As
November, 1944, began on the American Fifth
Army front in Italy, troops of the 133rd
Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division
were continuing the alert reconnaissance
and vigorous patrolling that had characterized
their operations since the latter days
of October. At that time the Regiment
had gone into a defensive position after
a period of violent fighting during which
it achieved significant victories - notably
the capture of strategic Monte Belmonte
- against a trinity of hostility: an aggressive
enemy who inflicted on us the greatest
number of casualties in our history, rainy
weather which hampered our observation,
and muddy terrain which slowed our movement.
Now
we were boldly probing the Germans' defenses,
determinedly consolidating our gains, and
constantly renewing our strength in preparation
for future offensive operations.
[1 November 1944]
At
0430 hours 1 November Company L crossed
its line of departure, attacking toward
the church at Gorgognano (913333 - Map
1:25,000 Sheet 87 II SE Pianoro). Refer
to October history for attack plans, in
Operational Instructions No. 29. The
church, in which a strong force of heavily
armed Germans was entrenched, was situated
on Hill 367, about 1,000 yards northeast
of Monte Belmonte (904328 - same map reference
as above). Fire from this strongpoint
had been directed on our troops continuously. Wholly
unsuccessful had been our repeated attempts
to capture the stronghold, which was well
defended by machine-guns and surrounding
minefields and barbed-wire entanglements.
Harassed
by enemy mortar and artillery, Company
L forged ahead steadily until the leading
elements were but 50 yards from their objective. Then,
suddenly, a terrific concentration of enemy
artillery and mortar shells fell on them,
augment by heavy machine-gun and small-arms
fire. This multi-barreled barrage
effectively broke up our formation, the
company withdrawing in confusion to the
vicinity of Hill 368 (908328), east of
Monte Belmonte. Another attack was planned
for later in the morning, but was abandoned
when it was decided that the unit was still
too disorganized from the shelling to continue
the assault. A platoon of Company
E was attached temporarily to Company L
in order to strengthen the latter group.
During
the course of the day some 40 Axis soldiers
surrendered to elements of the 168th Infantry
of the 34th Division. The prisoners
came from the church-strongpoint which
had been Company L's objective. They
said that there were more men at the church
who wished to give up, and would, if a
means of safely contacting our troops could
be effected. Thereupon, at 1730 hours,
a Company L combat patrol left its area
to attempt contact. A German speaker
accompanied the patrol. However,
as the patrol approached the enemy's outpost
line near the trail junction at 911333,
200 yards south of the church hill, our
men received very heavy mortar and machine-gun
fire, and were forced to return.
Shortly
after midnight the scheduled relief of
the Second Battalion by the Third was completed,
units being in position as shown of Overlay
No. 1.
This
day First Lieutenants Fain E. Fairbanks
and James M. Fletcher departed for five
days' attachment to the 15th Air Force
as observers. One 15th Air Force
officer arrived at the Regiment to observe
infantry combat procedures over the same
period.
[2 November 1944]
The
front was quiet through the hours of darkness,
only patrol activity, both friendly and
hostile, being engaged in. It rained
heavily throughout a chilly 2 November. The
Regiment remained on the defensive, the
First Battalion, in conjunction with the
attached 34th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop,
protecting the Division's left flank. Work
on defensive positions continued. Rations
were being brought up to our men in the
lines by oxen over the mud-covered trails. Mule
trains hauled ammunition to the guns.
Reconnaissance
parties from Company A of the 100th Chemical
Mortar Battalion arrived in our sector
during the day, preparatory to relieving
our attached platoon of Company A, 84th
Chemical Mortar Battalion. The change
was scheduled for the coming night. Two
Axis soldiers were taken by patrols of
the Reconnaissance Troop. The prisoners'
unit was 2nd Company, 146th Regiment, 65th
Infantry Division.
Late
in the evening Annex "A" to Operational
Instructions No. 29 was issued by the Regiment
concerning defensive measures to be instituted
by the reserve battalion. At midnight,
positions of our troops remained unchanged.
Paid
this day were members of the Second Battalion,
and Regimental Headquarters, Cannon and
Service Companies. Forty-six enlisted
men and one duty officer from the Second
Battalion traveled to the Fifth Army Rest
Camp in Florence for a five-day stay. Four
officers of the same battalion went to
the Hotel Excelsior in Florence.
[3 November 1944]
The
period of 3 November opened quietly, a
few shelling reports coming from our observation
posts and the battalions. Three patrols
had been planned for the night, but the
Third Battalion dispatched an additional
one from Company I, whose assignment was
to make contact between two widely separated
platoons of that unit. This patrol,
consisting of three enlisted men, surprised
an enemy outpost and captured the two Germans
manning it. While our soldiers were
returning with their quarry, a mortar shell
landed and exploded in their midst, wounding
two of our men but leaving the prisoners
unharmed. Almost simultaneously, the other
member of the patrol stepped on an anti-personnel
mine and suffered a serious wound. Again
the Germans remained untouched, and seized
the opportunity to escape. The three
Company I men were evacuated through our
medical channels.
