Christmas in Italy was unlike any Christmas I had ever experienced in my life. We didn't enjoy our dinner because during "chow" time, we were being shelled heavily. The building that housed our kitchen was hit by a shell, as well as the building across the road. I spent a lot of time on guard duty during that time.
Soon after Christmas, a German patrol broke through our lines and killed some of the men in the outfit in front of us. We also had some snow, and it was very cold outside.
After the new year (1944), on the morning of January 20, I drove a truckload of equipment to Mt. Trochio, which was a quarter-mile from Cassino. The valley I drove through was smoked up to hide us from enemy observation. Some of the bridges were blown out, so I had to ford the river. We moved into a house on the side of Mt. Trochio, which the Germans had just moved out of three days earlier.
We were very close to the front now, and the Infantry was right by us, shooting mortars. Very near to them, we dug in our 8-inch Howitzers. We got shelled day and night, and we could hear machine guns and mortar fire constantly. Just ahead of us, we could watch American planes strafe the German lines. There was too much excitement, and our nerves were on edge. The shells going by through the air made a sickening, whistling sound. The weather was still very cold and freezing.
Letter Home from Robert to His Family: "December 25, 1943--Dear Folks and Elsie: Last night, we all had a good time. One fellow played a guitar, and we sang a lot. I found an accordion, and I played all of the pieces I could remember, and everyone sang. There were a lot of British soldiers with us, and they joined in the singing. We stayed up late, and had a good meal. I thought about all of you a lot today, and wished I could have been with you. I missed our Christmas tree and everything that goes with it. Love and Kisses, Robert"
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| 8 Inch Howitzer |
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