Roswell J. Weil was born in February 1916 in Alexandria, Louisiana. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer tries a different set of headphones.] He is an only child. His family moved to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] when he was six months old. He attended Tulane University [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] and received a Business Administration degree in 1937. His father worked as a vice-president of a bank in the bond department. The bank failed in the Great Depression years. He then went into the investment business. Weil joined him in 1937. It was tough going, but he has been in it since then. His father made a decent living and Weil had no problems; he lived at home. He had an automobile which most kids did not which was a special luxury. Weil traveled all over Louisiana selling municipal bonds. He got to know people all over the state. He often would both eat and sleep in the homes of his clients. He got to know them well and it was fun. That is how he got into the Army. He read that if you had graduated from college and had one year of business experience, you could become a Reserve Officer. It was obvious to him that the country was going to go to war. There was no television; he read a great deal and attended lectures by people who had traveled abroad. He felt we could not escape it. He took a course and became a second lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. Not too many months later came Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The following Wednesday he got orders to report to active duty. He had done nothing as a Reserve Officer before Pearl Harbor. His coursework was in map reading and general things. You did not have to be a genius to pass the course. After his experience in the Army, he says several morons even passed. There were big parties and gifts before he left by train. He had a girlfriend, but it was not that serious. He was 25.

[Annotator's Note: Roswell Weil served in the Army as an officer in the Quartermaster Corps and was called to active duty following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941.] He went to Camp Lee, Virginia where he took a physical exam. His blood pressure was high, so they sent him home and put him on inactive reserve. His father had been selected for the Appeal Board for military members. Weil came home disheartened and upset. His private physician took his blood pressure, and it was perfect. He went to Camp Johnson [Annotator's Note: Camp Leroy Johnston in New Orleans, Louisiana] and each time they took his pressure it was up. The Army thought he did not want to be in. His father told him he would be thrown out and put in as a private. Weil went all over the United States appealing the decision. He got on a train and went to Washington, D.C. and spent ten days there. He found the commanding general of the Reserve Officers there. He spent four days just sitting in his office. This lasted about six days. The General finally gave him ten minutes. Weil told him his story but the General stopped him and said he did not believe him. He thought Weil was trying to get out and then asked him if he would accept any assignment at all and sent him home. He got home and there was a telegram telling him to report to Camp Polk [Annotator's Note: now Fort Polk in Vernon Parish, Louisiana] in Alexandria [Annotator's Note: Alexandria, Louisiana]. Two days later he was an active second lieutenant in a Service unit. Service Companies are primarily comprised of cast-offs. He was there two weeks and they got orders to ship out. They went to New Jersey. He knew nothing about the Army. He learned a lot in a few weeks. He was made the Supply Officer. He knew nothing about procedures. He was sent to the Port of New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] to get supplies to go overseas. At night he went to shows in New York. He went by ship across the Atlantic [Annotator's Note: Atlantic Ocean] July 1942. He had gone into the Army on 26 June 1942. He came back to the United States on 14 November 1945. All of his service was in Europe.

Roswell Weil does not recall the ship he crossed the ocean [Annotator’s Note: Atlantic Ocean] on. There was no place to do anything on the ship. The enlisted men spent 12 hours on deck and 12 hours in cabins. The officers had cabins for 24 hours. There were 12 men in a cabin built for two. They got two meals a day. They zig-zagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] in a convoy. There were about 20 ships. They arrived in Scotland on 17 August 1942 then took trains to Liverpool [Annotator's Note: Liverpool, England]. His group was put into an English camp. He does not recall his exact unit. They were setting up advance cadre groups to work with the English to get sites, billets, equipment, and food. This was a Quartermaster Depot in Liverpool. He was assigned as a cold storage officer. He worked in Liverpool during the day and returned to his quarters at night with the troops. It was an experience with those guys. Most were illiterate. They drove trucks on the wrong side of the road and had accidents every day. They had not been trained. They would go carousing at night and would get arrested. They molested the women. His men never called him "Lieutenant" or "Sir". They cussed at him. He was in Europe and that is where he wanted to go. [Annotator's Note: Weil cannot say where his men were from. The interviewer asks if he will tell her if she turns the camera off. They do that.] His troops stayed in the camp. This was all before the mass of troops came overseas. They were making all the arrangements for that. The troops were 100 percent minority people and were not happy with White officers. They did what they wanted, when they wanted. Weil got used to it. At first, he did not understand what he was being called. He had never been exposed to this. He was very happy there and became friendly with the other officers. He met a lot of the English people and had fun. He had a lot of authority. He liked mutton and lamb, so he contracted for a lot of that. It was Lend-Lease [Annotator's Note: An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States; H.R. 1776], so he did not need money. After several months, the North African invasion came, and they got orders quickly to go. He put all of his belongings on a ship in Liverpool. The day he was to leave, the Major in charge of the Depot came up the gangplank and said Weil was not going. Weil's commander wanted him to go. Each officer had one of his arms. The Major pulled him away, threw him into the car and took off. The ship left and Weil was assigned to the 68th Quartermaster Depot where he stayed for his time starting in England, and then traveling through France and Germany. He was happy doing something useful and that he enjoyed. They moved from Liverpool to Stratford [Annotator's Note: Stratford-upon-Avon, England] where they spent weeks in asparagus fields. On his time off, he went to all of the Shakespeare [Annotator's Note: William Shakespeare; English playwright, poet, and actor] plays with friends from Liverpool. There were hardships and it was not comfortable, but he enjoyed it.

