Tag: 1944 January 19

1/18/44 Mission:

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
   In Italy, B-26's hit the harbor, tin mills, steel works, power house, and blast furnaces at Piombino, and bomb the Montalto di Castro railroad and bridge; B-25's hit the town and railway viaduct at Terni, and A-20's blast gun positions in the Minturno area; P-40's hit trains, wharves and vessels in the Ploca and Metkovic, Yugoslavia areas; A-36's and P-40's pound troops, trucks, and gun positions in the Minturno area and near Pontecorvo and Atina, hit a gasoline dump at Pignataro Interamna, a warehouse at Fontana Liri, a factory at Ceprano, the rail and road junction at Avezzano, and railway at Santa Marinella.

1/19/44 Mission:

TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force):
   In Italy, B-25's bomb Rieti Airfield; B-26's hit the airfield at Viterbo; A-20's attack the marshalling yard at Colleferro; P-40's bomb and strafe 2 schooners at Makarska, Yugoslavia; A-36's hit guns, trucks, and trains N of Rome and fly 70+ sorties against rail, communications and troop positions in the US Fifth Army battle area as the Garigliano bridgehead expands; P-40's also hit defended positions in the battle area and near Scauri, Tremensuoli, and Alvito.

1/19/44 V-Mail, Italy

Hi Marfy:

Today, I did it.  I couldn’t live with me anymore, not even long enough to get a picture made, so I took off the moustache.  Everybody is heartbroken but me.

Your sketch of the apartment looks interesting.  I shall check with a photo-interpretation magnifying set and see if I can make out something.

I feel like a heel.  I go on missions at regular intervals and take my chances along with the other flight leaders.  But chance has given me 3 pieces of cake in a row, with the others hot.  Of course, my luck ran the other way last summer.  We did some nice work a couple of days ago, although rather a small part of the all-out effort.

I washed my hair and took a bath today, and cleaned up the tent.  This was no mean task as Jax and Burt left in a hurry.  Burt’s arm is troubling him because of infected tonsils, which they are taking out.  He should be alright soon.  People who don’t know anything about it keep telling my men they’re going home and I got the nice job of disillusioning them.

Honey, I love you more daily.   Cy.