"Today is D-Day, the Capetown is under sailing orders. Time is now 0440. Commander held quarters, wished us the best of luck, the day has finally come…" (Diary, page 11)

Herbert Raymond DeGenere

Herbert DeGenere in Navy uniform with rifle [ca. 1944] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Pasadena (CL 65); USS Milwaukee (CL 5); USS Antaeus (AS 21) Service Location: Newport, Rhode Island; New York; Pennsylvania; Norfolk, Virginia; Pacific; European Theater; England Rank: Radioman Second Class

Beginning in March 1944, Radioman Second Class Herbert DeGenere chronicled his experiences in a small pocket diary. In it, he narrated the buildup to D-Day and what he observed while serving aboard the HMS Capetown, a British ship staffed by both British and American sailors. Anchored about two miles off the Normandy coast, the Capetown acted as “traffic control” for the temporary harbor. In the weeks after the invasion, life aboard the Capetown became increasingly bleak. The crew faced continuous air raids, rough seas, a lack of mail, and shortages of food and drinkable water. As his diary makes clear, the rough conditions elicited DeGenere’s anger toward the Germans, the Navy, and war itself.