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George Tita of Koppel, PA was drafted soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, along with his childhood friend, Pete, served with the 691st Tank Destroyer outfit. After a stint in Bowie, TX, the outfit moved to Louisiana to finish their training. In March of 1944, the cadre shipped out to England, and though George and the Tank Destroyers were set to follow in April, undisclosed circumstances prevented them from making the trip. Because of this, George was fortunate enough to have still been in the states when D-Day hit.
While waiting for orders to leave for Europe, George was assigned to work in the kitchens, which he thoroughly enjoyed. When the Destroyers did finally ship out, George continued his culinary chores on the voyage to Europe. After arriving in Europe, George was assigned to ride in the Lead Jeep and patrol the Red Ball Express.
George had more than a few brushes with death, but always managed to get out alive. Sixty years later, the terror in his voice is palpable when he recounts his first shelling experience when, dug into a hillside in France with Pete, he missed a German soldier’s bullet by mere inches. Another time, patrolling in the Jeep during a frighteningly cold winter near the Swiss border, George would have died of hypothermia if it weren’t for his fellow soldiers literally pushing him out of the vehicle. Even now, George has a sort of reverence when recalling these events and is still awed by his good fortune. “It just goes to show you, my luck and the way it worked out all the time,” he says.
(Anna Samuels)
George Tita of Koppel, PA was drafted soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, along with his childhood friend, Pete, served with the 691st Tank Destroyer outfit. After a stint in Bowie, TX, the outfit moved to Louisiana to finish their training. In March of 1944, the cadre shipped out to England, and though George and the Tank Destroyers were set to follow in April, undisclosed circumstances prevented them from making the trip. Because of this, George was fortunate enough to have still been in the states when D-Day hit.
While waiting for orders to leave for Europe, George was assigned to work in the kitchens, which he thoroughly enjoyed. When the Destroyers did finally ship out, George continued his culinary chores on the voyage to Europe. After arriving in Europe, George was assigned to ride in the Lead Jeep and patrol the Red Ball Express.
George had more than a few brushes with death, but always managed to get out alive. Sixty years later, the terror in his voice is palpable when he recounts his first shelling experience when, dug into a hillside in France with Pete, he missed a German soldier’s bullet by mere inches. Another time, patrolling in the Jeep during a frighteningly cold winter near the Swiss border, George would have died of hypothermia if it weren’t for his fellow soldiers literally pushing him out of the vehicle. Even now, George has a sort of reverence when recalling these events and is still awed by his good fortune. “It just goes to show you, my luck and the way it worked out all the time,” he says.
This interview is a production of the Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh Oral History Initiative, in partnership with the nonprofit Veterans Breakfast Club and Carnegie Free Library, Beaver Falls. It was recorded June 26, 2013 at the Carnegie Free Library, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
“It’s Not Worth Killing a Guy” audio short
George Tita shares a story about almost killing a young German POW over a souvenir. The take away lesson: even in the most barbaric of times, the necessity of compassion is profoundly human.
