Hi my name is Ann and my late father served with the Royal Artillery in the UK, North Africa and Italy. I am presently researching and collating memoirs from those who served in Italy from 1943-45 for a new book to be published later this year. I would be interested to hear from any US Veterans who were in Italy at this time and would be willing to share their experiences with me for inclusion in the book.Presently the book has Memoirs from many of the Commonwealth countries, the UK, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia (before Independence) Poland, India, and members of the Jewish Brigade. I would like my book to be balanced account and therefore desparately require input from US Veterans. If you can help me, then please get in touch. Many thanks, Ann.
Don't forget the French first armoured Division and their Moroccan Goumiers. They were feared fighters at Monte Cassino and history tends to forget their contribution.
There was a substantial French contingent in Italy, the French Expeditionary Corps under Genral Alphonse Juin, but I do not believe it included armored divisions - perhaps you were thinking of the 1st Motorized Infantry Division? Also these divisions: 2nd Moroccan 3rd Algerian 4th Moroccan Mountain 9th Colonial and as mentioned several Moroccan tabors, roughly battalion-sized units of the famous goumiers. "Goumier" or "Goum" could refer to either an individual or a company-sized unit, like the use of "commando". The majority of troops in all these units were North African, although there were substantial shares of Frenchmen and pied-noirs, European residents of the North African colonies. After the invasion of southern France, the French troops were transferred there and joined 1st French Army, along with units like 1st and 5th Armored Divisions (Divisions Blindee) which had been formed in North Africa.
Thank you. I hadn't forgotten the French or their Moroccan Divisons but it is extremely hard to find living veterans within these countries but I will keep trying as the book is most important to me the Veterans who have already contributed.
Hi CArronade, I think I got myself in a muddle here, my apologies. You have certainly given me some information that I did not have, so I will start my research laster this aftrnoon. Thanks you and excuse my errors.
Hi Ron, Thank you for your good wishes. My late father served with the 39th LAA in North Africa and then Italy. Later when the war in Italy was over, he was transferred to the East Surrey regiment and remained in Italy until mid 1946. If you would like to contribute your experiences to the forthcoming book you would be most welcome. Best wishes Ann
Ann, nothing to apologize for, I just provided a little supplemental information. Good luck with your project. My dad was in the 88th Division after the war, he turned 18 in 1945, was still in training on VE Day, spent about a year on occupation duty in northern Italy.
When speaking of the French colonial troops, their accomplishments around Cassino HAVE been under-reported. However, so have their atrocities. They were known for their vicious rapes of Italian women, children and young men, often to death. Rape is certainly not new to war, but they took it to new lows. I'm not sure if some of the French officers tacitly allowed their Goumiers to commit these crimes or they just lost control and said, " To 'heck' with it" and looked the other way. They also had to keep some of these units apart because of tribal animosities. There was a Moroccan saying that went, "A Moroccan man is a lion, an Algerian man is a man and a Tunisian man is a woman".
Thank you Harold. Having been to Monte Cassino with UK Veterans I had the stories about the Goumiers. It seems that it may have been "open season" after Cassino was taken, their reward for fighting so fiercely! It will be interesting to see if I can trace any of those who took part in the battle. My research is ongoing and hard work!
