Longshore Soldiers: Life in a World War II Port Battalion Review

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Longshore Soldiers: Life in a World War II Port Battalion ReviewSeventy years after its end, the story of how ordinary men and women helped win the Second World War for the Allies continues to be a source of inspiration for the present generation. With good reason Tom Brokaw called them "the greatest generation". Through books and television some have even become familiar. Stephen E. Ambrose immortalized E Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in his international bestselling book 'Band of Brothers' and captured the grim reality of life of GIs in wartime while giving them a very human face. A new book, 'Longshore Soldiers' by Andrew J. Brozyna, reminds us that Hilter's "total war" embroiled everyone at the time, touching locations close to the front like the towns on the Scheldt River in Flanders to faraway places like Schenectady, New York. This is World War II retold through the lives of a logistics support unit of the US Army's Transportation Corps.
Their story is told in fifteen chapters arranged chronologically according to the life of Brozyna's own grandfather, Cortland "Corty" Hopkins. In chapters 1 and 2 we follow the man from birth through childhood in New York state, and learn of his yearning to join the army when World War II breaks out. Unfortunately for him his fitness level leads to his application to enlist being rejected. Instead, he works in the local American Locomotive Company plant where he is part of the great industrial effort to provide materiel for the war. The factory wins award after award for the quality of its products, among which is the secret M-7 mobile gun platform which helps defeat Gen. Erwin Rommel in North Africa. But Corty pangs to take a more active role and, through a clever ruse - which I won't reveal - in 1942 he is accepted for service and eventually finds a place in the 519th Port Battalion.
The Port Battalion was one of the great unsung heroes of the War. Its stevedores provided the muscle doing the heavy lifting - literally - of unloading boxes of ammunition and ordnance, food and vehicles from ships and docksides, and delivering them to wherever they were needed. Chapters 3 through 6 chart the training and development of the men of the 519th which was activated in June 1943. By converted passenger liner, and dodging the ever present threat of U-boots, the unit sailed from Boston in March 1944, arriving in Liverpool, England just nine days later. Its men then went to Avonmouth Docks in Bristol to work and were later transferred to Bridgend, Wales - the marshaling point for the coming D-Day invasion. The book reminds us of the vitally important job logistics units provide in support of forward combat troops. Brozyna uncovers several fascinating facts that convey the sheer scale and audacity of the D-Day landings in terms of men and materiel. (In my own book 'Eager for Glory: The Untold Story of Drusus the Elder, Conqueror of Germania' (Pen & Sword Books, (2011) I discuss the similar preparations the Romans carried out for their amphibious invasion of ancient Germany in 12BC under Drusus the Elder, so the point was not lost on me). Corty's comments about the regular habit of British crews stopping for tea breaks while the Americans continue to work is just one of many cultural differences he experiences between the members contributing to the Allied war effort.
Chapters 7 through 9 follow the 519th to Normandy. Wandering into a group of GIs of the 90th Infantry Division Cortland is offered and accepts a billycan of stew which is tastier than that served up to the stevedores. When the order to move out is given, however, Corty is refused permission to leave and finds himself aboard a DUKW shoulder to shoulder with the armed GIs, whose destination is Utah Beach. Brozyna draws on eyewitness accounts of the harrowing events of that momentous day. Having gained footfall, and with bullets whizzing all around him, Corty picks up a dead GI's rifle and fires back. Eventually he rejoins the 519th and for the next 5 months unloads a continuous stream of materiel to and from supply dumps set up along the coast.
The Belgian city of Antwerp is the location for Chapters 10 through 13. Now in American and British hands, with its deep water port Antwerp becomes a critical logistics centre for the Allies' strategic thrust into Nazi Germany. The tension of those early days in the mediaeval city as V1s and V2s fall from the sky for 175 days is vividly described. Corty also sees a darker side to the liberation as civilian criminal gangs rob food from for sale on the black market.
The final two chapters discuss events in the aftermath of Germany's surrender. Their job done, the men of the 519th are gradually demobbed and Corty is one of the last to leave. Cortland makes it home to Schenectady in January 1946 and marries his sweetheart. The 519th is finally deactivated on 3 October of that year.
'Longshore Soldiers' is a well-researched study of a little known branch of the military without whose contribution the war could not have been won as quickly - or at all. The author draws on a wealth of information - all properly referenced in the endnotes - to produce what must surely be the definitive account of the 519th Port Battalion. There are six appendices. One is a company roster of the men who served with the company, another shows charts which explain the organization of the unit. Included is the complete text of the Historical Data Report about the battalion written in 1946 and now held in the collections of the National Archives.
Brozyna's talent as a book designer is on full display in 'Longshore Soldiers'. It is a good looking book printed on high quality white paperstock so it is pleasing on the eye. Black and white photographs are arranged much like a scrapbook or family photo album; the quoted sources are reproduced in courier font to differentiate them from the main text; and clearly drawn maps helpfully support the narrative.
'Longshore Soldiers' is also an affectionate tribute to a group of ordinary, but nevertheless remarkable men who put themselves in harm's way for their country. The book proves the point that some of the best stories from history are to be found in our own families. In addition to extensively recording his grandfather's matter of fact recollections, Brozyna met and interviewed several men of the unit - friends of Corty's who are now in their late 80s and 90s - and weaves their often witty observations into the narrative to flesh out the drier factual historical information.
We owe the men of 519th Port Battalion and its like a debt of gratitude for their service, and Andrew Brozyna thanks for recording their story for posterity. 'Longshore Soldiers' is highly recommended.Longshore Soldiers: Life in a World War II Port Battalion OverviewThrough firsthand accounts, historical photographs, and original maps, Longshore Soldiers recounts the wartime experiences of Cortland Hopkins and ten other port battalion veterans. As part of the US Army's Transportation Corps, they were responsible for ensuring that thousands of tons of military supplies were packed, unloaded, and delivered to the front lines. Moving from training stateside, to supply operations on the beaches of Normandy, to dock work in the massive, high-risk seaport of Antwerp, Belgium, and finally to deactivation, Andrew Brozyna offers a compelling narrative of what daily life was like in this remarkable yet often overlooked service. Perhaps most importantly, Brozyna's use of personal histories as the basis for examining the logistics of WWII's European theater ensures that readers never lose sight of the individuals involved.

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