The
other patrols, instructed to reconnoiter
enemy positions and to determine the condition
of roads and trails for possible use by
armor, in two cases reported running into
machine-gun fire before reaching their
goal, in the third encountering similar
fire beyond the patrol objective.
During
the night harassing fire was directed into
enemy territory by our .50 caliber machine-guns.
Dawn
of 3 November was accompanied by rain and
ground fog. It had not rained in
the hours of darkness, consequently some
of the roads, although in poor shape, were
passable to peeps.
At
0855 hours the First Battalion reported
a self-propelled gun firing into its sector,
and requested tank destroyer fire to knock
it out. However, as there were no
tank destroyers in position to fire on
the gun's suspected location, our Anti-Tank
Company, supporting the First Battalion,
was alerted to be on the watch for it.
The
Third Battalion was planning another attack
on the Gorgognano church, jump-off time
was set at 2230 hours. The plan,
approved by Colonel Gustav J. Brain, Regimental
commanding officer, was as follows: Company
I to attack the knob 400 yards northwest
of the church, two platoons of Company
K to assault and seize the church and cemetery
to the rear. Company L was to take
over Company K's positions so as to leave
the latter unit intact. In order
to facilitate and supplement communications,
the following flare signals were to be
employed: defensive fires for Company K,
one amber cluster; on objective, one green
cluster; raise artillery fire; one white
cluster or parachute.
Captain
William M. Joost, Regimental S-2, prepared
patrol plans for the night, the units involved
being the 34th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop
and our Company C. The patrols were
to reconnoiter for enemy the trails and
draws to the northwest, and to ascertain
their suitability as possible routes of
advance.
At
1550 hours Divisional G-3 telephoned, advising
us to be prepared for a new main line of
resistance to include the church at Gorgognano. This
new sector was to be developed with mines
and barbed wire, and we were to be ready
to build 12-man shelters. Complete
execution of these plans depended on the
success of the Third Battalion's coming
attack.
Just
at dusk our supporting element of the 804th
Tank Destroyer Battalion observed considerable
enemy around the church, so they shot direct
fire at them. Artillery was also
placed on the area. At 2155 hours
Company A of the 100th Chemical Mortar
Battalion belatedly reported that its platoon
was in position to fire, but that its ammunition
was limited on account of difficulty in
bringing it up. Captain Earl W. Ralf,
Regimental S-3, ordered that every effort
be exerted to get the shells to the mortars.
At
2240 hours the patrol of the 34th Cavalry
Reconnaissance Troop returned with the
information that trails were narrow and
muddy, and that artillery was bursting
over the town of Barchetta (888328), 1,200
yards west of Monte Belmonte. The
patrol encountered no enemy.
The
Third Battalion reported that at 2200 hours
its attacking troops had left their company
areas between Hills 368 and Casa Trieste
(896325), south of Monte Belmonte. The
next report, at 2335 hours, revealed that
although our men were absorbing persistent
machine-gun and mortar fire, they were
moving forward steadily. The period
closed with our troops assailing a stubbornly
resisting foe who nevertheless was not
stemming our advance. Positions of
our units were unchanged, except for the
attacking elements. (See Overlay
No. 2 for enemy dispositions as of 3 November. Map
reference: 1:25,000 Sheet 87 II SE Pianoro.
Pertinent to the overlay is memorandum
dated 3 November, Subject, "The Enemy
Situation".)
Three
enlisted men were sent to a NATOUSA [North
African Theater of Operations, United States
Army] signal school this day.
[4 November 1944]
On
4 November, in the hours closely following
midnight, there was a great deal of enemy
flare activity. In the Third Battalion's
sector, immediately after a German white
flare arose, an intense artillery barrage
from hostile guns landed at the rate of
approximately three rounds every minute
for ten minutes. An enemy searchlight,
used as a blinker, also was observed.
A
report from Third Battalion headquarters
at 0220 hours placed Company K near its
objective, but the troops were locked in
a fierce struggle marked by close-in fighting
with hand grenades. At 0430 hours
Company I was on its objective at 908335,
about 500 yards northwest of the church. Our
men had taken four prisoners after a sharp
fire fight, were well organized, and were
prepared to hold the ground won.
Company
K, after having engaged the Germans almost
continuously for five furious hours, at
one time pushing close enough to the church
to fire rifle grenades into it, had been
compelled to withdraw by blast after blast
from assault guns and mortars. With
two prisoners of war in tow, our valiant
but battle-spent soldiers returned to their
initial positions. They told of having
seen many Germans around the church, victims
apparently of our shelling.
At
daylight visibility was limited but, although
our troops had disengaged, hostile machine-gun
fire continued to be heavy, as did harassing
artillery and mortar.
The
First Battalion, which had not participated
in the attack toward the church, had patrolled
aggressively through the night and harassed
the enemy with mortars and .50 caliber
machine guns.
