Saturday, January 2, 1943 Are in the Mediterranean this morning. Can see Africa on the south side. A little more exciting today because of the fact that are in sight of land at least.
Tonight got to be real exciting though. We were having chow when we felt a thud that jarred the whole ship. My first thought was TORPEDO! but there was no explosion. We soon found out that another big ship hit us. Several compartments on E and F decks were under several feet of water.
I was on C.Q. until midnight, then sneaked up to F deck towards the bow and mostly just laid alongside some junk hoping I wouldn't slide down if the list got worse.
Sunday, January 3, 1943 I slept quite a bit at that last night after 12:00, as no one bothered anyone who was sleeping, too stupid to be scared. I liked the fresh air compared to what was down in our quarters, especially with the ventilating system hardly functioning.
Were in Oran Harbor all day waiting to get off. We finally did tonight at 6:00. I could see the gash we had in the starboard side amidships.
Wednesday, January 13, 1943 Up at 4:15. We start cooking together with A Battery. Bud Bailey is Mess Sergeant. Andy Larson, George and I are the cooks on our shift. We're on sometimes half a day at a time, or sometimes noon to noon.
Washed a few clothes at the town tank. The Arabs kept an eagle eye on me and a couple other GIs.
Changed clothes. Nice today for January -- like summer. Many Arabs and French standing around like people at home would stand around watching a circus troupe coming to town to set up camp.
Saturday, February 13, 1943 The schedule changed slightly today. Up at 8:00 with George and me on to make breakfast.
Because of the close proximity to the front and due to our lack of sleep, we were juggling our position and time of travel to get into position under cover of darkness. So we left at 4 p.m. and got to this wooded area at about midnight.
Enemy air activity near the front reported as brisk and especially on the alert for convoys. We are 10 miles from the front, and tension is mounting.
Friday, February 26, 1943 Up at 7:00. My day off. Cool. Don't sleep well nights anymore. Wake up often, have bad dreams.
Started to write letters, but got disgusted and tore them up again. Cleaned my rifle. Dug my foxhole deeper. Several air raids, otherwise everything was quiet.
Loaded up and ready to pull out by 7:00, but didn't move until 10:00.
Monday, March 15, 1943 Up at 4:30. I went out with the usual poor breakfast for the men.
For supper, the usual poor supper for the men: English steak and kidney, with some leftover luncheon meat and pears. Rose took it out. Andy came over for a little while. Through early.
People at home think we are getting all we want to eat, and that it's the choicest food. Well, maybe it's earmarked for us, but it's not coming through. Anyone who has seen the quartermaster supply dumps say it's a wonder more of it isn't going to the wrong places.
Thursday, April 8, 1943 Up at 12:30 a.m. Ready with 2 meals: one for here, and one to go out to the front.
At 3:30 I followed 1st Sgt. Deutchens out. We got lost, went 16 miles and found our battery. The attack started at 5 a.m., and we had to come back through it all. Then we had to move up a ways ourselves. Dug the truck in.
Supper not until 11 p.m. Dead tired, and we didn't count the close ones.
Thursday, April 29, 1943 Didn't get to bed until 1:00, and that was lying in the foxhole I had to chop out of the hard ground. Brad and Agness don't approve of my just lying under the weapons carrier when being shelled or sleeping. Then guard was 2:00 to 3:00, and up again at 5:00. Plenty of artillery shells coming in. Some landing close enough, but don't think we are under observation.
The flies are thick. Got Life magazine and The Farmer. Read while on gun duty. We have no special hours for that, but Brad is the corporal, and we have no trouble in keeping one or the other of us on gun duty at all times.
This p.m. Hawk [our driver], Pop Bratton and I went up the mountain that the Germans evacuated yesterday. A regular battlefield. Half of a dead German lying on top of the ground, killed by artillery fire. Blotch of blood by the body. Dead horse. A grave with an American helmet and 3 British. We didn't get too close, as Jerry has a habit of leaving that "parting shot" in the form of booby-trapping their own dead buddies.
Lots of machine gun belts full of ammo. Pop Bratton put several around his neck for a picture. Gas masks and lots of potato masher hand grenades, called "potato mashers" because the grenade is a can-like knob on the end of an eight-inch wooden handle. Much easier to throw, but a lot harder to carry than our "pineapple" grenades.
The area was full of shell holes: 88's, 105's, 155's, 240's and, of course, still the British 25-pounder. Memorable sight. Hard climb. Took pictures.
Awful hot. Mail. I took a bath in the creek after we got back.
Artillery fire all day long. Our battery is doing good work. Jerry dropped some short and wide ones. Enemy planes over this p.m. Our ack-ack opened up. Pretty, but a dangerous sight.
Still hot. Picked up some souvenirs. Supper at dark tonight. Laid down early. I always wonder if we got in a lucky shot with the 50, or not.
Friday, May 7, 1943 Rained last night. Got a little wet. Up at 5:00. Chow at 6:00. Jerry dropping in some shells. Our artillery firing most the night and this morning. Are 50 kilometers from Tunis. Much less that that from Bizerte. 1st Sgt. Deutchens went out of his mind this morning, or is suffering shell shock. Pete Rettinger took his place.
Ellis rolled the messenger peep over last night and got a little hurt, so Pete asked me if I wanted the job.
Did I want the job? I jumped at it. Pomerleau and I took the peep [our nickname for a jeep] to Service Battery, had a few things fixed on it. Came to Division Artillery. Dick Johnson is the messenger from the 175th. Headache. At 9:30 I had to take a message back to our battery. Made it OK. Dark, hard driving. Raining most of the day.
Monday, May 10, 1943 Up at 6:00. Breakfast. Made a run to the colonel with a special.
Everything is pretty quiet. It's officially "over," though the German Air Force still persists in dropping a few bombs.
We are only about 40 miles from Tunis. Got an ideal tool box. It had been for German ammo. Slept some. Laid around most of the day.
Made one run tonight. The battalion had moved, but not far, and were easy to find. Got rid of Ellis' things; took them to the Supply Sergeant. Mail tonight. I got 10 letters and a Life magazine.
Monday, July 26, 1943 I knew it was coming, and it did, first thing this morning. A hot news flash: "Pack up, get ready for an 800 mile trip. We leave 6:30 tomorrow morning."
Where? Back to Oran for amphibious training. I washed my greens, changed oil in the peep. Started loading up. Ready tonight to leave. All tents down. Made a trip to all battalions in the dark.
Friday, August 20, 1943 Up at 5:00. Ready to roll at 6:15. Just took my blankets and personal belongings. Batteries are firing past Mapeno. Are in pine woods, and I'm sitting in my peep.
Came in at noon myself. We were supposed to bivouac here tonight but -- orders are changed, and everybody went back to the battalion.
Tonight after supper we get this shocker: "GET READY FOR A 800 MILE TRIP. LEAVE TOMORROW MORNING." Back to Bizerte. Everything is in turmoil.
I took my tent down, made sure the peep was ready to roll and helped take down the Message Center tent. No one says yet where to, but my guess now is Sicily.
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