AN AMERICAN IN EUROPE
“FROM THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY TO THE LIBERATION OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN GERMANY, US FORCES ADVANCED TO FREE COUNTRY AFTER COUNTRY FROM NAZI TYRANNY”
During World War II, millions of Americans fought on the Western Front in Europe. With the Allies under the overall command of Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Americans contributed by the far the most resources, including manpower. From the beaches of Normandy to the liberation of concentration camps in Germany, US forces advanced to free country after country from Nazi tyranny.
Among these US soldiers was Harry ‘Pete’ Shaw. A corporal in the 283rd Field Artillery Battalion, Shaw fought across the continent between June 1944-May 1945. Providing vital logistical support to frontline troops, he witnessed terrible bloodshed from Utah Beach to the snows of the Battle of the Bulge as well as the unspeakable crimes of Dachau concentration camp. Now a decorated and honoured veteran, Shaw describes his personal experience of the Allied advance that freed nations and changed history.
“We had to go”
Born in 1924, Shaw was in high school in Pennsylvania when Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941. The shock of the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian naval base persuaded Shaw and his friends to join the armed forces, “We were just reading and learning about the war beforehand. It was even studied in school and we were talking a lot about it. After Pearl Harbor we couldn’t wait until we graduated because we’d then be old enough to join up. I figured we had to go in and do our part.”
Shaw’s motivations were partially personal, “I came from a town that was more of a farming community and everybody was very close. I also had some really good friends who were in the navy at Pearl Harbor and there were at least 11 of us who signed up right away. My mother was hesitant but we had to go. We enlisted in December 1942 but we were only 17.”
Although Shaw’s first choice was to join the US Navy, he was colour-blind and he instead joined the US Army aged 18 on 21 May 1943. After being assigned to the artillery and taking an IQ test, Shaw was informed that he was eligible for officer training or an Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Despite the opportunity of serving with a higher rank, Shaw declined to