This is the first in a series of articles that the famous war correspondent, Ernie Pyle, wrote about about the Air Force fliers in Italy. In subsequent articles he spends time with Cy’s group and mentions him by name. The articles offer a good deal of insight into the day-to-day lives of these men.
January 17, 1944 is also the date of the first major assault on the German stronghold in the Italian town of Monte Cassino. Ground was gained, but a German counter offensive drove the Allies back to their original positions by February 10.
