{part 2}
IN ENGLAND
Upon arrival in England there was much to do and learn yet; including, their destination and part in the war. Keep in mind the weather in England this time of year is damp and dreary practically everyday. The Germans were bombing the land and patrolling the seas, sinking or destroying what they could.
Training was to be intense and at times secret. Ranging from one end of England to the other, conditions were meant to be as close as possible, for what was to be thought to be encountered in battle. Christmas and New Years would pass; training continued. On into spring they enjoyed the English countryside as much as possible for an American tanker preparing for battle. There were some good times spent in the towns and pubs near the training camps.
Then came April 1944 and the town of Torcross....
Torcross was taken over by the troops and the residents were moved out. This was to be the last training maneuver before D-day, most of this was top secret. The beaches here were similar to those in Normandy, France and the navies were included in this phase of the training so all units would know how they were to work together. During this time one operation stands out; code named "Operation Tiger", it became known as "The Slapton Sands incident". Upon completing this phase of training the 741st split up going to 3 separate staging areas to prepare the tanks and equipment for the invasion.
DDAY NEXT starts day by day account - in depth and as accurate as possible
if you find any discrepencies PLEASE let me know
©741st tank battalion