The Millionth American

In the months following D-Day to the end of WW2, three and a half million troops embarked from Southampton docks. Over two million of these were Americans bound for the European theatre of war.
This amounted to around 60 per cent of all American troops and equipment shipped from British ports to the continent. On the 25th. October 1944, Private Paul Shimer Jr, of the 15 Infantry, 3rd. Division, Seventh Army, stepped through the counting machine to become the millionth American soldier.