The United States

· Activated on the 3rd of March 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

· 24 July 1943 the unit left Camp Shelby, Mississippi for Base General Depot, San Bernardino, California on a 3,000 mile journey. They took the southern route by train crossing Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Company split up into three separate convoys to prepare living quarters under canvas and to train and perform maintenance on equipment within their respective locations.

· Early October – the entire units left Base General Depot; San Bernardino, California for Camp Young, California for movements oversees.

· Early November 1943- Entire units left Camp Young traveling in one convoy and returned to Base General Depot to complete the preparation for movement to the port of embarkation.

· 15 Dec 1943- Left Base General Depot for Camp Shanks, New York, the unit boarded troop trains which carried the troops on a northern route to Camp Shanks. The unit arrived at Camp Shanks on 20 Dec 1943.

· 26 Dec 1943, orders were received for reassignment to England to prepare for D Day.

· 27th Dec 1943- The Unit was move by train to the English owned ship, The Dominion Monarch, the unit’s personnel and equipment were loaded that day and night and the following morning they sailed to England.

So the 965th engineers spent a total of 10 months in the United States training. Now they were heading overseas for destinations unknown to them and to an uncertain future.

The 965th Engineer Maintenance Company