[Annotator's Note: Roswell Weil was assigned to the 68th Quartermaster Depot near Liverpool, England to prepare for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944.] After he had been in Liverpool, the Jewish holidays occurred. An English doctor wanted to have Jewish soldiers over for dinner. There were several people there. They were on very strict rations but had a nice dinner. Weil met his future wife. [Annotator's Note: Weil gets emotional and asks for the camera to be turned off.] He did not even have a toothbrush and had to start all over again [Annotator's Note: Weil had been pulled off a ship departing for North Africa and all of his belongings left with it]. At that time, you could not buy things due to war rationing. He managed to put a couple of uniforms together. There were no American supplies coming in yet. He had to live in a hotel in Liverpool. He had a civilian ration card he had to turn over to the hotel. He ate there as there were no Army facilities. He could not eat their food and he lost ten pounds. There was a warehouse office on the docks in Liverpool and he had a window. There was no gasoline then, so everything was unloaded to horse-drawn wagons. He saw pigeons eating out of the horse droppings. He was fed in a magnificent dining room. They had a lot of brussel sprouts and he did not like the odor of them cooking. About the only thing they served was pigeon. Having that odor and knowing where the pigeons were eating, he could not eat. He got two eggs per week. Some of the people felt sorry for him. Bread was rationed too and there was no butter, jelly, or cheese. He was invited out to his friend's to be fed two or three times a week. That is how he got to know his future wife. He worked in cold storage. He would go to various national suppliers and contract for supplies. He made contracts with the various Ministries [Annotator's Note: English government departments] to make arrangements for the troops coming in. He contracted for a lot of mutton. Once they started cooking it, it started coming back because the troops would not eat it. He had to arrange for them to take it back. They liked it so they did not mind. He lived in a hotel for about four or five months. Major Chase [Annotator's Note: unable to identify] told him to go find a billet [Annotator's Note: a place where soldiers are lodged temporarily] for them. He found a beautiful estate on the river and they moved in. Then they started getting food from the ships and they got all of the supplies they needed. They were living high then. They rented the estate. There were farms in the area, and they would barter for things.

[Annotator's Note: Roswell Weil was assigned to the 68th Quartermaster Depot near Liverpool, England.] They moved to Stratford [Annotator's Note: Stratford-upon-Avon, England] and then two other places. The invasion [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944] happened then they went in three weeks after D-Day. They went in across Omaha Beach [Annotator's Note: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France] and stayed on the beach for three months. The ships were out a good distance, so the supplies had to be brought in by Ducks [Annotator's Note: six-wheel-drive amphibious truck; also known as a Duck]. They did this 24-hours a day. It was a big job and he slept very little. He had a half of a pup tent so two had to make one tent and sleep together on the beach. They ate and bathed out of their helmets. They had all the food they wanted. It was primitive living and they worked around the clock for six weeks. As the troops moved inward, they moved the supplies in as well. They were always behind the lines until the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. They were there. He had no battle training and was going to be sent in. Luckily, the battle ended and they went into Dusseldorf [Annotator's Note: Düsseldorf, Germany] and various places. Towards the end of the war, they were shipped to Marseilles [Annotator's Note: Marseilles, France]. He learned he was being shipped to the Pacific. He was incensed. He did not mind going to the Pacific, but he felt like he should be able to go home for a few days. He decided to get married but the Army discouraged the American troops from marrying. They did everything they could to discourage it. He was friendly with the Adjutant [Annotator’s Note: military officer who is administrative assistant to a senior officer] in Marseilles, who covered for him to go get married in England. He took an Air Force plane to England. Within three days, he got married. They spent two days in the lake district and went to London [Annotator's Note: London, England] where he got a call they were shipping out. He returned to Marseilles and then came VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. He was shipped home and became a Major. His father had a friend in Washington, D.C. in the War Shipping Department who arranged to have his wife come over. Weil got discharged at Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] and then went to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] , got his wife, and came back to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana].

