From the
BBC WW2 People's War site
My father John Cory’s story from his memoir “A Span of Years” as left to the family, edited by Richard Cory.
We started doing short hops, moving up until needed. We heard that three of our fellows had been killed and six injured in ‘Z’ troop, by an anti-personnel bomb dropped by a lone enemy plane.
When camping in a field near to Umbertine we started to dig trenches near to our tents as a precaution. Shelling, bombing and fighting was still going on in the town and the night proved a lively one.
On one of our overnight stays we found a deserted farmhouse, which boasted a piano. In one of the outhouses we found a large barrel of wine. This was tapped and the troop had a party, and in the morning I had a thick head!
On the 12th. July we moved through Umbertide to Calzolaro,
(where Life in Umbria is compiled) to go into action. The HQ was set up in a farmhouse perched high, in full view of the enemy on the opposite ridge. We had a grandstand view of all that was going on. We were the first troops in the area. There was one full day of shelling and then it became quite.
Four of us went for a roam around, always with firearms in forward areas, and came across an inhabited farmhouse. The people were friendly, we were asked in and the wine came out. We made this our haunt in the evenings, often treated to fried eggs and always with wine. They would not take money but we reciprocated with items from the cookhouse, cigarettes and chocolate.
I appeared to be particularly welcome and was getting some strange looks. I was asked if my name was Giovanni, the Italian for ‘John’. By coincidence their son’s name was Giovanni and he had been taken for forced labour in Germany. It would appear that I was his very likeness, very strange.
On our information a whole battery of our guns laid down a ‘stonk’ on an enemy gun position. We could observe the complete action through glasses, quite an impressive sight and a success.
Heavy shells from a lone long-range enemy gun were bothering those well back at the rear and we were asked to see what we could do. It was firing 28,000 metres away and at that distance the plots were woolly. I had to join two boards together to deal with the range and it took all of the night to get a sufficient number of plots in order to make a reasonable assessment. Our guns could not reach the range and the Airforce dealt with the offender in the morning.
Army headquarters News. Italy
On the 18th. July the 8th. Army entered Ancona, on the coast, having crossed the Appennines, and then followed up with the capture of Rimini.
On the 4th. August the 8th. Army entered Florence. The 5th Army having taken Leghorn reached the river Arno. The enemy retreated to the north bank.
Two further members of ‘Z’ troop were injured by a shell burst.
By a series of delaying tactics and resolute action the enemy had managed to successfully slow down the allied advance, and after a final stand on the north side of the river Arno managed to withdraw slowly into the Gotnic Line. As the winter weather set in the Allies had to give up hope of a final push through the Gothic Line in the Autumn and the next chance would be in the following Spring. In the meantime some very uncomfortable conditions had to be endured.
The 8th. Army straightened up their front by taking Faenza and Ravenna and then came to a full stop facing flooded land and a spirited defence.
The 5th. Army on their side advanced up to the mountains, taking Pisa, Lucca and Pistoia. This was their general line up to the spring offensive.
The enemy dug in and consolidated behind the Gothic Line and their artillery became active. They did their utmost to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the Allies.
The war developed into one of artillery action, with deteriorating weather, cold, rain, snow and muddy under foot.
During the period ‘don’ troop saw action on six further bases before moving over to the American 5th. Army front.
The HQ of one of these was at Resina — S — Mama, 3 Km’s from Bibbiena and 2 Km’s from Poppi. The survey work was dicey, Mic 3 position was under observation and could only be dug in and wired at night and the AP positions were in no-mans-land. As no other troops were in the district we were given a contingent of Lovat Scouts as protection while we carried out our work.
We found time to go back to one of our old bases and check our plots on the actual ground. We looked for evidence of hits, such as wrecked guns, tattered personal items strewn about or even odd bits of a more gruesome nature. Indications proved a high degree of accuracy and even some of our woolly assessments proved to be good plots.
The HQ of another base was in a deserted village, called Popolano. Even our building had a large hole in the roof which we covered with canvas and it was still raining. Our Clerk, Ernie Pitt, had a narrow shave. Returning from collecting the mail his truck received a hit and was wrecked, turning over on its side. He got out, shaking but without a scratch, complete with the post.
As a result of enemy action, the house fell in containing the wirers billet. They all got out except one, Stewart Homes, who was pinned down under a heavy beam. It took a long time to get him out, still conscious and smoking a cigarette which we had held for him. Rushed to a field hospital he was operated on, but his main injury, unfortunately, was spinal. We heard, much later, that he had died in hospital, in the UK.
Re: Mail. We were allowed one free airmail letter form per week but we could buy extra if required. The mail took approx one week to the UK and also to arrive from the UK.
A German with a radio transmitter was discovered in a position overlooking our village, needless to say, his broadcasts ceased very abruptly, and we ceased to be annoyed with so many shells, in the area.
The weather became really rough, snowing heavily in blizzard conditions. The locals started to come back to find their village in a terrible state and began to mend walls and roofs. A woman with five children asked us if it was safe to come back and sleep there, she lived over our HQ. Hardly any roof left, just our canvas sheets over the large hole and all the furniture damaged, tears came into her eyes. So much for the glory of war.
In view of the condition it was decided that the duty would go on to single shift, so that half of us could go back to the rear for a dry out and a warm up. This was to the station hotel at Maradi, and I found it difficult to sleep on a spring bed. Five whole days of sleep, canteens, film shows and a few drinks, and then back to base to continue the duty by taking our turn.
This week, the last in July, marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Upper Tiber Valley in 1944.
