Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:57 | Robert von der Osten remembers growing up in Staten Island, New York. Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy and began training for the Amphibious Force immediately. Before long, he was headed for North Africa.
Keywords : Staten Island New York enlisted Pearl Harbor HI physical exam station Navy amphibious force Naval Training LST(landing ship tank)
Robert von der Osten remembers the route of the LST 388 as it made landings throughout North Africa and into Italy. The German forces were dug in and prepared which meant danger for American forces hitting the beaches.
During a training mission in April 1944, Exercise Tiger, some American LSTs were ambushed by German E-boats and hundreds of men died. Only a few weeks later, LST 388 was participating in D-Day. Getting to the beach was a difficult undertaking with the mines that littered the water and incoming fire from the beaches ahead.
On a resupply mission, General Patton commanded the LST 388 to carry gasoline up through France. On leave, Robert von der Osten got married which gave him enough credit to be able to discharge.
Robert von der Osten remembers one foggy night they had that led to a close encounter with an approaching freighter. The Battle of Anzio was particularly destructive to the American forces, unfortunately due to friendly fire.
Robert von der Osten remembers some of the daily challenges, and benefits, of working on the LST 388. The process of coming to shore was always a difficulty that required some maneuvering.
