Lt. Monroe Allen Scott Biography-3
Lt. Monroe Allen Scott Biography-5
Lt. Monroe A. Scott: Port Battalion Officer in North Africa
The Allies invaded North Africa in November 1942 and took possession of the ports in Casablanca, Algiers, and Oran. In late Summer 1943, Lt. Scott had probably been assigned to the segregated 484h Port Battalion, whose responsibility was to unload cargo ships and reload the materiel onto trucks and trains for shipment to the troops. By September 1943, Lt. Scott was stationed in North Africa and his 484th Port Battalion squad were busy unloading cargo in Oran destined for the Tunisian and Sicilian fronts.
“At Oran the port area consisted of a narrow strip of land at the base of a steep cliff, above which lay the city. The U.S. Army operated at three piers, normally using fourteen berths to discharge cargo. The port was well supplied with heavy lift equipment, including four floating cranes ranging in capacity from 100 to 150 tons, but the equipment was not immediately available."
As noted in the 1943 article from the Black-owned Pittsburgh Courier, General Eisenhower praised the work of the North African Quartermaster and Port Battalion units, “made up of a large percentage of colored personnel”. Lt. Scott is mentioned as part of the reporter's interview with his battalion.
