45th (Thunderbird) Division during the invasion of Sicily

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marcocurti
Member
Posts: 2
Joined: 12 Feb 2010, 14:55

Re: 45th (Thunderbird) Division during the invasion of Sicily

#16

Post by marcocurti » 12 Feb 2010, 15:23

I'm making a series about WWII for history channel Italy.
I'm looking for Edward Barbarino's memories, can you help me to find it?
Someone knows where I can found his memories?

Marco Curti

Panzermahn
Member
Posts: 3639
Joined: 13 Jul 2002, 04:51
Location: Malaysia

Re: 45th (Thunderbird) Division during the invasion of Sicil

#17

Post by Panzermahn » 01 Jan 2011, 13:58

marcocurti wrote:I'm making a series about WWII for history channel Italy.
I'm looking for Edward Barbarino's memories, can you help me to find it?
Someone knows where I can found his memories?

Marco Curti
Marco,

Please send me a PM

Thanks
Panzermahn


pcsnow
New member
Posts: 1
Joined: 15 Aug 2014, 05:02

Re: 45th (Thunderbird) Division during the invasion of Sicil

#18

Post by pcsnow » 15 Aug 2014, 05:20

My father now deceased talked about the incident involving Sqt West. They way he presented was that West was in a bad way
and was being sent back to visit with medics because he was suffering from "nerves". He was asked to take the prisoners down
while he was on the way.

A few minutes after the group went down the road, they heard the firing. The Sgt returned and simply said "they ran" and that
was it. His compatriots knew he was not right in the head.

My father said that POWs were treated with respect. They would not rob them of belongings. They would give them
cigarettes. Treating german prisoners well insured that american POWs would receive similiar treatment. I don't think
that was also the case. My father differentiated between the frontline infantry and the soldiers in the rear. He seemed
to be saying with combat comes a respect for his opponent and less of a need to prove himself. That was less so for
troops in the rear, especially MPs who often administered POWs

The only exceptions were late in the war when they encountered a group that surrended but then fired on the americans.
It was getting toward the end of the war and my father had landed on Anzio July 9, 1944 and continued on until June 45.
No one wanted to be killed as they got to the end of the war and they were hyper vigilant.

He mentioned that when they encountered SS they were particularly wary.

He also talked about a group of Hitler Youth, near Nuremburg, I think. He said they were just boys and the americans did
not want to shoot them but they generally, refused to surrender.

He talked about the Germans being just like Americans, caught up in a war.

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