<Begin Segment 28>

TI: So after Luciano, then, then what?

FS: We... there are big gaps. [Laughs] We did, we did move over to the delta, on the Arno River. And I can remember we were, there was this big flap that approaches the town of Pisa, and we would send patrols out, and there weren't any Germans around at that time. I know some of the guys actually patrolled into, into the Leaning Tower and stuff, but there was very little going on in that area. It was just, it was really quiet. The Germans had obviously already pulled back to that, that range of hills behind, behind the, north of the Arno River. And then, and somewhere in there, we pulled back. We were on division rest, and we were back, we were back at someplace called Civitavecchia for, for rest, and we were dinging around, re-equip, getting new equipment, and generally screwing around. [Laughs] I remember we would get those concussion grenades and had a boat, somebody had a boat, and we'd row out and throw these grenades into the ocean, and all kinds of stuff would come up out of the ocean. [Laughs] I don't remember anybody ever eating those fish, but it was interesting.

TI: Well, because in terms of food, what would you eat?

FS: Oh, when we, when we were off line, the kitchen would come up, and they would set up, and we would eat usually... it was not good, but it was food. It was hot and it was, there was plenty of it. Otherwise, we had both k- and c-rations for, to carry. Every, every morning or every evening, we would get new rations for the day, and we'd carry those, and that was your, that was your meals for the day. They were all, they were, c-rations were canned, and they were, they were meat and beans, and meat and vegetable stew and something else. But you'd, you would... oh, and we had a can opener, too, we'd open it up and then there was a can of biscuits, and it had, and the can of biscuits had, with it there was chocolate or something. Or a fruit bar, yeah, fruit bar.

TI: And at this point, were you starting to get replacement troops for the...

FS: No, no, we did not get replacements until, until we moved to France. Nobody behind us at that point, yeah, so we were gradually losing men. Anyway, then from the, from Pisa, we moved into the British sector south of, south of the Arno River near Florence. We were right, we were right near Florence, and all we were doing was we were patrolling, and just setting up, I guess, a defensive perimeter just to make sure the Germans didn't make incursions. But we sat there for some time.

TI: Now, I'm curious, did you ever get an opportunity to go into Florence during this time?

FS: No, never did, didn't go into Florence. Didn't get in there 'til after, right after the war. But no, we were, God, I don't remember the name of that town. But it was, it was just a little town, and then basically we, the company would have perimeter, they would, guys would patrol, and they would go across the Arno and the riflemen would go out. We lost a couple of guys there, the Germans had mines in the road, and one of, I don't remember, one of the jeep drivers got killed there. Every once in a while -- I guess every once in a while the Germans would send a shell in there, something like that. But it was pretty static at that point. And then that was when we, I think we... it must be at the point where we pull back, and back, and into Naples, and went to France. Had to be sometime in September, something like that. But it was that time, that was pretty... the worst thing, the worst thing that happened to us there was that we were on British rations instead of American rations, and it was just terrible. God. [Laughs] I think they ate horsemeat or something, 'cause the meat was just terrible.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.