We laid around all day waiting to move. The company moved out at 6:30 PM and left myself and a couple of other men to guard the supplies & bring them up tomorrow.
Your Son, ‘Chick’
July 20, 1943 – Tuesday
I went down to the Battalion for some more supplies this morning. We moved out at 1 PM for the front. We got lost from the convoy and wondered up with in range of rifle fire. We got the hell out of there. We found our bivouac outside of Bivona. They are still fighting in the town about 2 miles away. We can hear the fire.
Invasion of Sicily – continued
Chick talks about the invasion of Sicily in July of 1943 and the tragedy that occurred with the 82nd Air Borne. Filmed 2007 at the studios of WILL, University of Illinois as part of the “WWII Central Illinois Stories” series
Note: Chick mistakenly remembered the 101st Airborne when it was the 82nd Airborne that was involved.
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July 19, 1943 – Monday
Arigento
We laid around for awhile and then started out to look for the company. We found them working on a road about 20 miles from us. We found out that we have had 9 men killed and two wounded Artillery fire and machine gun fire. We bivouac out side of Raffadali. Boy are these Italians good at blowing out roads. The fellows are sure pushing them back. It’s hard to stay up on the front line as it is moving so fast. Washed went to bed.
July 18, 1943 – Sunday; Sicily
The sea is still calm and just as blue as blue can be. We are to land this afternoon some time. We watch a sub chaser drop depth changes for about twenty minutes. I don’t know if he got this sub or not. We came into the bay of Licata at 4:00 PM. Stayed there until we could go in and unload which was about 6:30 PM. We got to our bivouac area at about 11 PM. I was on guard form 1 to 3. No enemy.
July 17, 1943 – Saturday
We are on the L.ST. 386, it’s not a bad tub, but the food is good. We just lay around and played cards all day. The water is very quiet and not an enemy in sight. Mac and I stayed out on deck until late. The moon sure looked pretty on the water.
Operation Husky – the invasion of Sicily
Chick talks about ‘Operation Husky’; the invasion of Sicily in July of 1943. Filmed 2007 at the studios of WILL, University of Illinois as part of the “WWII Central Illinois Stories” series
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July 16, 1943 – Friday
We went swimming again the morning hung around the dock for awhile. They are to bring about 3,000 prisoners in today. They brought back a few casualties. I be son-of-a-gun if they didn’t load up at noon and get ready to leave for the docks. While they were loading the truck, Mack and I went swimming again. We were served coffee and doughnuts by the Red Cross and then went aboard ship at 12:00.
July 15, 1943 – Thursday
Its a good thing we didn’t get any extra chow last night as we left this morning for the truck. We are going to stay down by the trucks now and eat “B” rations. In the evening I went swimming again and came home to go to a show. “Cabin in The Sky”.
July 14, 1943 – Wednesday
Boy everyone is sure mad that we didn’t leave yesterday this laying around is getting us. I’ll be bivouac hopping before long. We laid around all day and played cards. One fellow brought by two cans of boneless chicken so we had chicken for supper. I had often heard they had chicken in cans like that over here but it had to be stole to get any. We had all of it we could eat. Then we went looking for more chow but couldn’t get any.
