WWII Diary of Chick Bruns – 70 Years Ago

We had to get a complete shortage report in today so we were quite busy all day and part of the night.  It has still been raining and I am all wet & full of mud.  Mud and water has seeped through our tent & it is about one foot deep.  Boy what a mess.  We set on the truck again and shot the bull.

We moved the first thing this morning.  We are the last of the division to leave.  We moved back about 10 miles so I doubt if we get much rest.  Boy what the place we are in.  We are on the side of a hill in the bulldozer had to pull us up as the mud was too deep.  We straightened things around and put our tent up.  Sat on the truck, wrote letters and went to bed.

General Mark Clark, Commanding General, 5th Army

Son-of-a-gun it is still raining.  General Clark came by to day and was in our area.  I took his picture and he posed for me in his jeep.  I hope it turns out OK.  It started raining again right after dinner, and it is still raining now.  We are supposed to move tomorrow.  We talked a while on the truck and then went to bed.

Things were very quiet last night, only through over a couple of shells.  Boy is it ever and miserable.  It’s still raining,  It rained all night.  We have to stay behind to get the tanks and artillery out and they are up in mud so deep that they are going to keep them there.  The infantry has been coming down off of the hill and are they ever a mess.  They are all cold, wet, unshaven, and very tired.  I don’t see how the Jerries even stand it up there.  I know how I feel right now and only my feet are wet.  I only have the socks I have on my feet left and they are so wet   I can ring water out of them.  Its cold and you can’t have fires or the Germans would see them & shell you.  God, if I could just get warm.  We talked a while of home and then soon went to bed.  Only to be shelled.

Boy did we get shelled last night.  One shell threw mud all over the truck.  Another one put holes through a couple of the fellows tents.  How no one got hurt was a mystery.  I made up my mind that unless shrapnel came through the truck, I wasn’t getting up.  I was plenty scared at times.  It rained all night and it is still raining.  Boy is it miserable.  I stayed on the truck most of the day.  Wrote a few letters and addressed some Christmas cards.  Bedtime and it’s still raining.  I hope we soon get out of here.  I even dread tonight.

Paul Wilson & Chick

Boy oh Boy we are getting relieved.  Today is our 60th day of continuous day of combat.  Longest of any other division in the history of the world.  They shelled us a little last night but most of them went over our heads.  It is raining & cold as it can be.  Boy it’s sure a mess.  Well dear old “A” Co gets stuck again.  We have to wait and get the infantry and artillery out.  That means a couple of more days yet.  I was wet and cold so I went to bed early.  I received three Christmas packages today also some mail.

We are to go back today at 9:00 AM.  We rolled up everything and got ready to go.  Found out that we now won’t leave until after dinner so we took off on another jaunt.  Came back at dinner time and ate, The trucks were here so we loaded up and started back.  Soon we could hear the artillery guns firing so we knew we were home.  It was 5:30 PM.  I brought the boys back a bottle of champagne.  I was tired so we talked a little and then went to bed.  The guns a firing away so now we can sleep peaceful.

Cathedral in Naples

This is our last day as we go home tomorrow.  We left the first thing this morning, and what I mean we really put in a day of it.  Some Fellow hollered at me today as he was passing in convoy.  I would sure like to know who it was.  I went in the Naples cathedral today.  Boy was it ever beautiful.  It has about 25 altars in it.  They have guides that take you around and show you all of the statues and explained them.  All of the Bishops from the first to the current day Bishop has the figurine head made of pure silver with emeralds around their neck.  The altar was all hand carved out of bronze and it took the artist 20 years to make it.  Everything in there was made mostly in the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.  It was all very beautiful.  They still have the original altar there.  It dates clear back before Christ.  Marble pillars and every thing.  In all I had a very good time but I’m just about wore out.  Went to the show and then to bed.

Chick in Pompeii

Had another raid, not much though.  We are on the fifth floor so we had a good view of it.  Went out to Pompeii this morning.  It was very interesting in I enjoyed it very much.  I took a few pictures and got some souvenirs.  We came back about 1:00 PM.  We ate, took a nice hot shower, (my first in a month) and then took off again.  Came back in time to get a little supper and then went down to the show.  After the show I wrote a letter to my mother and then went to bed.