois for basic air training at the old Rantoul Army Air Base. From Rantoul he was sent to Barksdale Airbase in Barksdale, Louisiana to be trained to fly Martin Maurader B26 medium Bombers then sent to Wendover, Nevada to Wendover Army Air Corp Base for basic navigation training. Then off to New York City and on board the Queen Mary recomissoned by the RN as a troop ship. Upon arrival in the UK he was sent to RAF Stoke on Trent were he flew his first operational combat missions in the European theater. My Uncle was in the 7th Army Air Corp, 336th Bomb Squadron.
The only difference on the equipment loading portion between then and Desert Storm was the equipment being loaded and the guy playing the harmonica. 30 something years later, it still seems like yesterday.
Ah! Brings back memories! Rail heading in Germany 1978 to 1980. We just got a box of C-Rations, no hot meals. Those light tanks would be good target practice for the Panzers. Only really good for scouting and in the Pacific. Soviets used them as scout cars because their light weight was better at getting through the mud. And the PT! The Turn and lunge!
Railheading in Germany was luxury compared to this! 6 man compartments, 3 seats across, with 3 bunks above the seating. We had books, magazines, boom boxes, cards and dice. C rations, but also, a porter with a sandwich and drink cart would come by. Didn't mind it a bit, much better than the bus, or convoy driving!
Quite a few of those M-3 Stewart Tanks being loaded. It also looked like there might have been a few of the M-5 Stewart Tanks being loaded as well maybe.
Did you catch the shot where it appears a corner section of the driver's compartment has been removed to show the guy doing his job? Happens about 3:36.
"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives." Smedley Butler
But thise ranks were left over designs from post WW1.... obsolete against the modern German War machine... shows you how quickly we mobilized... 2.5 years later we were able to invade Europe
One curiosity that I have about shipping equipment across the country by rail during the war: since there wasn't a single railroad company (and there still isn't today) that owned a single rail line connecting the east and west coast, did the equipment still have to interchange between railroads, or did they allow locomotives and crew from one particular railroad to operate on a competitor's line?
Dad was in the band for an anti-aircraft battery. Was on leave and got back twenty min. late, was sent back to basic for infantry and wound up getting shot on the border of France and Germany three hours before the official start off the Battle of the Bulge. Fortunately a ricochet that hit his arm. Then German machine gun nest just opened fire on his unit.
If you are talking at 3:40 no kidding. That is just common sense. I have seen RR safety films from this era stress that about working in rail yards and train cars.
This is kind of Deja vu for me having served in a U.S.Army transportation battalion(terminal service)on the port of Pusan, Korea from 01/1969 - 02/1970.
My Dad, Ernest Earl Vosburg was drafted on his 18th Birthday July 15th 1943. Shipped out to Fort Knox, slept in tar paper shacks and learned how to work on Sherman Tanks. My Dad specifically assembled flame throwers on the tanks for the pacific theater. He said his Sargent would come in at night and open the windows up in the shack to "toughen" the guys up for the European theater. Either the Sargent knew where they were going but didn't want that out there and was trying to throw off any spying, but they all went to the pacific theater, Dad to Hawaii as a tank mechanic. He shipped out after basic and took a troop train across the USA to California and the up the pacific coast to Washington State and boarded the ship "Oriole" Going to Hawaii from there. There was a sub scare and the convoy did deploy depth charges en route. I have some black and white snap shots of the route up the coast, a bunch of Fort Knox and a bunch of Hawaii.
My Mom's Brother my Uncle Lou enlisted in the USAAC and was sent to Rantoul, Illinois for basic air training at the old Rantoul Army Air Base. From Rantoul he was sent to Barksdale Airbase in Barksdale, Louisiana to be trained to fly Martin Maurader B26 medium Bombers then sent to Wendover, Nevada to Wendover Army Air Corp Base for basic navigation training. Then off to New York City and on board the Queen Mary recomissoned by the RN as a troop ship. Upon arrival in the UK he was sent to RAF Stoke on Trent were he flew his first operational combat missions in the European theater. My Uncle was in the 7th Army Air Corp, 336th Bomb Squadron.