[Annotator's Note: Roswell Weil got married in England just before he returned to the United States after the war ended.] His wife graduated from Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford [Annotator's Note: Lady Margaret Hall, a college of University of Oxford, England]. She had four siblings who were M.D.s [Annotator's Note: medical doctor]. Her youngest brother was killed in a hospital by a bomb hit. [Annotator's Note: Weil asks for the camera to be turned off.] When her brother was killed, his wife decided to be a doctor. She was in medical school but was concerned about coming to the United States and not getting to finish. Her transcript was impressive enough that they took her in as a senior. She graduated from Tulane [Annotator's Note: Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana] as an M.D. Weil feels that we very seldom make any issue of the suffering of the people in England, Belgium, and France. He feels that should be emphasized as they truly suffered. They went into air raid shelters every night. He is sure it is an issue in those places. Dusseldorf [Annotator's Note: Düsseldorf, Germany] was the most destroyed city Weil saw. The people were living in the streets and had no food. One of the men picked up a dog and threw it in Weil's jeep. It was in terrible condition. Now they had German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] and he got them to bathe the dog. They started feeding him and he turned out to be the most magnificent dachshund he had ever seen. He stayed with Weil the eight to ten months before he came home. He did not know what to do with him. He had a canvas bag made for him. For about two weeks he trained him to be quiet. They were not allowed to bring animals home. He took him aboard ship and got a couple of sailors who said they would take care of him. At night they let him on deck. The dog had a ball, and the sailors did not want to give him back to Weil. He walked off the ship with Weil. The dog lived another five years after that.

Roswell Weil was an only child and was very close with his parents. His father had a heart attack that he did not know about. [Annotator's Note: Weil gets emotional.] Every single day that he was overseas, he wrote his parents. His father kept them all in a big book that is like a travelogue. He never said anything uncomfortable or bad to them. He feels it should be in the museum archives, but his daughter will not turn it loose. Most of the letters were V-mail [Annotator's Note: Victory Mail; postal system put into place during the war to drastically reduce the space needed to transport mail]. Shipping space was so short, that they microfilmed the mail, shipped it, and they reconstituted it in the United States. It would be less than a quarter of the size of the original letter. Weil's children only saw it after they were grown. His three children fight over it and his daughter will not let them take it out of the house. Weil did not come across any concentration camps. When they started opening up the POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] camps of American troops, Weil was in Le Havre [Annotator's Note: Le Havre, France]. One night, he was told that the first load of released prisoners was coming in. They wanted to make care packages for them. They got new shoes and clothing. They had bags of toiletries, candy, gum, and more. About a week later, they got a notice to not give them anything to eat. They were getting sick from the candy. It made Weil feel very fortunate for the life he had. He had inconveniences but nothing like what the POWs went through.

[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Roswell Weil about the weeks leading up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944 and about what he knew of it beforehand.] Weil knew very little. What tipped them off was that they saw masses of planes going over in waves. It was obvious that was what was going on. By the time he went over, the beach [Annotator's Note: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France] was secured and the bodies had been removed. It was such a small beach with cliffs that went straight up. What those kids did to negotiate it was just remarkable. The casualties were unspeakable, but they did it. Weil went back to Europe fairly often, but he never wanted to go Normandy. [Annotator's Note: Weil gets emotional.] About five years ago [Annotator's Note: prior to this interview] he decided if he did not go, he would never see it again. He went and it was the worst experience of his life. Acres of crosses and Stars of Israel as far as you could see. They were his contemporaries and they had been dead 50 years. He felt so guilty and it still tears him up. Those kids gave the lives they had not lived. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer tells him to think of the kids who did not die.]

Roswell Weil was on Omaha Beach [Annotator's Note: Omaha Beach, Normandy, France] bringing in supplies. His depot [Annotator's Note: 68th Quartermaster Depot] was not in charge of ammunition. His was clothing, PX supplies [Annotator's Note: Post Exchange supplies], and food. They had to stack it, inventory it, and fulfill orders of the Supply Sergeants of various units. A very important aspect was the luxuries. The nurses demanded cosmetics. Cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco were important. They had to guard them because all of the G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] wanted the cosmetics to use as barter. PX supplies were kept in secure places. The officers were cognizant of the vulnerability. A couple bars of soap did not mean much for one person, but multiplied by hundreds, it adds up. Weil went back to work for his father immediately. He had never lived on his own and had to find a place to live. It was difficult. Automobiles had to be ordered months in advance. He was given a friend's position to get a car as a gift to him. His wife was a doctor and there were very few of them at that time. It was only her and one other in her graduating class. They faced resistance and hardships because they were not welcome. The male students had rooms to live in. His wife and the other girl had to live across the street. The area was so bad that if they were called at night, a guard had to accompany them to work. Weil had no trouble becoming a civilian. He was ready.