July 1, 1944--New position in town of Boun Convento, Italy. We ran a very long survey here. Two of our guns and a Mack truck ran over a mine and blew up and burned. Several men were wounded.
July 3--Drove up about seven miles to new position by the town of Siena. Saw the house in Siena where Richard Wagner lived (he was the composer of "The Wedding March"). Drove to Boun Convento, and slept in a castle in a real bed between sheets.
July 4-July 25--Moved back and forth between Boun Convento and Siena, driving the Colonel around, working on the Jeep, and working in the office. Planes went over most nights, and the bombing and strafing was close by. Drove supplies to our new position. We are fighting alongside the French troops now.
On July 24, we were pulled out of the front line. This is the first time we have been out of the front line since November 18, 1943. We were moved back 110 miles and are on the Orbetello Peninsula (we were pulled out of the line from Montriggroni). We were close to Florence, but I wasn't lucky enough to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in a cove, and the water was warm.
July 27--The Colonel from the 633rd Field Artillery Battalion stepped on a mine on the beach and was blown to bits.
July 28-31--We continue on at Rest Camp, where we have Reveille and Retreat and Calisthenics. We get to go to shows, and go swimming. Had a chance to go to Rome, and enjoying having the Jeep mostly to myself. Saw all the sights in Rome, and slept in a park beside my Jeep.
Personal Letter Home from Robert to His Family: "Italy, July 3, 1944--Here I sit in a potato patch on my bedroll beside a large grape vine. The grapes will be ripe in a month or so. There are a lot of vegetables here-pumpkins, squash, potatoes, and onions. I'm writing this letter with some German ink I got in town several days ago. Today, we fried some potatoes, and sat around and talked for a while. This is really a beautiful country, and everything is so green. Love and Kisses, Robert"
Personal Letter Home from Robert to His Family: "Italy, July 3, 1944--Here I sit in a potato patch on my bedroll beside a large grape vine. The grapes will be ripe in a month or so. There are a lot of vegetables here-pumpkins, squash, potatoes, and onions. I'm writing this letter with some German ink I got in town several days ago. Today, we fried some potatoes, and sat around and talked for a while. This is really a beautiful country, and everything is so green. Love and Kisses, Robert"
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| Rome, Italy |
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