The only difference on the equipment loading portion between then and Desert Storm was the equipment being loaded and the guy playing the harmonica. 30 something years later, it still seems like yesterday.
They're not playing with harmonicas. It's a comb with wax paper wrapped around the comb. Used to do that as a kid.
@@jimweirjr3863check again at 4:17.
@@jimweirjr3863 check again at 4:17
Ah! Brings back memories! Rail heading in Germany 1978 to 1980.
We just got a box of C-Rations, no hot meals.
Those light tanks would be good target practice for the Panzers. Only really good for scouting and in the Pacific. Soviets used them as scout cars because their light weight was better at getting through the mud.
And the PT! The Turn and lunge!
Railheading in Germany was luxury compared to this! 6 man compartments, 3 seats across, with 3 bunks above the seating. We had books, magazines, boom boxes, cards and dice. C rations, but also, a porter with a sandwich and drink cart would come by. Didn't mind it a bit, much better than the bus, or convoy driving!
So sad that all these guys are gone now.
Quite a few of those M-3 Stewart Tanks being loaded. It also looked like there might have been a few of the M-5 Stewart Tanks being loaded as well maybe.
Did you catch the shot where it appears a corner section of the driver's compartment has been removed to show the guy doing his job? Happens about 3:36.
"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives."
Smedley Butler
Wow. Great video
Transport by train is a whole lot easier when the yards aren't bombed and trains aren't strafed.
Yes.... going to war with the USA separated by 2 oceans on either side was dumb.
But thise ranks were left over designs from post WW1.... obsolete against the modern German War machine... shows you how quickly we mobilized... 2.5 years later we were able to invade Europe
One curiosity that I have about shipping equipment across the country by rail during the war: since there wasn't a single railroad company (and there still isn't today) that owned a single rail line connecting the east and west coast, did the equipment still have to interchange between railroads, or did they allow locomotives and crew from one particular railroad to operate on a competitor's line?
There would have to be interchange between railroads in order to swap out both the locomotive and crew. No loco or crew could last that full distance.
Dad was in the band for an anti-aircraft battery. Was on leave and got back twenty min. late, was sent back to basic for infantry and wound up getting shot on the border of France and Germany three hours before the official start off the Battle of the Bulge. Fortunately a ricochet that hit his arm. Then German machine gun nest just opened fire on his unit.
I don't know if I would want to stand between tanks directing them when to stop.
If you are talking at 3:40 no kidding. That is just common sense. I have seen RR safety films from this era stress that about working in rail yards and train cars.
This is kind of Deja vu for me having served in a U.S.Army transportation battalion(terminal service)on the port of Pusan, Korea from 01/1969 - 02/1970.
This must have been very early in the war, men wearing the old tin hats, the Grant/Lee tanks, the M-3 light tanks...
That’s it ? Wow that was really a ‘short’ !
I watch this on RFDTV
Yes, please!
Why didn't he enlist?
Wow those tanks were absolete before even being shipped
I own bth a Stuart and a track . Was that FT Knox ? PT and a shower lol
My cat laid on the key board of my laptop now the keyboard does not respond when I type how do l get the keyboard to work
.
Get a dog.
Move the cat! 🙂
Seriously? Reboot. That should undo whatever the cat sat on.
If the keyboard doesn't respond, how did you type your question? C'mon people.
@@richburnham7326, on his phone instead of laptop? C'mon yourself.
👍
way too much music
They sent my Dad across country for desert training then shipped him to the jungle of Saipan😐
Couldn't be worse than the ones trained to fight in Alaska and ended up in Italy!
Clearly this is right after Pearl Harbor...still wearing Doughboy helmets
Yunki go home
Band what a useless mos worse than mp
Not if it keeps you in the rear area away from the fighting!