During
the day work was carried on in improving
established positions and constructing
new ones. Overhead shelters were
built, reinforced with sandbags and timber. Firm
gun emplacements were erected. Gaps
in the line were to be closed up with protective
wire and mines. Plans were instituted
also for the relief in place of the First
Battalion by the reserve battalion, the
Second. The relief was to take effect the
night of 5-6 November.
In
the afternoon we received an operational
memorandum from higher headquarters concerning
the relief of the entire Regiment on 11
November. We were scheduled to enter
a rest and training area for approximately
nine days. (Refer to Operational Memorandum
No. 1, this headquarters, dated 7 November.)
Early
in the evening an enemy plane strafed in
our rear areas. At midnight the weather
was clear, as it had been for the past
48 hours, and as it was to be for the remainder
of our operations in this region for the
month. Roads in the sector had already
improved appreciably.
Positions
of our troops at 2400 hours were as shown
on Overlay No. 3. Seven Axis soldiers were
apprehended during the day, four by Company
I, two by Company K, and one by Company
C. One prisoner belonged to 1st Company,
two to 5th, three to 10th and one to 11th
Company, all of 71st Regiment, 29th Panzer
Grenadier Division.
[5 November 1944]
Other
than the usual shelling reports, from midnight
to dawn of 5 January the front-line units
had little to report in the way of hostile
activity. A eight-man Company C patrol,
whose mission had been to knock out a machine-gun
nest located at 898335, about 1,000 yards
northwest of Monte Belmonte, returned at
0525 hours. The men had been stopped
and prevented from accomplishing their
assignment by heavy mortar and artillery
fire. Repeatedly they had attempted
to plunge ahead, but as repeatedly were
forced back.
A
10-man Company K patrol had had the mission
of contacting Company I, then to proceed
to the house at Casa Sevizzano (904336),
1,000 yards northwest of Gorgognano, and
capture or kill any enemy in the building. This
patrol, too, was unsuccessful: machine-gun
resistance from the point was vicious and
persistent even after our men returned
intense fire.
During
most of this clear, sunny day there was
little enemy activity. The Germans continued
their customary daylight artillery program. Its
scale was somewhat reduced, perhaps because
our air observer was on the job searching
for enemy gun positions.
At
dusk our adversaries stepped up their artillery
shelling. The road running from Casa
Trieste to the Gorgognano church received
a heavy concentration, as did the area
in the neighborhood of the Regimental command
post at Casola (895295 - Map 1:25,000 Sheet
98 I NE Monterenzio). One shell scored
a direct hit on the First Battalion rear
command post at Ca di Bortignano (882299
- same map reference as above). One man
was slightly wounded, most of the personnel
having left the building 20 minutes before,
bound for the Regimental reserve area near
Sassi (894290 - same map reference as above).
At
2345 hours a patrol from the 34th Cavalry
Reconnaissance Troop reported in. Its
mission, beginning at 1930 hours, had been
to reconnoiter northeastward to Hill 361,
1,700 yards southwest of Monte Belmonte,
and then 400 yards further to point 887327,
near Barchetta. The soldiers ran
into machine-gun and mortar fire, but persisted
in their observation for more than an hour,
and heard vehicular movement near Zula
(884333), 2,000 years west of Monte Belmonte.
The
First Battalioneers, relieved in place
by the Second Battalion after dark, moved
into pyramidal tents at Sassi. The
area was mud-ridden and the weather was
cold, but the tents were equipped with
stoves, three hot meals a day were served,
and the soldiers enjoyed motion pictures
in the afternoons. During the four-day
reserve period the men received beer and
other canteen rations and Thanksgiving
cards, took hot showers at a nearby bath
unit and clothing exchange, and cleaned
their equipment. Positions of all
our troops at 2400 hours are outlined on
Overlay No. 4.
At
a simple field ceremony near Sassi this
day, Major-General Charles L. Bolte, commanding
general of the 34th Division, presented
six Silver Stars and six Bronze Stars to
members of the Regiment.
[6 November 1944]
Considerable
enemy activity was reported from midnight
on into 6 November. The 34th Cavalry
Reconnaissance Troop observed movement
to its front, and our artillery and mortars
fired into the draws ahead. At 0230
hours the Regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance
Platoon, whose observation post was situated
on Monte Belmonte, reported hearing vehicular
traffic north of the Gorgognano church. The
Third Battalion patrolled alertly through
the night, employing reconnaissance and
contact patrols from all three rifle companies.
The Reconnaissance Troop's positions were
probed constantly; time and again the group
was compelled to call for artillery concentrations
to supplement its own mortar fire.
Dawn
ushered in a day that was to be clear and
bright. The drying effect of the
sun steadily improved the roads. Arrangements
with the 109th Engineer Combat Battalion
were completed during the day for the laying
of anti-personnel mines along our front. Corrugated
sheeting was made available for the construction
of shelters for front-line positions.
At
1804 hours the tempo of enemy activity
increased on the 34th Cavalry Reconnaissance
Troop's front. Three German tanks
demolished the building at Casa Torriani
(883323), about 2,000 yards southwest of
Monte Belmonte, in which some of the unit's
personnel were housed. Eight men
were wounded, one listed as missing, and
one was buried in rubble. As these
casualties greatly reduced the strength
of the troop's outpost platoon, a squad
from our Company F was sent immediately
to its assistance.
