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Home CCSU Veterans History Project Oral history interview with Raymond Avery recorded on 2009 Feb. 7

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Oral history interview with Raymond Avery recorded on 2009 Feb. 7

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Title	Oral history interview with Raymond Avery recorded on 2009 Feb. 7
Description	Interview conducted by Jeanne Christie. Raymond Avery was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. He went to basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas, and after completion, he was informed that he would be transferred to the U.S. Army infantry division. He went to advanced infantry training at Fort Rucker, Ala. and became part of the 66th Infantry Division, also known as the Black Panther division. In June of 1944 Avery was shipped overseas to England to await assignment. On Christmas Eve of 1944, the 66th Division received orders to travel to France as replacement troops for the Battle of the Bulge. While crossing the English Channel on the S.S. Leopoldville, the ship was torpedoed and sunk just off the coast of France. Over 700 men died in the sinking, either immediately, or from injuries and hypothermia afterward. Avery describes the event up to the time he was rescued by a tugboat. The sinking was covered up by the U.S. Army, and it wasn’t until 1996 when confidential papers about the disaster were released. After waking up in the hospital, Avery was sent back to his unit. They remained in bunkers surrounding German soldiers in St. Nazaire, France. He describes the daily events surrounding this assignment which lasted until the war ended. He was then part of the occupation forces until he was discharged and sent home. He returned to school on the G. I. Bill, and became a teacher, and then later a school principal.
Coverage	1944-1946
Date Original	02/07/2009
Digital Format	video/x-ms-wmv
Duration	00:49:24
Contributors	Christie, Jeanne
Software	Windows Media Player required for viewing
Access Restrictions and Permissions	No access restrictions. For permission to reproduce contact Central Connecticut State University, Center for Public Policy and Social Research at (860) 832-2976
Image Identifier	VHP2009/6
Creator/Owner	Avery, Ray
War or Conflict	World War, 1939-1945
Branch of Service	United States. Army
Unit of Service	66th Infantry Divsion
Rank	Private First Class
Status	Veteran
Subject	World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American Veterans -- Connecticut -- Interviews Leopoldville (Ship) Shipwrecks -- English Channel.
Geographic Location	Sheppard Field (Tex.) Fort Rucker (Ala.) England Lorient (France) Austria
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University. Center for Public Policy and Social Research
Language	eng
Relation	Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Type of Resource	Moving image
Citation	Ray Avery Papers. VHP2009/6. Veterans History Project; Central Connecticut State University, Center for Public Policy and Social Research.
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