Synopsis of oral history interview with Louis Miklos

              Video Log
Louis Miklos
World War Two
USAAF
Born: 10/16/1919
Interview Date: 04/13/2010
Interviewed By: Robert Mastroni
Session One
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:56 Miklos was drafted into the army during October of 1941.
00:01:24 After boarding his first military troop train, Miklos traveled to Fort Devens, MA for his army induction. He was there for three or four days, at which point he was processed and issued a uniform. A week later, they were called out in front of the barracks for their army branch assignments; He received an assignment at Dow Field in Bangor, Maine.
00:02:52 Miklos describes his initial days at Dow Field, where he was given an array of injections as well as frequent formation marching. Rifles were not part of his Air Force training and Miklos describes his singular experience with rifle training.
00:05:15 Miklos describes the feeling of being in the army after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
00:06:42 Miklos shipped out of Boston, headed down the East Coast of the United States and on to Rio de Janeiro, via the Queen Mary, proceeding without a convoy due to the tremendous speed of the vessel.
00:10:03 Even when the ship stopped to take on fuel, passengers, and cargo, the soldiers were not allowed off the ship.
00:11:28 They entered the “Australian Bite” in the Indian Ocean, reportedly, some of the most dangerous seas in the world. At one point, the ship rotated to the point where it nearly capsized. A report from Washington read that a further three degrees and the ship would be lost.
00:12:56 They entered Freemantle, Australia, then passed on to Sydney. Their training included pistol and machine gun assembly. They were issued British Enfield rifles as part of their personal equipment.