The
previous day the Regimental commander had
ordered all civilians evacuated from the
Regimental forward area (see memorandum
dated 5 November, subject, "Evacuation
of Civilians from Battle Area"). This
day and the following two days some 350
men, women and children were collected
at the command post and sent by trucks
to Loiano (865236 - Map 1:25,000 Sheet
98 I NW Loiano) for further disposition.
Plans
were prepared during the day for the Third
Battalion to attack the Gorgognano church
again, after midnight.
Fifty
enlisted men and two duty officers departed
for five days' relaxation at the Fifth
Army Rest Center in Florence. Two
First Battalion officers, Captain Richard
F. Wilkinson and First Lieutenant Allen
B. Russell, flew to Rome for a five-day
stay at the Hotel Excelsior. The
airplane in which they traveled had been
placed at their disposal by Lieutenant-General
Mark W. Clark, Fifth Army commander.
[7 November 1944]
At
0120 hours 7 November Company K, attacking
toward the Gorgognano church according
to plan, was receiving machine-gun and
mortar fire from that enemy strongpoint. At
0427 [?0327?] hours our soldiers ran into
a minefield at the foot of the church hill. Withering
machine-gun fire was directed at them from
across the field. Heavy mortar fire,
most of it coming from 911348, 1,700 yards
north of the church, precluded any progress
to the right or left. By 0415 [?0515?]
hours, although our Cannon Company had
aimed heavy concentrations on that point,
it became evident that our attack had failed. The
thickly-sown mine-field, the murderous
machine guns and the deadly mortars all
operated against any further advance by
our men. Neither were their positions
- by 0530 hours a portion of our forces
had gained the west slope facing the church
- tenable, for they could not dig in on
the rocky hillside. Our artillerymen
could not fire on the Germans entrenched
in the church because our own infantrymen
were too close to it. By dawn Company
K had returned to its starting point.
Second
Battalion units patrolled widely during
the night, to the front and both flanks. At
0616 hours the Regimental observation post
spotted an enemy gun flash at 924337, about
1,200 yards northwest of Gorgognano, and
called for our air observer to watch that
point. Artillery and mortar duels
featured the activity of the remainder
of the day. Early in the evening
Anti-Tank Company forces reported more
than a little activity around Zula, Maltempo
(896337), and Barchetta.
At
1800 hours Regimental Operational Instructions
No. 30, concerning counter-attack measures,
was issued.
Troops
of the First Battalion, in reserve, were
paid this day. Four officers motored
to the Hotel Excelsior in Florence for
a five day vacation from combat.
[8 November 1944]
The
period of 8 November was one of unusual
stillness. Anti-personnel mines were
installed in front of Company I by our
engineers. Continuing to improve
its defenses, the Third Battalion constructed
dugouts and gun emplacements with timber,
sandbags, and galvanized sheeting.
The
Regimental commander placed Lieutenant-Colonel
Rudolph D. Zobel in command of the Third
Battalion, and Lieutenant-Colonel Sarratt
T. Hames, acting commanding officer, returned
to his post of Regimental executive officer.
Lieutenant-Colonel Frank A. Reagan, former
Third Battalion commander, had been evacuated
on 30 October on account of illness.
At
about 1615 hours a German self-propelled
gun fired at one of our tanks below Gorgognano
which had previously been knocked out. At
1730 hours the enemy laid down an artillery-impelled
smoke-screen in front of the 91st Infantry
Division sector, to our left, and at 1812
hours one was spread before our own positions. The
reason for these screens did not develop.
[9 November 1944]
The
Germans continued to be noticeably dormant
in our sector after midnight, on 9 November. Our
patrols were active throughout the night,
drawing some machine-gun fire but not contacting
the enemy directly. There was a degree
of mortar and artillery harassing fire.
The
Second Battalion took prisoner one soldier
who deserted his unit, 5th Company, 71st
Regiment, 29th Panzer Grenadier Division.
Operational
Instructions No. 105 arrived from Divisional
G-3, changing our boundary. Effective
1700 hours this day, the Regiment would
be relieved of the Gorgognano church area,
it being given to the 168th Infantry, on
our right flank.
Arrangements
were made with the 135th Infantry, which
was to replace us on the nights of 10-11
and 11-12 November, to trade all weapons
and ammunition except personal weapons
and basic loads. Issued during the
day, relevant to the relief, were Operational
Instructions No. 31, with overlay (also
indicating boundary change) and march table,
and Training Memorandum No. 13, the latter
outlining the training program to be followed
by our troops in the Fifth Army "rest
city" of Montecatini Terme, near Florence.
By
the end of this day all civilians had been
evacuated from our sector, their absence
contributing to the convenience of military
operations.
The
normal amount of harassing self-propelled,
mortar and artillery shells fell among
our troops during the night, with little
effect. Extensive patrolling was
engaged in by companies of the Second and
Third Battalions. As on the previous
night, they drew ineffective machine-gun
and mortar fire.
