* Exclusive * Meet WW2 Vet George Perrine
FORWARD:
We were lucky enough to meet this fine fellow - George Perrine, United States Army, 2nd Armored Division – on D-Day 70th anniversary, 2014. He was a very interesting fellow to talk to, and he was like a “rock star” on D-Day with plenty of people wanting to meet him.
Our thanks to Mr. Perrine for his service during WW11 and we wanted to share his story, in his own words, of his time during the war.
It is a long tale so we will be posting it over a few days so look for the rest of the story.
I know you will enjoy this:
By George Perrine
The war in Europe started when Germany attacked Poland in September, 1939. I was living in Waynesville, North Carolina and at that time I was a senior in school. I was rather young. I didn’t understand it yet, but I couldn’t image ever living during an experience of wartime. I couldn’t imagine one country attacking another, and I was started when Poland was defeated. It was over with before it had hardly gotten started. Germany had just rolled over them like they weren’t there. I learned that you better be ready at all times.
I enlisted because I didn’t want to wait and be drafted. I tried to enlist in the navy and they told me that my feet weren’t good; I couldn’t walk. So I enlisted in the Army! I just thought it was the right thing to do. When you get right down to it, the sooner you get started, the sooner it is over with. I figures, “Well it’s going to happen We are going to go over there and fight so we might as well go ahead and get it over with.”
When I went into the army, I enlisted and went through Fort Meade. That’s the induction center. There I was assigned to the armored force at Fort Knox, Kentucky, for basic training. As a result of the various aptitude tests that the army gave me at that time, they selected me to attend specialized schools. They had schools for anything you could think of; radio operators, technicians, drivers, mechanics, intelligence, gunners. You name it, they had it.
I wanted to go to gunnery school, but when they decided to send me, it was full. Instead, I went into wheel vehicle mechanics school. I was there ten weeks while the rest of the troops were taking basic training. I was in this specialized school, and I had no basic training.
I was at the specialized school, probably five or six miles away from my basic training unit, and all we did was go to school. I mean it was a full, full day. You got up in the morning and you had a few calisthenics and then you marched off to school, with only a break for lunch as you put in a full ten-hour day.
I was on the run all the time, but as far as training here was no training for tactics, or gunnery. We never went to a rifle range, never had rifle instructions, it was all technical. They were supposed to train us in basic training later. It didn’t work that way, but it worked out all right.
After the schooling was over, we were released back to our training unit. They had completed their basic training and they were in the process of loading out to go to Camp Polk, Louisiana, to form a new armored division. They put us on a train and sent us to the Second Armored Division which was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. When we arrived, they discovered that they had received a whole trainload of GI’s that didn’t even have basic training. This was in September and they were ready to go overseas in November. They were some put out, so we started a very special quick course, a cram job of learning how to be a soldier.
After the training, it was a matter of moving the division and all of our equipment to Fort Dix, NJ, for embarkation overseas. Unless your unit was part of a landing force in the invasion, all equipment was dipped in Cosmoline for shipment. It’s a very sticky substance like axle grease, and everything is really a big mess. You work day and night just packing your gear getting it ready for shipment.
All vehicles were waterproofed so they would start and operate in damp conditions. In fact, when properly waterproofed they would run when fully submerged in water. If no port facilities were available for docking, the vehicles could be lowered into landing craft and landed through the surf directly on the beach.
A combat command of the division participated in the invasion of North Africa, November 8, 1942. Members of follow up units landed in the Port of Casablanca, French Morocco, December 24, 1942. My Baptism to war was December 21, New Year’s Eve when a force of German bombers attacked the Port of Casablanca. It was a real fireworks display with no damage to the division.
Our stay in the Cork Forest, near Rabat, lasted until late April. During this time the division was stationed along the Spanish Morocco border to remind us that it might not be in the best interest of Spain to consider occupying any French Territory in Africa. Casablanca Conference convened during this time and we were involved in providing escort and security for President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and a host of officials.
Due to the heavy losses suffered by the 1st Armored Division in combat with the Germans in Tunisia, our division provided replacement personnel and equipment.
It was during this time that even lowly privates became painfully aware that we had a lot to learn before we were ready to fight the German Army on even field. Training became more serious and realistic with the use of live ammunition.
We spent several months near Organ Algeria for amphibious training.
Our next stop was by convoy to the area near the city of Bizerte, Tunisia, where the major units that were to assault the town prepared. Again, we waterproofed vehicles and loaded them in the harbor of Bizerte and sailed to Sicily. We landed July 10, 1943 on the southern coast of Sicily.
Most of the enemy units that we encountered were Italians. Occasionally, German officers reinforced the Italian units. When these units were encountered, you either had a real fight on hand or you simply backed off, notified headquarters of the actions, and looked elsewhere for a way around the ordnance. Only rarely did we tackle a dug-in enemy position head-on if we could outflank the position ad pry the out by a surprise flank attack.
We soon learned that we had a long way to go communicating with our own air force. Our company was bombed and strafed on two successive days by air force P-38 Fighter Bombers. The second day, we had one wounded and the loss of one quarter-ton jeep and one scout car. We shot the fighter down. I guess you can say we traded one jeep and one scout car for one P-38. The pilot bailed out and was picked up by our scout section. He was a very surprised major. The following day, July 14, I was wounded by shrapnel when my armored car was destroyed by fire from an anti-tank gun. I was the only one of the crew injured by the explosion. My wounds were not life threatening but were serious enough to have me evacuated back to North Africa for treatment.
Continued…. Excerpt from next chapter – “Planes filled the sky all night June 5-6 and all day June 6. We knew this was not a dry run but the real thing”
Join our Newsletter Here
Find this interesting or useful then -
SHARE THIS: