143rd AAA Gun Battalion - Page 50

 

Besides sports, the men took advantage of movies, Red Cross Clubs, dances, and the various other forms of entertainment that were available at our different positions. The morale of our battery was always exceptionally high throughout our Army days. After VE Day we had more leisure time. The battery conducted weekend excursions to the Bavarians Alps, Brenner Pass, Dachau, Berchtesgaden and other notable sights. Passes to Paris and furlough to rest centers such as Chamonix with beautiful Mont Blanc, were available to all for the mere asking. Practically everyone in the battery took advantage of these opportunities to see places that tourists had spent millions of dollars to visit.

There was no lack of coordination between the officers and EM of our battery. We worked as a team and accomplished our mission as a unit. On the field of sports the EM usually managed to come ahead of the officers, but those games were all in the spirit of fun.

We occupied many different positions and for varied lengths of time. Four days at Stavelot to nine weeks at Gennevilliers. Probably the best remembered positions will be Versaille with its mud, Liege with its infernal buzz-bombs and Namur with its snow and coldness.