[10 November 1944]
The
morning of 10 November brought a warm sun
which melted the light snow that had fallen
overnight. Our air observer took
advantage of the excellent visibility,
cruising the sky and scanning the terrain
for enemy gun positions.
Final
arrangements for our relief by the 135th
Infantry were completed this day. Each
of our battalions was instructed to leave
behind one officer per battalion and one
non-commissioned officer per company for
24 hours to help orient the replacing unit. Elements
of the 109th Engineer, 757th Tank, and
804th Tank Destroyer Battalions were notified
that they would be detached from us coincident
with the relief, and attached to the 135th
Infantry. The 109th Medical Battalion
was to accompany us to the rest and training
area. Our Company F completed relief
of the 34th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop
at 1735 hours.
Enemy
planes hummed over our command post at
1740 hours. They strafed rear areas,
but no resultant damage was reported.
The
front was quiet this night. Scattered
machine-gun and self-propelled fire landed
around the road block at Casa Trieste maintained
by Company E, plus the normal volume of
artillery harassing fires.
[11 November 1944]
A
listening post set up by Company G remained
at point 897330, just west of Monte Belmonte,
during darkness. Returning at dawn
of 11 November, the soldiers reported no
signs of remarkable enemy activity. Daylight
missions were flown by American fighter-bombers
over our immediate front. They bombed
and strafed targets northwest of Monte
Belmonte. First Lieutenant Paul W.
McGinnis of Anti-Tank Company was wounded
in the day's actions.
By
2300 hours 11 November the Regiment had
been entirely relieved, without incident,
by the 135th Infantry, the command of the
sector passing to the latter organization
at that time.
[11-19 November 1944]
So,
on this Armistice Day, most auspiciously,
the 133rd Infantry entered a period of
rest and training with which to afford
our battle-weary troops relaxation and
instruction in agreeable portions. No
training of any kind was to be carried
on during the first four days in Montecatini
Terme. For the training program followed
from 16 November to the end of the period,
refer to Training Memorandum No. 13, issued
9 November; Annex "A" to that
memorandum, issued 14 November; and Overlay
No. 5 showing mines, firing ranges, and
training areas, also dated 14 November.
Montecatini
Terme, some 25 miles west of Florence on
Highway 66, is a resort city famed in peacetime
Italy for its hot mineral waters. Now
utilized by the American Fifth Army as
a rest and training center for its combat
troops, the city was formerly used for
the same purpose by the enemy, and to house
their wounded. Its stately bathing
establishments, attractive parks and gardens,
wide, tree-lined avenues and many hotels
and shops, intact if somewhat shabby in
appearance from lack of care in recent
years, provided a novel, restful setting
for the leisure-time activities of our
combat troops.
The
200 hotels and pensions in the resort served
as billets for our infantrymen, and they
reveled in the uncommon experience of sleeping,
often on soft beds and cots, in rooms with
running water and electric lights. Indoor
toilets were also a welcome change from
straddle trenches. The weather during
the nine-day "vacation" was,
with the exception of one moderately rainy
day, clear and pleasantly cool.
A
variety of diversions and services were
placed at the disposal of our soldiers. They
embraced eagerly every activity.
Dances,
arranged by First Lieutenant Wilbur R.
Irwin, special services officer, were enjoyed
nightly by one unit or another. These
affairs were replete with personable Italian
girls residing in Montecatini Terme and
neighboring towns, music played by the
34th Division Band or by local orchestras,
and liquid refreshments. The dances
offered both enlisted men and officers
delightful moments of feminine companionship
and rousing good fellowship. The
pleasure derived from motion pictures and
stage presentations, shown every afternoon
and evening in four theaters, also had
a salutary effect on the morale of our
troopers.
Many
soldiers spent some of their leisure hours
strolling or riding in carriages through
the charming parks and broad avenues of
the city, and gazed upon the beautiful
mountains of Valdinievole to the north. Stores
which dotted the resort were well patronized
by American soldiers shopping for Christmas
gifts to send to relatives and friends
in the United States. Those who made
purchases had their presents wrapped at
the American Red Cross Club. Housed
in a spacious building, the club provided
various facilities and pastimes, among
them a tailoring shop, reading, writing
and game rooms, a snack bar, and movies
and stage shows.
Religious
services were held daily for the spiritual
well being of our soldiers. On 19
November Captains Bernard E. Burns, Fred
J. Edgar and Wilbur J. Kerr, Regimental
chaplains, and a Jewish chaplain from Fifth
Army conducted rites in memory of members
of the Regiment who have died in their
country's service. Christmas cards,
for mailing to the States, were distributed
to the troops on 17 November.
Happily,
in view of the pride our men habitually
take in their appearance, bathing and clothing
exchange opportunities were plentiful. In
addition to showers, hot sulphur baths
were available in great number. The
soldiers took particularly full advantage
of the latter, enjoying the novelty of
soaking and cleansing their bodies in huge
tubs of hot mineral water. Clothing exchanges
were operated in conjunction both with
showers and baths. Every barber shop in
the city always had a waiting line.
A
local photographic studio was reserved
for personnel of the 133rd Infantry. Many
soldiers posed for their portrait and mailed
copies of it home to their loved ones. Sports
equipment was available for use by all
units. Dental and eye clinics were prepared
to serve any man requiring treatment. A
shoe repair section was open to all units.
On
12 November fourteen officers went to the
Excelsior Hotel in Rome for a five-day
stay, four officers traveling to the Hotel
Excelsior in Florence for the same period. On
14 November troops of the Second Battalion
were paid. Four officers motored to the
Excelsior Hotel in Florence on 17 November.
Duck-down, slide-fastening mountain sleeping
bags were issued to the troops this day.
Highlight
of the Regiment's sojourn in Montecatini
Terme was the visit on 16 November by Lieutenant-General
Mark W. Clark, Fifth Army commander. At
a formal decoration and promotion ceremony
at which he honored many members of his
command, General Clark presented awards
to the following soldiers of the 133rd
Infantry:
- Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distinguished
Service Cross to Colonel Braun;
- Distinguished Service Crosses
to Staff Sergeant William H. Eastland and
Private Edwin J. Lemke; and
- Silver Stars to Captain Cleo
W. Buxton, First Lieutenant James E. Henderson,
Sergeant Chester S. Gutkowski and Private
First Class Clarence E. Dickison.
General
Clark also presented a combat promotion
as first lieutenant to Second Lieutenant
Edgar A. Lyon and a combat appointment
as second lieutenant to Staff Sergeant
Robert C. Osborne.
Two
days later, on 18 November, Major-General
Charles L. Bolte, 34th Division commander,
presented 27 Bronze Stars to men of the
Regiment.
This
same day Lieutenant-Colonel Frank A. Reagan
became commanding officer of the Regiment,
Colonel Gustav A. Braun having been appointed
assistant commander of the 34th Division
the day before. Previously, on 12
November Captain Louis F. Kaleita,
First Battalion S-1, was named Regimental
S-1. He replaced Captain Donald L.
Nabity, who was leaving on rotation to
the United States.
A
pre-Thanksgiving dinner, with turkey and
all the trimmings, was served to the troops
on 19 November.
A
number of war correspondents and photographers
spent several days in Montecatini Terme,
gathering material for stories about individuals
and units in our organization, Among
the public relations figures present were
Master Sergeant Joe McCarthy, editor-in-chief,
and Sergeants Jack Scott, staff correspondent,
and Steven Derry, staff photographer, of "Yank" magazine;
Messrs. William King and Henry W. Bagley
of the Associated Press; Sergeant Robert
Fleisher, "Stars and Stripes" staff
writer; Messrs. Alan Fisher and Frank Norall
of the Coordinated Inter-American Affairs
Commission; Mr. Joseph Hallawell of the
British Broadcasting Corporation; and several
correspondents from the Fifth Army Public
Relations Section; and photographers from
the Army Pictorial Service.
[20 November 1944]
Its
soldiers greatly refreshed in mind and
body, their morale high, the Regiment began
departing from Montecatini Terme the morning
of 20 November, bound for relief of the
361st Regiment of the 91st Division. (Refer
to Operational Instructions No. 32, this
headquarters, with overlay and march table. Map
references for new sector: 1:25,000 87
II SE Pianoro, 87 II SW Sasso Bolognese,
98 I NE Monterenzio, and 98 I NW Loiano.) Lieutenant
Colonel Reagan established his Regimental
command post at La Guarda, 100 yards left
of Highway 65 (867277 - Map 98 I NW). The
Third Battalion went into Regimental reserve
in the same village, from which all civilians
had been evacuated.
[21 November 1944]
Between
0900 and 1100 hours on 21 November Company
B, whose First Battalion had entered the
line under cover of darkness the night
before, came under extremely heavy artillery
fire, suffering five dead and 10 wounded.
Among the soldiers killed were Private
Harold Latty, holder of the Distinguished
Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism
on the Anzio-Nettuno beachhead last May,
when he and Corporal Norris P. Nelson,
also cited, held off an estimated battalion
of Germans with but two machine guns.
[22 November 1944]
At
0600 hours 22 November the Regimental commander
assumed full control of the sector, relief
of the 361st Infantry being absolute by
that hour. Positions of our troops are
shown on Overlay No. 6. Two Company
A men were wounded at 0545 hours above
di Sopra (876311 - Map 87 II SE Pianoro). A
three-man enemy patrol crept up from the
right and threw hand grenades at them.
During
the day observation posts were established
and our front line units further organized
and strengthened their positions in preparation
for the accomplishment of the Regiment's
mission, that of carrying on an active
defense of the sector.
Training
Memorandum No. 14 was issued, outlining
the training to be conducted during the
current period of active defense. All
units were instructed to submit by 24 November
overlays, sketches and explanatory notes
relative to troop disposition and materiel.
This
day Staff Sergeant Edward G. Ness of Company
L and Sergeant John P. Monahan of Company
K appeared on the Fifth Army Radio Hour. Both
soldiers had been recommended for an award
for outstanding achievement in combat. Four
officers motored to the Excelsior Hotel
in Florence for five days' recreation.
Work
on shelters and gun emplacements was continued
through the night by our two battalions
on the line, the First and the Second,
and a trip minefield was laid in front
of Company A's positions.
[23 November 1944]
Except
for continual artillery duels, the front
was relatively quiet in the daylight hours
of 23 November. At 1830 hours a five-man
Company C reconnaissance patrol set off
to check a building at 877326 on Highway
65. The group advanced to within
50 yards of the house and then drew machine-gun
fire from three points. On returning
the men were shelled by mortars, but experience
no casualties.
At
2000 hours an 18-man Company C patrol,
reinforced by a light machine-gun squad
and led by Second Lieutenant Reginald P.
Ballantyne left our lines on a foray into
enemy territory. The groups' mission
was to proceed along Highway 65 to Canovetta
(877323) and take prisoners if possible. The
soldiers reached Canovetta without incident,
but on arriving were at once engaged in
a fire fight by a force estimated at 25
Germans. Our patrol inflicted several
casualties on the hostile soldiers before
retiring. No prisoners were take. One
of our men was wounded slightly. For
detailed account of this raid see Patrol
Report No. 2, dated 24 November. (Map
References for all patrols: 1:25,000 87
II SE Pianoro and 87 II SW Sasso Bolognese.)
On
this Thanksgiving Day troops of the Third
Battalion, in reserve, enjoyed a turkey
dinner.
[24 November 1944]
The
usual amount of harassing artillery fire
was received during the night, but no other
activity was reported until just before
dawn of 24 November. At 0545 hours
a nine-man patrol penetrated Company C's
positions at Giurduzza (871315). The
raiders were dispersed by small-arms and
mortar fire, one of the Axis soldiers deserting
to our side. His unit was 7th Company,
12th Regiment, 4th Paratroop Division. The
Regimental sector was fairly quiet from
then until the middle of the morning, when
Company B engaged the Germans to its front
near La Fabbrica (875317). Our forces
routed the enemy with small-arms fire,
aided by Company D's mortars. The
remainder of the day was calm, except for
the customary artillery exchanges.
After
dark, a field of 30 trip flares were laid
in front of Company C's area to protect
the line from infiltration and hostile
patrols.
The
latter part of the evening brought an increase
in enemy activity. Two machine guns opened
up on Company A positions, and Company
C became a target of German tanks. The
machine guns, pinpointed by our observation
posts at 877326 and 879327, were take under
fire by our attached platoon of Company
B, 100th Chemical Mortar Battalion. The
mortarmen silenced the guns.
The
Second Battalion's sector, on the left
of the First's, was dormant throughout
the period, but contact by patrols was
maintained.
From
this day on our soldiers were instructed
to husband their ammunition and to police
up carefully any found in the sector, as
a shortage of all types was developing.
There
appeared in the "Stars and Stripes" of
this day a feature story about Private
Edwin J. Lemke of Company E, who a week
before had been presented with the Distinguished
Service Cross by General Clark for his
heroism near Castagnetta last June, when
he rescued a squad of his unit by killing
five heavily armed Germans.
[25 November 1944]
At
0130 hours on 25 November the 151st Artillery
Battalion fired an intense concentration
on the reported position of the enemy tank
which had been firing into Company C periodically
for the past two hours. Our shelling
silenced the gun in short order. Outside
of artillery duels and normal patrolling,
there was no other activity in the night.
The
Third Battalion, still in reserve at La
Guarda, continued its training program. Emphasized
was the necessity of every infantryman
being able to use every infantry weapon. Small-unit
tactics also were stressed. A .50
caliber machine-gun group, formed to enlarge
the number of soldiers capable of handling
this piece, carried on a separate training
schedule. In their leisure hours
the troops attended movies, shown in a
large tent.
At
noon a very heavy fog filled the air, visibility
dropping to the zero point, In the
afternoon and evening hostile artillery
grew in intensity, but after midnight the
amount of harassing fire of all types was
normal in volume. First Battalion listening
posts reported hearing machine guns firing
from the vicinity of 876322, below Canovetta.
[26 November 1944]
During
a cloudy, misty 26 November our front-line
troops worked on their defenses, continuing
to improve and construct shelters, emplacements
and similar installations. Our reserve
battalion, the Third, carried on its training
activities.
This
day 34 enlisted men, accompanied by a duty
officer, departed for five days' pleasure
at the Fifth Army Rest Center in Florence, Bill
Mauldin, cartoonist and creator of the "Stars
and Stripes" feature "Up Front",
began a three-day stay with First Battalion
units, gathering material for his famous
cartoon series.
[27 November 1944]
A
rainy night passed without incident. At
daylight of 27 November a dense fog clung
to the valleys.
During
the day, in response to the request of
higher headquarters that the Regiment engage
in more active and numerous patrols than
heretofore, instructions were given the
battalions for the proper conduct of their
patrol program. (Refer to Regimental
Operational Instructions No. 33.) Also
issued were plans for the employment of
the reserve battalion of the Regiment as
a counter-attacking force. (See Overlay
No. 7.)
