Italy, October 1943
Full Letters may be read Here.
505th Paratroopers, 2nd Battalion entering Naples, 2 October 1943. (1)
October was a very busy month for the 189th Field Artillery Battalion, moving several times as the Allies continued to push the Germans back. The month started off with a morale boosting bit of news, “the important Naval Base of Naples had fallen to the Allies.” Naples was vital as it allowed the Allied Forces to bring in men, supplies, and equipment closer to the front lines. The reports of that month also mention how fortunate the 189th has been not to have suffered any casualties from the many booby traps the Germans had left behind.
Movements of the 189th Field Artillery during October 1943, starting in Passo Di Mirabella and ending in Audini. (2)
It was a rainy month, the 189th reporting that “Great difficulty was encountered in moving out of our old positions due to the mud.” James Holland notes in The Savage Storm, "The 45th Thunderbirds had had the toughest approach as they’d tried to use winding mountain tracks and trails that were in no way fit for a modern mechanized army.” (3) The weather and terrain in Italy would continue to be an issue through out the campaign.
Dean wasn’t able to write during this time, as the unit was continuously moving, however towards the end of the month, the 189th was relieved of duty for a rest period, having been in combat for six continuous weeks at that point. He addressed this, saying “I am trying to write to you each and every day because I know you are very lonesome. I am finding it difficult to do.” As you can see from the map, they were very busy moving as the Allies advanced, pushing the Germans back. Dean tells Aileen that he has lost quite a bit of size, He says he now weighs 135, vs the 186 he once weighed. (Author’s note, I do not know how tall Dean was, however, the family does run taller. It is possible he was close to 6’) He also lets her know that he told her brothers to write their mother more!
Google Street View in Auduni, Italy. (4)
In a letter dated October 22nd 1943, Dean says it was another sunshiny day, a rare occurrence it seems. He was very excited to have received 5 V mails from Aileen that day. As the 189th was at rest during this time, Dean and a few of his fellow officers had found a house in the mountains to make a temporary home at, he describes it as being up in the mountains, with a fireplace and very “homly".” In a letter dated the next day, he focuses on his daughter Dona Lu, very insistent that she learn her “MULTIPLICATION” tables. Education was very important to Dean.
A few days later, October 26, he was able to send out a box with a clock for Aileen. “The key to wind it is in the clock the right hand one for time and the left-hand one for the gongs. It may keep you awake nites for a while but then every time it goes off you can remember me because I will be thinking of you.” Always making sure his family at home won’t forget him! Signing off, he was excited, as “We are going out and have some good steak for dinner. We bought a 350 pound steer. It sure looks nice.” I’m sure the Italian they bought it from thought it really nice also. It was a change from the rations, even though he does say they were Ok.
On the 28th, he sens a letter letting her know that “I haven’t been able to write you very much lately and it looks very much like I am going to be able to write less in the near future. However, my thoughts are always with you.” While the Allies had been making good progress, the Germans were fortifying their positions further north near Cassino and across the peninsula in a series of lines known collectively as The Winter Line.
1) “505th Paratroopers, Headquarters Company, of the 2nd Battalion Entering the City of Naples,” National Archives and Records Administration, accessed July 9, 2024, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/276537348.
2) Elizabeth Mesa, 189th Field Artillery Movements, October 1943, 9 July 2024.
3) James Holland, The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943 New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2023. 275.
4) googlemaps.com, accessed 9 July 2024.