2 June 1944

Dear Family- AT FIFTH ARMY FRONT

I’m in the process of writing an attack order so will have to write just a note to tell you I’m OK. We’ve been shifted and are continuing the advance toward ROME. The regiment is as usual doing a great job. I haven’t had sleep since this new push started, but I am still going strong. I see by the papers that it has been announced that the 85^th and 88^th DIVISIONS are in the line and that they made the lightening dash up the coast to join the beach-head forces. WRITE and save the papers.

6 June 1944

Dear Family- VIC. ROME

Sorry I haven’t written as often but this thing moved so fast. We’ve done some hard fighting - German troops just before Rome fell were of high caliber. We joined old time divisions - the 30 Div, the 36^th D.V, 45^th on the Anzio beach head after it has pushed. Then the drive toward the Eternal City began. Then everything broke and we rushed toward the city. The enemy delayed by snipers galore. The city was soon cleared and the battle moved to the NW of ROME. We marched thru yesterday. Can’t describe the city or the ovation we received - every jeep was surrounded. We are now in an Italian fort, ready for more fighting.

8 June 1944 FIFTH ARMY FRONT

Dear Family- ITALY

We’re moving too fast to write daily letter but I’ll write when I can. Saw Bob Hahn just before this second phase began. He’s a captain commanding a rifle company in an adjacent division. As we advance German equipment is abandoned everywhere- every 50 yards along the road is a wrecked vehicle or dead horse. We find stores of weapons and ammunition. We capture prisoners by the hundred, now from various and sundry outfits. Jerry is throwing in labor units, parachute troops, headquarters, prisoners, everything as infantry in a vain effort to delay our advance. ROME is unbelievable - saw St. Peters, Vatican City, coliseum, forum catacombs, the capital, the Tiber. It is beautiful beyond description.

10 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY ITALY

This interlude seems strange we’re so used to moving without sleep, food, bathing or any of the other niceties of pleasant living. Since moving to this villa we’ve had fried chicken, fresh bass, and fresh potatoes and squash - all from the surrounding countryside. We listen to the radio and even drink rum cokes. About 250 American prisoners who had been captured by the enemy escaped the other day. Some of ours found their way back to the outfit. They speak of confusion and lack food and equipment and the great destruction of our air force and artillery on German material.

11 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY-ITALY

Yesterday we picked up three former soldiers - a Frenchmen, an Englishman, and American staff sergeant. All had been hiding in this country for six months or more living off the land. When the enemy abandoned ROME they left behind 10,000 wounded German soldiers - quite a haul. You can’t picture the delirious welcome we received in ROME. It is estimated that two or three million people were in the streets to shout and clap as we passed. Every soldier or jeep was surrounded. Flags were everywhere. Children lined the streets in front of their schools to cheer. ROME was untouched and with exception of scarcity of food, life went on as usual.

12 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Haven’t gotten any mail lately - none written since the push started here so I don’t know what your reactions are. Don’t worry about me - it does no good anyway. War becomes a series of places you’ve taken. You’ll see these in the paper: GARIGLIANO RIVER, MINTURENO, SANTA MARIA, CASTLENARATO, SCAURI, FORMIA, GAUTA, ITRI, FONDI, TERRACINE, LARINOLA, MONTI COMPATRI, ROME, TIBER RIVER, HWY 6, APPIAN WAY (HWY 7), VELLETRI, LAKE ALBANO and so it goes. Will now be getting a pay check so big I won’t know what to do with it - $250 base pay, 10% added for overseas service, 5% added for three years service. And nothing to spend it on. I had fresh lamb, potatoes, and artichokes for supper.

13 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Hope you are saving the best clippings of accounts of this campaign and also copies of the better picture “mags.” They will make interesting reading after the war. We try to keep up with invasion picture - the men are avidly interested in the “big picture” as we call it. We copy down the daily news broadcasts and publish them. We’ve reproduced large maps of the invasion coast. This situation in Italy now changes so fast it’s hard to keep up with it. Mail ought to be coming in better now - 1,500 bags just caught up with us.

19 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Wish you could see the place we’re set up in now - really nice. The CP is in a large house with flush type toilets! Electric lights even! And running water! We’re on the grounds of an ancient castle, which has mounted trophies in all the rooms, frescoes on the ceilings, guard boxes at the corners, huge vases in formal order on the grounds. You never see a wooden frame house in Italy - they’re all of stone with walls three feet thick and with tile floors, and substantial furnishings. Want to thank Audrey for her regular letters. They’re really appreciated.

20 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTHARMY- ITALY

Don’t remember that I promised to write from ROME - but even so you can’t tell how many of these letters were written there or near there. Sent some postcards of ROME but they’ll probably be returned to me. Saw St. Paul’s cathedral. In many ways it rivals St. Peter’s - beautiful marble, gold work, massive columns, paintings, mosaics. This part of Italy is quite modern in many ways - broad highways and boulevards once lighted by thousands of lamps and lined by trees and shrubs. The seaside resorts were among the swankiest on the continent - extra modern architecture predominates.

22 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Don’t ever think Italy is a backward nation. Visited the half completed World’s Fair Mussolini engineered. It would put any of our fairs to shame. Acres of roses, broad boulevards, massive buildings of marble, thousands of giant pillars, mosaics and sculpture everywhere, a temple to Peter and Paul, buildings of gleaming white that stretch for miles, beautiful landscaping, fountains, etc. Everything is done in the modern - classical combination type of architecture that is so prevalent in new Rome.

23 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

I received some fine letters recently. Sis, Barr, Bob Harper, Audrey (faithful as ever), Ronnie Kompanek (now with AP in Balk), Bill Wiley (in England ready for the invasion), Ed Mogowski, and mom. General Marshall and General Arnold visited the area recently and conveyed the personal congratulations of President Roosevelt to our division and the 88^th. He said the news of our success, in our first test, was well received in the States and it encouraged outfits in England preparing for their first battle. I’m glad, for we have some fine kids in the outfit. They deserve a lot of credit.

June 24, 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Now the once feared Tedeschi are being pushed on three sides. We’ll see whether he can take defeat and disappointment as well as he can deal it out. I wonder who will get to BERLIN first, - us, the invasion forces, or the Russians? Our chances are pretty good, I think. We’re closer to the old German border than anyone else, you know. I think you can tell from my letter what we’re doing a present- or rather what we’re not doing. But it won’t be long. General Clark said that we took ROME and that we’re going to see it.

28 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Even in a rest area we’ve kept busy. Periods like these are for the purpose of rehabilitation, training of replacements, and preparing for future combat. And the pause gives us an excellent opportunity to consider past mistakes and make corrections now. Thus, we have an eight - hour day - six days a week of intensive training and physical conditioning. Bathing in the sea is a favorite sport. Eating hot food is a welcome change. And movies and USO shows every night sure beats dodging 88’s.

30 June 1944

Dear Family- WITH FIFTH ARMY- ITALY

Not much to write about these days. Our training and rest continue unhampered. By now, everyone has been to Rome at least once. We keep up-to-date maps of progress in every war theatre and carefully plot each gain. Nowhere was there more joy at the news of invasion than at the fighting front. Just sent $200.00 to my back account – this, in addition to the regular monthly allotment of $170.00. My statement however, is always a month or so late.

Love, Henry