This
day four officers went to the Hotel Excelsior
in Florence for a brief rest from combat.
[28 November 1944]
At
0100 hours, on 28 November, First Battalion
positions received a terrific shelling. Over
the next half-hour the Germans raked our
line from 872315 to 878316 with more than
200 rounds of mixed caliber artillery,
self-propelled and mortar shells. In
order to forestall or slow up an enemy
attack should this barrage prove to be
a pre-assault concentration, our troops
employed light and heavy mortars to comb
all draws, ravines and likely hostile groupings
to their front.
Then,
almost in their own barrage, the Germans
launched a strong infantry assault against
the left flank platoon of Company B. Defensive
fires were quickly brought down on the
raiders, but they persisted in their attack
for a furious hour before our infantrymen,
led by Second Lieutenant Albert C. Mostrom,
succeeded in throwing them back. The
Germans wielded many rifle grenades and
potato mashers.
At
about 0430 hours a 10-man raiding party
hit Company A's right flank platoon. The
Germans, firing machine pistols and rifles
and hurling grenades, were successfully
beaten off by our soldiers under the leadership
of Staff Sergeant Joseph Trevino, acting
platoon leader. Our losses in these
two engagements were few.
Several
times this day hostile aircraft flew overhead;
at 1720 hours an enemy plane strafed in
the neighborhood of 863281, some 200 yards
north of La Guarda.
During
the evening relief of the Second Battalion
by the Third was begun, and completed by
2100 hours.
A
marked increase in the intensity of enemy
artillery over that of the preceding day
had been noted in the last 24 hours.
[29 November 1944]
Around
0500 hours on 29 November a great concentration
of enemy artillery, mortar, and nebelwerfer
(multi-barreled mortar) shells, estimated
at 500 rounds, crashed in the town of Livergnano
(Map !:25,000 98 I NE Monterenzio), 2,200
yards northeast of La Guarda. The
greater part of the night, however, was
quiet in our sector.
Continuing
rain during the day turned trails into
morasses of mud. There was a lull in activity,
normal harassing fires breaking the stillness
from time to time. At midnight most
units reported light artillery fire, the
sector being calm generally.
This
day Lieutenant-Colonel Walden S. Lewis
assumed command of the Regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel
Reagan became executive officer.
Second
Lieutenant Warren B. Finger departed for
a week's attachment to the 15th Air Force
as an observer.
[30 November 1944]
After
a night marked by increased patrol activity
by our troops (see Patrol Report No. 8,
dated 30 November), but uneventful otherwise,
a Regimental party left of the morning
of 30 November to reconnoiter for an assembly
area. We had been informed by Division
that the Regiment would be partially relieved
by the 362nd Regiment of the 91st Division
beginning the night of 1-2 December. we
were to take over part of the sector to
our right. Reconnaissance parties
from the 362nd Infantry, in turn, arrived
in our sector to reconnoiter areas for
which they would be responsible after the
relief. Only normal artillery action,
friendly and enemy, was reported as the
month ended.
This
day soldiers of the Second Battalion and
the special units were paid for the month. Thirty-three
enlisted men and one officer traveled to
the Fifth Army Rest Camp in Florence for
five days' relaxation.
[Summary]
In
the month of November a record number of
enlisted men were appointed to second lieutenant. They
were Staff Sergeants Wendell L. Blythe,
Marvin B. Gephart, James O. Lovelace, Robert
C. Osborne, Gordon O. Palm, and Russell
E. Saunders; and Sergeants John H. Anderson
and Robert C. Burdick.
Three
officers of the Regiment, Second Lieutenants
James J. Hallal, James E. Van Eper, and
Edgar A. Lyon, received combat promotions
to first lieutenant.
Forty-one
enlisted men and three officers departed
in November for temporary duty in the United
States. Twenty-five enlisted men
and five officers left for the United States
on rotation.
The
month of November, in sum, was a period
during which the 133rd Infantry conducted
successfully an active defense of its sector
on the Italian front. In anticipation
of a Fifth Army offensive in the near future,
we steadfastly improved our positions,
resolutely repelled enemy attacks, and
engaged in profitable reconnaissance and
forceful patrolling.
The
nature of the month's operations, largely
defensive in character, kept our casualties
low. We suffered 75 casualties. Of
these 13 were killed in action, eight missing,
and 54 wounded.
On
1 November the Regiment had an effective
strength of 149 officers, six warrant officers,
and 2675 enlisted men. On 30 November
our effective strength was 136 officers,
two warrant officers, and 2741 enlisted
men. During the month we received
four officers and 170 enlisted men as replacements.
Thus, our strength experienced an increase
of
49 men.
As
of 30 November 1944 the 133rd Infantry
had been overseas two years, 10 months,
and 16 days.
For
the Regimental Commander:
s/Louis
F. Kaleita
LOUIS
F. KALEITA
Captain,
Infantry
Adjutant