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Tuesday

44. Lake Garda and Venice


Area of operations

Friday, May 25, 1945
Get 6,000 mile check on truck. Radiator is fixed. We now have 8,061 miles on our new truck (tractor and semi).

Saturday, May 26, 1945
I got to Modena and haul rations to Q545, 242 mile trip. Takes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to make run.

Sunday, May 27, 1945
Get shots (vaccines). Schuster gets prisoner haul, but turns out to be dry run.

Monday, May 28, 1945
Henshaw, LeCander, Stabenio, and Wicktrom get shipping orders for discharge. Schuster gets prisoner haul.

Tuesday, May 29, 1945
Change oil, grease truck in afternoon. Put repaired tire back on. At 11:15 p.m. I start in convoy to haul prisoners.


German prisoners await repatriation back to their homeland which has been utterly destroyed by Allied forces. [courtesy: U.S. National Archives]

Wednesday, May 30, 1945
Trip is finished at 12:30 p.m. Raymond is over in afternoon and evening.

Thursday, May 31, 1945
I go on pass with Nuss. Eleven more men are notified to go home. That takes nearly all the 111 pointers.


My copy of the May 31, 1945 edition of The Stars and Stripes.

Friday, June 1, 1945
Go in convoy to Modena for rations. Start at 4 a.m. Haul to Q546. I'm tail truck of convoy and get ticket for speeding. My first one!

Saturday, June 2, 1945
Spent last night on road. Stayed 4 hours at convoy mess. Haul empty gas cans to bivouac area. Arrive at 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 3, 1945
Send $50 PTA home.

Monday, June 4, 1945 Go on pass to Venice.

Me (far right) with buddies near Venice. We are eating C-rations.



A gondola ride through the famous canals of Venice, Italy. [photo by Martha Bakerjian]

Tuesday, June 5, 1945
Go to Lake Garda and spend day boating and swimming.


Beautiful Lake Garda is the largest fresh water lake in Italy. We enjoyed a little rest and recreation here on June 5, 1945. [courtesy: www.phombo.com]

Wednesday, June 6, 1945
Gas haul. Take empty cans to Q532, then get loaded at Q520 and haul to Q542 at Bassane. Back in camp at 10:00 next morning. Traveled 286 miles on trip.

Friday, June 8, 1945
In evening Schuster goes to Q532 for load of gas and returns to area. Movie in battalion C.P. "Between Two Women."

Saturday, June 9, 1945
Schuster takes load to Fifth Army rest camp north of Milan.

Sunday, June 10, 1945
Schuster gets back, he and 7 others turn in equipment. That will clean out everyone with 110 points and over when they go.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i have an unused tobacco ration card from camp patrick henry dated june 7th, 1945..if you would like it for your scrapbook...i would gladly give it to you...let me know..thanks, Ron contact me at this email address ronstorace@hotmail.com

The Original Diary

The Original Diary
Here is the inspiration and primary source for this entire blog. Note the year for these entries was actually 1943, although Howard was using pages from 1942, as evidenced by the mention of the cities of Morsot and Tebessa and the fact that Howard was still in basic training in Texas in March 1942. He had to be creative with his limited resources and use whatever paper was available, which made researching this project somewhat of a puzzle at first.