Date |
Sgt David S. Gray's Notes, November 1942 |
| Nov 1 |
Pulled guard from 2:30 A.M. - 4:30 A.M. 8:30 - 10:30 and 2:30 - 4:30 P.M. At 4:30 A.M. when I got relieved one of the engine room workers took me into their mess room for a big steak and cup of coffee best I've had and only steak since the states. Refueled a destroyer from the stern of our ship today Met a nurse on deck after blackout Very nice. may see more of her |
| Nov 2 |
Where we going? Everybody wonders It seems to be thru the Straits of Gibraltar to Algeria maybe It may still be Dakar can't tell. Been heading East and then going around in a circle for the last 2 days. Today they gave us a booklet on N. Africa Fr. Mooroco, Algeria + Tunisa They took our money and are going to give us new invasion money = not good for the States. just here. |
| Nov 3 |
Also we got cream to smear on for mosquitos a mosquito net for our head a pair of goggles against sand. and a pair of gloves that reach to the elbow. Refueled a corvette |
| Nov 4 |
Got our invasion money today. looks exactly like real US bill except there is a yellow seal at one end. refueled 2 corvettes I think we are actually going in big circle. Each day we go in a different direction. Took two pills for Malaria etc. Refueled another boat today |
| Nov 5 |
Refueled two more Corvettes today. Had daily exercises at 3:00 P.M. Convoy divided in half and 20 + ships went ahead. plane carrier stayed with us. Lt. Mac gave us unofficially good news. we're going to be at a well established field near a good city. city of Oran. 1200 miles from Rommell. heard we lost the Lexington in the Solomons. Saw a Catalina this morning. |
| Nov 6 |
Had landing party drill this noon. full equipment. Had to go down into hold to get barracks bag and take out shelter half + can rations Lousy washing conditions nothing but cold salt water. Everybody smells like billy goats. Saw land for first time at 4:00 P.M. Went thru the Straits of Gibraltar at 11:00 P.M. Seems strange to see towns lighted up again The plane carriers with us have American pilots on [Cont'd on November 7] |
| Nov 7 |
[Cont'd from November 6] them and stars on the British planes. Sank a sub 350 yds dead ahead of us the other day. just 2 depth charges and that was all. land on both side of us today. We should be off this tub by Tuesday. There's only about 300 Air Corps boys on the boat and we triumphed again by sewing our flags on the elastic top of an old pair of socks so we can slip em on our arm and wear any clothes according to [Cont'd on November 8] |
| Nov 8 |
[Cont'd from November 7] the weather. The engineers-infantry will have to wear their jackets that have the flag sewed on em. We will go ashore in coveralls and will probably wade the last few feet to shore. Moving in fairly near shore this morning a few planes flying around. sub chasers scooting around invasion boats to + fro. Very heavy shelling up the coast but nothing but smoke pots + fifty caliber on shore in front of us. |
| Nov 9 |
Everything quite on shore now. Barges taking men ashore now first boat load left at 9:00 A.M. Us in the Air Corps will wait until tomorrow 9th Wonder how far our field is. We got off the boat in the dark. large ground swell. Had to wade from barge to shore. (wrong beach) Stayed in fishing shack for night. Heavy bombing in Oran Parachutist took the field and 31st landed Spitfires. on field. no gas French took the planes [Cont'd on November 10] |
| Nov 10 |
[Cont'd from November 9] away from em and have been strafing us. Went swimming this morning. packed our gear and went to Arzew chased around after Snipers who were taking pop shots at MP's didn't get him but fired at him. Got him later marched back to shacks at Green beach. Stayed in same shacks. pretty stiff + sore from pack pulled 1 hr guard. |
| Nov 11 |
Armistice Day 25 yrs ago. 2 or 3 men with our group saw the end of the last war. Got straffed this morning while eating breakfast. left Green Beach at 9:30 A.M. marched about 5 miles to red white beach + joined rest of group in open field. Waiting to go to our field. Wonder where our bombers are. They could easily change the French Foreign Legion's mind. |
