Scrapbook 2

"In Doncourt, we stayed in barracks ... the night after we got there I was put on guard. And just that night the Germans picked to strafe the road next to the camp. Luckily, nobody was hit."

Christmas Eve 1944: "We had a Christmas party. We all tried to make the best of a very bad situation but our hearts weren't in it. The news coming back from the 'Bulge' wasn't too reassuring."

"We didn't stay at Doncourt long. On December 29 we left for Verdun ... Our first important event was a New Year's Eve party ... There was some cognac to drink but not enough."

"Our stay at Verdun was also very short. On January 14 we left the city and headed for what was to be our last stop in France ... at Briey we lived 4 men to a room, which, after the other places we lived, could e considered private!"

"On January 28, 1945, I left for my first mission with the rest of the outfit. I was then a part of the Special Effects Section ... We went to Landonvilliers ... We were simulating the 95th Division in a rest area."

"On February 2 we left on another mission. This time we were only 10 men, and we went to Pikard. The night we got to Pikard, an outfit of artillery moved into town ... Later, we found out is was our own artillery, but until we did, we were one scared bunch of fellows!"

"Had another mission in the same town. It was then that we lost Capt. Wells of the 23rd Hq. Co., and a man from the Signal Company, who were killed by shells, and part of D Company, which had 9 of its men wounded at once."

"On February 7 I was transferred back to the Factory Section and went to live at the 'Pig Farm' ... There were only a few men living there, about 30 to be exact, and we really had a racket!"

"It was our job, through the use of rubber items, false shoulder patches, bumper markings, and road signs, ... to deceive the enemy into thinking we were a certain outfit. While we moved into an area, the outfit we were simulating moved to another spot secretly ... All in all, there were 21 such missions, the first being in July 1944, and the last in April 1945."

"We were instrumental in the final capture of such places as St. Lo, Brest, and Metz, and in the crossing of the Rhine at Wesel with so few casualties. The following are pictures of some of the missions the outfit went on."