Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            A note to tell you everything is OK.

            I have seen Naples and the Isle of Capri.  Did you read about the recent eruption of Vesuvius?  I saw this from afar.  Smoke and dust rose hundreds of feet in the air and blanketed the countryside for miles.  It has gotten a little warmer than it was. Write.

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

 

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            Sorry I missed one day.  Why don’t you write?  You probably do, but I don’t receive them.  They’ll all come then eventually, but late.

            American G.I.’s are everywhere in this country too. I pity the Italian kids.  Civilians in these over-run countries suffer more than the soldiers in the armies.

            God bless the Air Force.  They really keep the skies clear of Jerry planes.

(Hope mom got my flowers in good order.)                                                      

                                                                                                                                   

 

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            We are having fine weather.  I am still in the best of health.  I have seen a great deal of this sector of the country.  The farmers all use huge white oxen for plowing. Germans left this section in one mess, but as our lines move forward the natives come back and begin working their vineyards.  Seems funny to be looking at ground we’ve read about for months. Write.

                                                                       

                                                                       

6 April 1944

 

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            Not much going on though I don’t expect it to be this quiet long.  Our first mail since Africa came in today. I got V-Mail from Sis and Audrey.

Saw a movie last night under the stars - could hear the rumble of front line fire during the show.  The Volturno was a disappointment, ‘tis now not much more than a small creek.  These shower units are fine. You go in one end, turn in your dirty clothes, take a bath, and receive clean clothing at the other end. WRITE WHEN YOU CAN.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

6 Apr 1944

 

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            Everything is still quiet.  Mail came in today for the first time since we landed in Italy.  Received a dozen letters (Sis, Audrey, Beanie, mother) Mom’s V-Mail takes a month because she doesn’t fill in the inside addresses and so is sent as regular mail.

            Tell Audrey beer mugs are mighty scarce up here. In fact there’s not much of anything left when a battle is fought over the ground.

            I’m not much of a “mule skinner” but it looks like I’ll have to learn soon.  WRITE.                                                                                

                                                                                               

                                                                                                     

 

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            Today was Easter but not such a happy one - it rained.  Not hard but a slow steady drizzle.  Mosquitoes in this section are plentiful and the army takes numerous precautions to prevent malaria - nets over all beds, doses of atabrine daily, and use of an insect repellant called “SKAT.”  All troops here get cigarettes, candy, razor blade, toilet articles, etc. daily along with rations.  Quiet still and everything fine.

                                                                                               

                                                                                                           

13 April 1944

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            Today is a red-letter day in my life.  Put in down on the calendar and I’ll tell you all about it one of these days.  Spring came to Italy these past weeks and if one can overlook the ravages of war, the countryside is quite beautiful.  Need nothing - we’re well taken care of up here. I will be looking forward even more eagerly for news from home.

                                                                                   

                                                                                               

 

16 April 1944                                                                                                   AT THE FRONT

Dear Family-                                                                                                     ITALY

            How goes it back home?  I’m on the front line but at present living quite well.  Have taken part in no violent action as yet - our Chief worry is enemy artillery.  As I sit at a desk in our sandbagged headquarters dug-out, our own artillery goes singing over my head.  I am sleeping on a cot in a tent, eating off of China plates, have three hot meals a day, and can take a shower occasionally.

            Your letters mean so much more now - write when you can.

                                                                                               

 

18 April 1944                                                                                                   AT THE FRONT

Dear Family-                                                                                                    ITALY

            As I write this letter our own artillery is booming out their evening barrage.  It sounds good.  Last night I inspected the front line foxholes and gun positions of one of our battalions which I will tell you about in a later letter.  I got a break this week.  The Air Force and Infantry are exchanging officers.  I’m going to represent the regiment and go to live with the other branch for a short period.  Even take part in operational flights.  Everything is OK                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                           

 

19 April 1944                                                                                                   AT THE FRONT

Dear Family-                                                                                                         ITALY

            Well, I ducked a few today.  You know, you get used to enemy shells and can tell when they’re coming in - and you don’t have to be told to hit the dirt. One came in while we were eating supper tonight and instinctively everyone, including the colonel, was under the table.  Every time they lob a few in we phone to higher HQS.  And they put down counter battery fire on the guns firing on us.

            Leave for the Air Force tomorrow.  Everything is OK.

                                                                                   

                                                                                               

24 April 1944                                                                                                   WITH THE USAAF

Dear Family-                                                                                                    CORSICA

            What a life these boys lead!  It has been like a vacation to us Infantry officers visiting them.  I flew on my first real mission this morning. Target was a railroad bridge north of Rome.  We ran into some FLAK- accurate but not much of it.  A few of the other (censored phrase).  This is a beautiful island - mountainous and green with many lakes and little native population. I am doing a little flying in B-25’s and have flown over German-held ELBA only 25 miles away.  WRITE.                                                   

                                                                                               

 

24 April 1944                                                                                                   WITH THE USAAF

Dear Family-                                                                                                    CORSICA

            Well, the vacation is just about over and we’ll soon be back on the front line.  It has really been swell - wrote many letters and got plenty of sleep.  I took a short trip to Bastia, the main city on this island.  It has survived the war better than most Italian cities.  Plan to spend one day in Naples on the way back - the air force flies us there.  When these Germans pull out, they really do a thorough job of destruction.  Everything that could aid our armies is destroyed, bridges, locomotives, telegraph lines, railway tracks, roads, etc.  Our engineers are quick to rebuild (cut off)

 

                                                                                   

30 April 1944                                                                                                   AT THE FRONT

Dear Family-                                                                                                     ITALY

            We made a raid into the enemy’s position several nights ago.  About two platoons participated and results, while not outstanding, were quite satisfactory. But the remarkable thing was the great amount of fire support this small group had.  Our artillery battalion fired several hundred rounds and our mortars (about 40 of them) fired 5,000 rounds - all in about 30 minutes.  Several rounds hit the enemy every second.  Attempting to clean the guns during firing the gunners caught their cleaning rags on fire, the barrels were so hot.                                                                                                    

                                                                                                Love, Henry