2nd Armored Division

The 2nd Armored Division received notice of an impending move to a different theater of operations in the latter part of September 1943. The division’s destination, England, was known to very few personnel. In October an order assigning code numbers for the movement was received. This order was sent to several other headquarters, including the commanding general of the European theater of operations. By the last week of October, the division, less detachments in North Africa, was ordered to Capaci by 1 November. Led by General Maurice Rose, an advance party of seven officers and seven noncommissioned officers sailed and landed at Liverpool on 8 November. While en route to England, another group of three officers and eighty-one flew to England to make the necessary arrangements for the division.

Selected officers were notified by General Gaffey, Commanding General, 2nd Armored Division, on November 9 that the division was headed to the United Kingdom. In North Africa, the rear division echelon was making the same preparations as the parent unit in Sicily. In the latter part of September they were ordered to the port of Oran and set sail on 14 November. The transport ships docked at Liverpool, England on Thanksgiving Day. The men were fed Thanksgiving dinner aboard their ship, but as one man recalled, “It was something not to be thankful for."
 

Resource: 

  • Houston, Donald E. (1977). Hell on Wheels: The 2D Armored Division. Presidio Press, San Rafael, Calif.

67th Armored Regiment

Regular training had continued throughout the summer and early fall while the rest of the unit was back in Africa. While other regimental elements were in Palermo, Sicily, the other regiment elements were at Tabarka, a coastal town in northwest Tunisia. But they returned to Oran in early October. On November 12, the regiment relocated to a staging camp in Oran, where these units boarded a ship.

On November 14, the Palermo convoy joined the Orian convoy outside of Orian's harbor. Though there was a lot of conjecture about the destination,  with hopes  it would be the United States. However, many people were certain it would be Italy, and some even believed it might be the CBI. Soon, it was clear that England was the destination.  On November 24 and 26, the regiment disembarked in two ports in the British Isles. While some elements went through the famous port of Liverpool, the majority disembarked through the port of Greenock, Scotland.

Resource: 

  • History:  67th Armored Regiment (1945), pp. 18-19