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Northern Ireland

First U.S. Troops to Europe, January 26—December 20, 1942

Northern Ireland
Bitter cold and always damp on "Swamp Island.
January 1942: After sailing from the U.S. aboard the "Strathaird," a refurbished British passenger ship to transport troops, the 34th Infantry Division landed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and traveled to Castlerock, a small resort hamlet on the north shore of the Atlantic Ocean. The 133rd Infantry Regiment would "secretly" train in Northern Ireland for the next ten months, although they rarely used live ammunition and were poorly prepared for actual combat in North Africa.
Castlerock, Northern Ireland, on the North Atlantic shore,1942
Castlerock, Northern Ireland today - not much has changed.
Jan-Dec 1942, Northern Ireland: 1st Lt. Arthur L. Ludwick Jr., M.D. in Northern Ireland ("Swamp Island.") He was the 133rd Infantry Regiment's Battalion Surgeon and Medical Officer.
Bitter cold and always damp on "Swamp Island." U.S. troops were hurriedly sent to Europe after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Hence, the WWI issued uniforms and equipment.
Irish-American "socker."
June 3, 1942 Northern Ireland: “Yankee ingenuity at its best.” The 133rd Infantry Regiment using a jeep’s 4 four-wheel drive transmission to pump water from a well in just minutes that previously took the British many hours to pump manually.
1942, Northern Ireland: "Modern Ireland! A rather common sight in Ireland. They are on their way to market." (typed caption on back of photo)
In bed with Hedy LaMarr
Dec 1942: Map of the Empress of Australia’s sailing route from Liverpool, England to Oran, Algeria for Operation TORCH. Not to scale.
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