Traveling by ship, the 34^th Division went to Northern Ireland in three waves, with the last arriving in May 1942. Together with the 1^st Armored Division, it formed V Corps, the vanguard of the U.S. Army’s European ground force.

The two divisions began training immediately, but the training was hardly ideal and would later be lambasted by Private Frank B. Sargent, whose written report was circulated throughout the Army in 1943:

“...In Ireland I have seen patrols go out in the following manner,” wrote Sargent. “The patrol leader had a vague idea about his mission, while the rest knew nothing at all. The leader did not check his men before they left for equipment that would reflect light or rattle. The patrol followed a road without even considering investigating bushes or hedges on the sides of the roads. The patrol marched in a helter-skelter formation, in columns of twos, no scouts, no point, no organization whatsoever.”

Whether it was the lackadaisical training or the boring routine of barracks life, a large number of men grew bored. The German offensive in Russia meant the immediate threat of an invasion of Great Britain had passed. It seemed obvious to the infantrymen that they weren’t going to be called into action any time soon. Many of the young men wanted to fight; many thought they would rot away before they saw action.

And then one day in camp, the troops noticed a sign tacked on the bulletin board announcing that a new outfit was forming. There wasn’t much information about it, but one thing got their attention right away – the unit was going to be modeled after the British Commandos.

Within days, several hundred volunteers were en route to a small town named Carrickfergus, about twenty miles north of Belfast, Ireland. The unit they had signed up to join was so new it didn’t even have a name.

 . . . from

Rangers at Dieppe,

Chapter 1,  The Coming of War