Written by Gene Jager

At the end of 1941, European ports were held by the enemy. The heavy weapons needed to retake the captured lands would have to be delivered in flat-bottomed, bow-loading ships that could load 20 Sherman tanks and deliver them, under fire, on hostile beaches. One man, who served on an LST (Landing Ship, Tanks), tells of the untrained men going into battle in untried ships, called upon to do on-the-job training and fight a war in the process.