| Nov 12 |
I'm a day ahead of myself in this diary just the 10th and the 11th yesterday was really Armistice Day We spent it on this grape field. Gerry Brown and I pitched our shelter halves together and slept on straw Tryed to get a little wine but the officers all got drunk nite before and have spoiled our chance. its very good. much better than that old beer in England. We've taken Oran. Armistice was signed and then Hitler announced he bombed us and sunk our ships. 31st lost men by Snipers going into their field so [Cont'd on Novenber 13] |
| Nov 13 |
[Cont'd from November 12] November 13 12 we are sending 30 men to help em. DIDN'T PAN OUT .6224 Kilo = 1 MILE 30 KILOM = 18 MILES
NOV 13th went down on the beach and took the radio set out of the crashed Hurricane. went back down this afternoon and took a swim. Brown has left for the field. I'll go soon (Flying Echelon left Ibsley) |
| Nov 14 |
{Lartique} Tafaroui. Left for the flying field Tafaroui in a confiscated bus some of the boys got nice looking field considering the terrain runways quite short. the new desert Spitfires of the 31st here. 38's of the 14th B-26's + B-25's and A-20's and Gen. Doolittles B-17-G Some {Amiat} French bombers around and some old wrecks fixed up as dummies. |
| Nov 15 |
Eating canned rations 2 meals a day. Went thru Frenchman's barracks pretty messy. Dan Riley and I got a hold of a Renault cab over engine. The boys that went to the 31st are right here. mix up somewhere. Riley and I had the truck running pretty good + hauled gas + ammunition to our planes Kept busy all day kind of un restful sleeping in our [Cont'd on November 16] |
| Nov 16 |
[Cont'd from November 15] pup tents on the ground with only Army blankets. Hauled all kinds of equipment around the field today with Riley. then tonight we took a G I 2 1/2 ton and started hauling ammunition from the docks at Arzew which is about 40 miles in semi-blackout. Which amounted to about 23 hours of driving + riding all together. Plane was on escort patrol [Cont'd on November 17] |
| Nov 17 |
[Cont'd from November 16] around Gibraltar for the day. Came in with Dan Riley on the last load of ammunition from Arzew at about 8:00 this morning. had breakfast. Told us we could write home now. We expect to move pretty soon. Settergren + I took tool box out to plane. Lt. Moutier is flying it now. Capt. Wells was transferred and stayed in England. Have to refuel with 5 gal cans + strain it so it takes quite [Cont'd on November 18] |
| Nov 18 |
[Cont'd from November 17] sometime to put in 200 or so gallons. Got 2 months pay coming soon Planes run a dawn patrol now at 5:15 AM. also all day long there are 4 planes in the air steady we take turns with the 94th and 14th. The famous "Johnny Rebel" B-17G came in today also a B-24 used for cargo came in from Orlando Florida. Have written couple of letters and had my hair cut all off. Have 5 week old mustache |
| Nov 19 |
Wish I could have a bath cold as hell in the morning and nights. sleep full clothes + flying suit. Did same work today as usual changed plugs and engine runs smooth again. Coghlin left for the next field at noon today I'll leave in the night sometime. This Eve Rich Harris and Finly + Ben Gibson dropped in to see us. Glad to see them They're with the 52nd Pursuit. bummed in from about 10 miles |
| Nov 20 |
Nouvion. Left the field about 1:00 AM tonight after loading up 15 trucks for the 3rd time. unloaded our trucks after a 50 mile drive to our new field. went to sleep on a box at about 5:00 A.M. This field is in a hell of a rough condition just one shack for officers quarters and radio. M.O. and Operations. Supply + men in the open. no runway just a great big field. We'll move nearer the front soon. |
| Nov 21 |
Got my tent put up today. nothing much doing rained and made very sticky mud out of the dirt. we bought 5 chickens + cooked them. swell + made coffee. There is a regular mess but its English rations. which means corn Willy or mutton all the time. |
| Nov 22 |
