Oral history interview with Troy M. Thomason, 1999 July 07.

ArchivalResource

Thomason, Troy M., 1923-. Oral history interview with Troy M. Thomason, 1999 July 07.

Oral history interview with Troy M. Thomason, 1999 July 07.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/320551626

Interview with Troy M. Thomason, Army veteran (552nd Antiaircraft Battalion), concerning his experiences in the European Theater during World War II. Family life and growing up around Groesbeck, Texas, during the Great Depression; his education through Westminster Junior College and Bible Institute; thoughts about Franklin D. Roosevelt; his reaction to prewar world events in Europe and Asia; induction into the Army, February, 1943; processing at Camp Wolters, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1943; basic training at Camp Hulen, Texas, 1943; assignment to the 552nd Antiaircraft Battalion; his responsibilities as a battery clerk; his promotion to supply clerk; maneuvers at Fort Polk, Louisiana; transportation aboard the Queen Mary to England, February, 1944; his experiences in melding with men from all over the U.S. and with varied backgrounds; pre-D-Day training and preparations at Walingford, England; landing at Utah Beach, Normandy, during the later part of June, 1944; his new responsibilities as a battalion supply sergeant; descriptions of the war wreckage in France; Operation COBRA and the bombing of Saint Lô, July, 1944; the breakout from the Argentan Peninsula, August, 1944; attachment of the 552nd Antiaircraft Battalion to the 49th Brigade; off-duty entertainment; relations with civilians; three-month encampment at Verviers, Belgium; Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, December, 1944-January, 1945; his unit's transfer to the 78th Infantry Division, 1945; leave in Paris; the Rhine River crossing, 1945; his activities in the Army of Occupation; lasting impressions of his World War II experiences.

128 leaves ; 29 cm.

University of North Texas Library, UNT