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TI: Okay, so we just took a nice little lunch break, and so we're back for the, I guess, the third, or maybe fourth segment. So where we last were talking about was you were explaining the Fire Direction Center, the, kind of your role as a computer person to help calculate where or how to adjust the guns so that they fire accurately. And so why don't we talk about, pick it up where you now are going, arriving at Europe. So why don't we talk about that, going from the United States to Europe and what... why don't you pick it up there?

VW: Okay, we were on a small liberty ship, kind of, but ours was little bit smaller than the liberty ship, I felt. I just can't remember the name of that anymore. But one of the things, it was the biggest armada that had ever left Newport News. And the message was that if any, any of the boats or ships that were disabled, the whole armada would not stop for it, they just kept going. And so then you'd be prey to the U-boats from Germany to sink you. So one thing that did happen was that when we were out there, it took us, if I remember, May the 2nd 'til May the 26th, we landed in Brindisi, Italy. And so that's like twenty-four days on the ocean. And when we were about halfway there, something happened to our ship. I don't know what, but it lost power. And so what the sailors did who were on the ship there, they unloaded their, unwrapped their, well, guns if you wish. And I can't tell you which ones they were, but they were ready in case any U-boats came, they have to fire. So the big armada kept on going, and we were sitting there all alone. And we were wondering whether we were gonna ever get to Italy or not. And then after a period of time -- oh, and they shot this gun off a few times, and then it made a heck of a noise. And, but eventually they got it going again, and then we hurried and caught up with the armada again, and we were okay. But it was the biggest one that ever left up to that time. I can't tell you what happened after that. And number of boats, and so our whole outfit went into that, went into Italy with that big convoy. And we ended up in Brindisi, Italy. It was very peaceful down there, everything was fine. We had a few days while they unloaded the ship, and the Italians would sing way early in the morning or way late at night, we could hear 'em singing. And after a while, I got used to it. Without it, it seemed like something was wrong. And, but we really enjoyed their singing while they were unloading the ship.

TI: How about the other impacts of the war? When you went to Italy, what were the living conditions for the Italians when you got to Italy?

VW: Well, in Brindisi, Italy, it was pretty good. And the girls would come out in the evening, families would come out in the evening and walk the streets a little bit. A small town, rather. And so we rather enjoyed it there. But we didn't stay there very long, maybe, I don't know, I'd guess a week, maybe. Then we were heading north toward Naples and toward Rome. We went through Anzio. But Naples was a very, seemed like a very poor city. And they were starving there; we had kids that were eating out of the garbage can, if you can imagine. So what we'd do, we'd give 'em some food if we could, and, but we had to eat, too. And so, but it told me right away that Mussolini, who was the dictator over there, he should never have been in the war, period. Should have stayed right out of it. He'd have been much better off. But he had to show his muscles, and so he got into the war. And it was costly. And, of course, eventually caught up with him, too. But we went, from Naples, then we went... and there was prostitution all over the place. But we went on to Anzio, and they had the big Anzio gun there, which was on a railroad track, and when they'd fire, I'm sure the recall would send the carrier, if you wish, it was on these tracks, railroad tracks, send him way back. And then it was a huge gun. And it was, it was a German gun, but it certainly was too big, too wieldy, to be, really do any good, really. And so that was abandoned later on.

TI: So the Germans had left that there and the Allied forces were using it?

VW: Yeah. We weren't using it, no.

TI: Oh, I see. So you just saw it.

VW: It was just too big. The best weapon that Hitler had, in my opinion, was the 88. That 88 was a death... it was a vicious instrument. And later on we'll get into that 88, I'm sure.

TI: Okay.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.