Good clear day today started a 50 hr on the plane. finished it this evening. gets dark around 4:30 - 5:00 so supper is early. Had 12 eggs for supper tonight and about 2 doz. tangerines 40 or 50 eggs for $1. but the natives would rather trade for clothing got called out to put on the belly tanks and fill them. and only 1 pump for all the planes. finished at midnite |
| Nov 23 |
Planes took of this morning to escort the fortresses to bomb Sardinia where the Jerrys are based that bombed the 14th's planes and 3 or 4 Fortresses at Algiers. They got almost there and came back when wheather turned bad. 71st planes stayed at Algiers. I've been put on Major Rudell's ship for a week while one of the guys is on camp detail One of the pilots took me up to their wash room + I had a bath. |
| Nov 24 |
Wrote some letters last nite. No planes to work on so I thought would take it easy today. But CQ didn't blow his whistle in our revetment and 8 of us didn't wake up for work calls so we were put to sawing and splitting R.R. ties for the day. This god damn screwy outfit would never think of giving the C.Q. hell. If ever bullets fly near us we're going to be missing Capt. Moor + the 1st Sgt. |
| Nov 25 |
Well it rained like hell early this morn and when we got up the mud is something terrible. goes over the top of your shoes + sticks inches thick. Got a lot of mail from home last nite. Aunt Mary. Dad. Ruth. slept and wrote letters today. rained off + on. Planes still up at Algiers. 14th lost few men also couple of B-17's bombed 94th goes to the Tunisian border tonite. For supper we killed and fried 4 roosters [Cont'd on November 26] |
| Nov 26 |
[Cont'd from November 25] for 6 of us. 18 eggs and 2 quarts of wine and 3 big oranges apiece. Thats sumpin England never had. traded 2 pairs of Limey sneakers and a mattress cover. Rained hard off and on all day. slept in the tent + wrote letters Weather closed in on a B-25C + B-17E and they dropped in here. Had to dig ditches around the tent. some guys got flooded out. had to go mile up the hill to chapel in the base and [Cont'd on November 27] |
| Nov 27 |
[Cont'd from November 26] sleep on the floor. Tent just started to leak after 3 days + nites. Mud is ankle and shoe deep everywhere. Lt. Muldune [probably Lt. Bernard Muldoon] taxied one of our 38's into a shell hole so that's 2 we've lost since we've been in Africa. Some 38's sunk a tanker and shot down 16 planes so that not bad for first account of themselves. Not raining today but sun isn't strong. don't know how long it'll last. |
| Nov 28 |
B-25C made swell takeoff in the mud yesterday. Good hot sun all day today. Pretty near dried mud up. Couldn't get the Army Navy football game because of wheather and the U.S. beams all are directed to Europe. 94th planes left today. their men flew in C-47 couple days ago. Hope we fly in C-47's when we go. Rained again tonite. |
| Nov 29 |
Sunday Told us be ready to move today so that means a day or so. Don Riley took some pictures of me today. remember that when I get home. 27th planes left today don't know where. Good news about the French fleet in Toulon. I'm ready to go home now. Wouldn't be so bad if I could get out of this outfit. 27th planes and whats left of ours escorted 47 C-47's which dropped 600 paratroopers on a field in Tunisia. Red White + Blue chutes all at once. very pretty sight. |
| Nov 30 |
One of the C-47's crashed 10 miles from here killing 5 men. Flying to low + hit a tree. Planes escorted B-17's and completed the bombing mission 27th got one plane No opposition to speak of. 94th in Tunisia have 5 planes to their credit. Our planes at Algiers haven't seen a thing. Some American food rations have come to us so we'll probably move soon Had to qts of Vino Vermouth - tasted [Cont'd on December 1] |
| Dec 1 |
[Cont'd from November 30] like cough syrup. a case of beer costs $1.30 champagne costs $1.40 per qt. wine cost $.25 cents per qt. Pay day today. $27,000 for the Squd. exclusive of allotments. Heard it cost $15,000,000 to swing Oran + the French Officials to us. Wonder what it will cost to swing Italy for us. Heard the chaplin was holding our packages until Christmas I think its a lot of bunk. |
WWII Notebook Journal of Sgt. David S. Gray