Scrapbook 1

"On July 5 I went to Leamington ... on the way back we got a lift in a car driven by an elderly English couple. They invited us to stop at their home ... the old man showed us his Victory Gardens, ... the old lady made supper for us ... we talked for some time about the war and about their son who was in the R.A.F. When we finally started back to camp it was after 11:00 o'clock, and it was still light, due to the double daylight savings time."

"On July 8 we left Walton Hall ... on July 23 we debarked. We climbed down the side of the ship on a rope ladder, carrying our full field packs and rifles, on to a barge. ... We landed at the now famous Omaha Beach. ... That night I experienced my first air raid, and believe me, I was scared! The next morning we joined the rest of the outfit at Rubercy, or Mandeville, as the area was sometimes called."

"I also came into contact with French rationing, and got some outdated ration books as souvenirs. Once in France I lost no time in trying to get acquainted with the people. ... My home there was an old packing crate which I turned into a hut."

Sketches at Trevieres, near Mandeville, made by Sergeant George Vander Sluis, a member of the 603rd.

"While at Mandeville, we spent most of our time repairing and testing the dummies. In our spare time, Helmut [Isenberg] and I went to the farmer's house. During the nights we spent a few hours in a foxhole or a ditch while the German planes came over. The nearest they ever came to bombing us was a dud in the field next to ours. "

"On August 3 we packed up and left Mandeville. Our route took us through Bayeux to our next area, Le Fremondre, or Montcuit, as it was more commonly called. We arrived there the same day."

"Our first German souvenirs were leaflets dropped by the Allies urging the Germans to surrender." Nussenbaum included several examples in his scrapbook, including the one on this page.

Some scenes from the bivouac area showing the devastation they saw in France

On August 25 we left Montcuit for our third area, a group of fields near Torce-en-Charnie. After Normandy, Torce was heaven. ... For 176 francs for the three of us, (that's $3.52 in U.S. money), we got the following: a large juicy steak, fried in butter, fried potatoes, in butter, green beans, bread and butter, an omelette, and a bottle of wine between the three of us. Now you know why Torce was heaven!"

"On September 8 we left Torce for our next area. We were headed for St. Germain which was a rather long trip, so we had to break it up into two days. ... on September 14 I got my chance to go to St. Germain. It was a quaint city, and I had a nice time there walking up and down the streets, window shopping."