[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 10, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 572D ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY BATTALION

                                 ______


                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 10, 1995

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, on October 6, 1995, a proud group of 
veterans will reunite in my district in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The reunion 
will commemorate the 50th anniversary of their service to their country 
in World War II. I am pleased to welcome the members of the 572d 
Antiaircraft Association and proud to bring the story of the battalion 
known as the Helltracks to the attention of my colleagues.
  The 572d Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, Self-
Propelled, was activated on June 10, 1943, at Camp Edwards, MA, on Cape 
Cod. After 3 months of training, fillers arrived from the New 
Cumberland Reception Center, making the outfit about 95 percent 
Pennsylvania men. On June 8, 1944, the 572d departed Camp Edwards for 
Camp McCain, MS, where they spent 4 weeks. Their next stop was Camp 
Livingston LA, which they left on August 24, 1944, for their last stop 
in the United States, Camp Shanks, NY.
  On September 29, 1944, the 572d set sail aboard the HMS Chitral, an 
old East India freighter, with its lower depths jammed with bunks 
stacked four high. After an 11-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, 
which included a submarine scare, the Chitral docked at Greenock, 
Scotland.
  From Greenock trains brought the men to Poole, Dorset, England. From 
there they marched to Parkestone, making the Sandscotes School for 
Girls its Headquarters, with the battalion billeted in homes in the 
neighborhood.
  The 572d made its channel crossing on November 26, 1944, landing in 
the harbor of LeHavre, where they made camp for 6 days. They received 
orders to march on December 1, 1944, and march they did, crossing 
northern France in a single day. After V-E Day, May 8, 1945, the 
battalion regrouped and convoyed its way to Mannheim, where the half-
tracks became patrol wagons as the battalion turned into the Security 
Police for the metropolitan area.
  Because of their mental attitude and state of training the Helltracks 
fought with fury and determination, making all of us Pennsylvanians 
proud of their role in our victory in Europe.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of the Helltracks as excepted here from the 
Story of the Helltracks is an inspiring testament to the fighting men 
and women of World War II. Ninety-five percent of this heroic battalion 
was from Pennsylvania. Once again, I am pleased to welcome the 
Helltracks to Wilkes-Barre on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.

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