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Longshore Soldiers: Life in a World War II Port Battalion

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Seventy 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.

*Disclaimer* I do have a professional connection with Andrew. I have hired him to do cover design for the Press I work for. I don't know much about WWII, but I do know that the guys doing the "non-glamorous" work, the transportation, the supply lines, the engineering, almost never get the attention they deserve. Andrew has put together a well-writted and compelling story that is also well-researched history. He has documented his story with multiple appendixes, plentiful images, and first-person accounts. The story about this WWII Port Battalion does justice to the honorable service of the men in this unit.

I highly recommend Longshore Soldiers to anyone with an interest in US Army Transportation units during WWII. The author's grandfather (Corty Hopkins), as well as many, many other patriot Americans respond to America's call after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Corty, Dave Weaver, Bruce Kramlich each became part of the Normandy Invasion force, and served proudly until after the war had finished. Longshore Soldiers tells the story of Army Stevedore's as recounted by Veterans who were there, in their own words and is backed up by official reports, as well as newspaper articles. The 519th Port Battalion (Terminal Service) employed innovative transportation and stevedore techniques that came from the forward thinking soldiers of yesteryear. Years later during the Vietnam Conflict, the unit activated as the 519th Transportation Battalion (Truck), deploying to the Kingdom of Thailand in Southeast Asia, performing outstandingly as an Army transportation unit, continuing the legacy started with the 519th Port Battalion. Thanks goes out to Andrew for a superb accounting of this highly motivated team of soldiers.

Joseph J. Wilson, Jr. (jjwilson@pcisys.net)
SFC, TC,
US Army (Retired)

Truckmaster
The 519th Transportation Association, Thailand
([...])

I love stories about people behind the scenes or technical tidbits behind major events. This book does a great job of introducing the uninitiated to the Transportation Corps of WWII. It was grueling work. This book does a great service to the men who served in these unsung battalions. Also, it's truly a tribute to his grandfather and that affection is felt throughout the book. I want to commend the author for tackling what could have been a 'dry' subject and making it entertaining. Bravo.

Andrew Brozyna's "Longshore Soldiers" is a remarkable read, both as a tribute to an individual GI grandfather, and as a well-researched fill-in of a huge blind spot in the popular histories of WWII. From the very beginning of the U.S. Army's planning for the re-conquest of Europe, Port Capacities and logistics were a daunting reality. As Nathan Bedford Forest famously said, " You got to git thar fustest with the mostest!" War Plans revolve around this quaintly-stated fact. Those who study the technical aspects of WWII will know just how important the Port of Antwerp in Belgium was, but most americans will only know a little of this story, if anything at all. Right through the end of 1944, supply was always a serious worry for the High Command. But they did know they could count on one thing....the soldiers. The concept of "citizen-soldier " was exemplified in many ways by the service troops of WWII, and the 519th Port Battalion was pretty typical. From all over the United States, they signed up to do the job, they did it, and well, then slowly faded away into civilian life and now, into history. That that History was mostly unsung hasn't engendered complaints or rancor...it seems that was also part of the job. The author quotes from 'The Stars And Stripes' of 20 May, 1944,"... Some of the hardest and most dangerous work being done on this side of the fighting lines is performed by the U.S.ARMY's Transportation Corps stevedores who make up the port battalions toiling on the docks and in the warehouses..." first in Britain, then France and Belgium. The job got tougher as they went east; often, they had to fight their way into an area, and in Belgium, they had to fight to stay there, but the troopers got it done. Brozyna, through first-person interviews with the guys who were there, brings this out. And, too, the personal details of GI life in a city filled with civilians lend a touching bit of humanity to what must have been ofttimes a horrendously dangerous existence. I've always been proud that my Dad served in The 13th Port Group and wore the Belgian Fourragere. The Combat Badge and that Fourragere were part of his uniform for twenty-four years after it was awarded, even when he didn't wear his other decorations. When I was a kid with cap-guns, I wanted to wear that uniform, too. Though I remember many Military people asking what that red and green cord was, I now know why he was so proud of it. I am grateful that Mr Brozyna felt the same way about his granddad, and lets us all share in that ...For anyone who had a relative serve in "The War", or with an interest in what it takes to " Keep 'em Fighting! " this is an invaluable addition to a WWII library.

Longshore Soldiers is an excellent read. It combines personal accounts and detailed unit history of often unheralded yet vitally important men who kept the allied war machine rolling. Though sometimes overshadowed by front line combat troops, the men who kept the supplies moving were in no less perilous positions than those at the front. Without food, ammunition and equipment, there is no battle. The men of the port battalion's are every bit the hero's as their counterparts and this book tells their story. No study of the Allied victory in World War Two is complete without an understanding of what it took to keep the Armies supplied and the men who did it. It is a quick read and very informative.