Best places to be stationed in WWII?

Greetings, newbie here. Dad served in Africa and Italy, in the 1st Armored.
While recently reading The Admirals, it struck me that we maintained troops in the Canal Zone and Aruba (because of the oil refinery there). At the time, of course, no one knew if those places might be attacked, but in hindsight it was a pretty sweet assignment, unless you were itching to get into combat. I'm curious to know if anybody has any information about who was sent there or to similar "safe" locations. Were units rotated in and out? Or did some units stay there for the entire war? Were older guys more likely to be given that kind of assignment? I'm not disparaging their service in any way, just wondering if a relative handful of guys, through the luck of the draw, got sent to those or similar locatons and spent the war there.

 

I was one of five serving brothers, all of whom served in WW2.

One of the boys was a PT instructor in the KRRs and served the whole of his service in York, in Egland.

He had no say in the matter, he was just good at his job and trained thousands of men to keep fit.

It was simply the luck of the draw and he drew the right cards.

Ron

 

Hawaii post December 7 for me.

 

I remember an interview with Spike Milligan...he said he was posted to a "safer" area than most and thoroughly enjoyed his war...made great mates and had a good time.

 

I agree with Wouk in "The Caine Mutiny" for Navy men: 1) onshore, Atlantic side, 2) big ships, Atlantic, 3) submarines, Pacific.

 

Submarines in the Pacific? The USN subs had a 23% loss rate. 52 boats lost with 3500 men. Hard to consider that 'safe' duty.

 

Actually, if Spike really said that then either his memory was going or he was pulling the interviewer's leg. Spike was a bombardier-signaller in 56th Heavy Regiment RA. Equipped with 7.2" howitzers, the 56th saw heavy action in Tunisia from February to May 1943, and later in 1943 it went to Italy to provide heavy support for British X Corps. The 56th fired constantly during the battle for the Mignano Gap and the attacks on Monte Camino. Conditions were atrocious, especially for the OP parties (who were often right up with the PBI) and the signallers who had to maintain communications between the OPs and the guns. Milligan had to take his turn at this duty like everyone else. He had handled it OK in Tunisia, but he reached his breaking point during X Corps' attack across the Garigliano River in January 1944 and suffered a nervous breakdown while going forward under German shellfire. Milligan was rested at battery HQ, but his ass of a commanding officer sent him back up when he was still shaky, and that finished Spike as a combat soldier. His breakdown was complete, and he had to be evacuated to hospital. Milligan spent the rest of the war entertaining troops, but he never recovered completely and suffered serious mental illness and periodic breakdowns for the rest of his life.

 

My favorite WWII assignment? Bartender at the US Army officer's club, Governor's Island, New York City, for the duration.

 

in the story, officer candidates were expected to justify their choices. naturally, most would first opt for plum stations that were relatively safe. but a third "daredevil choice" would put one in good standing.

 

...as slipdigit says in post 3 - civilisation and not getting shot at, say, somewhere on the Med, eg the city of Marseille or one of its coastal batteries, such as the Château d'If located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago - plenty of sun, beaches, sights to visit - although during January 1943 you might have been involved in a rafle (a round-up of Jews )

 

Welcome to the forum YankeeDave.

My uncle was stationed at Hurst Castle in San Simeon California to thwart further Japanese attacks and guard armaments. William Hurst, as my uncle told me, was quite cooperative. But of course my uncles swims in the indoor pool were never interrupted.

Live Like A King
A Pool To Fight For

 

Axis:

1) Prague. One of the only anexed cities of the Reich not to be destroyed by massive bombings.


2)One of the Altlantic Festing pockets. You'd have a chance to survive and if captures it would be the French or the Americans
3) The Channel Islands . 5 years of occupation and the quasi certitude of surviving.
4° Paris: Jolies mademoiselles, Folies Bergeres, ach Ja!




Allies:

1) Canada : too far for Hitler and close to the U.S.
2) New Zealand

Neutral countries

any .

 

for Pacific, Dave55 has it--Hawaii--not cold--not hot--perfect temps---super plus right there.....no invasion, no battles, just women in swimsuits, pineapple, beaches, etc...aaaahhhhh..........for Europe, Skipper's good call on Channel Islands

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N_Force

where one US soldier was stationed as well.

 

For the British Army...particularly Scottish regiments - the Faroe Islands

The War Office sent Highland Scottish regiments there as part of the garrison because of the perceived general similarity of thinking and society between the Highlands and Islands, and the Faroes...

When they got there, they found a society not dissimilar at all to the Orkneys or Shetlands...and a very small gene pool And what's more the locals were only too aware of how small their gene pool was, there have been studies done then and since about the incidence of various inherited medical conditions that demonstrate a much higher incidence in the Faroes compared to elsewhere because of the degree of...inbreeding.

And BECAUSE the locals were only too aware of their own problems - they openly encouraged the local women to "fraternise" with the garrison. Both daughters....and in many cases wives! There were nineteen paternity cases settled by the War Office during the war years on a no-questions, no-argument basis, straight payment without inquiry LOL A case of the locals welcoming their occupiers with open...legs....

 

plus the weather helped, no?

 

Hardly lol...except in its familiarity check out a map of the North Atlantic!

 

How about the Channel Forts?

I don't know what the living conditions were like but it might have been kind of nice in good weather

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunsell_Forts