Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:37 | To Army draftee David Lee, training for the infantry was a great adventure. He made friends from far and wide and it prepared him well for the ongoing campaign across Europe.
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David Lee was on his way to Europe in a troop ship and they put him to work making ice cream. It was no treat, though, when he was thrown onto the Battle of St. Lo.
David Lee says the fabled German 88mm gun was put to devastating use in the Battle of St. Lo. It was even used to target individual soldiers. Eventually the Germans had to withdraw and it was a breakthrough right across France for the Allies.
David Lee’s unit was repositioned in response to the Battle of the Bulge, shoring up the Southern flank. After that, they moved to the Elbe River, where they contacted advancing Russian troops.
The activity was less stressful at war’s end for David Lee. Liberating a wine cellar and guarding a refugee camp were welcome changes from combat. Of 158 men who arrived in Europe with his unit, only 8 remained.
