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The 88th Infantry Division in Italy
by Jami Bryan, Managing Editor, On
Point
Article originally appeared in On Point, an
Army Historical Foundation publication
It began with a plea and a promise.
On 15 July 1942, John S. Quigley, President of the 88th Division Veterans
Association, challenged a group of new soldiers gathered around the main
flagpole of Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, to "take up the job we didn't get done" in
World War I. In response, MG John E. Sloan promised: "The glory of the colors
will never be sullied, as long as one man of the 88th still lives." With those
words, MG Sloan reactivated the 88th Infantry Division.
Comprised of mostly draftees, many of the newly conscripted men came from New
England and the Mid-Atlantic States. Young and inexperienced, the men began
formal training 3 August 1942. It was a drastic change in climate for most, and
a more drastic change in lifestyle. In the first few weeks, the draftees had to
learn how to make a bed, sweep and mop a floor, police an area, what the
letters "K.P." meant, how to stand at attention, how to march, field
sanitation, basic first aid, military organization, close-order drill,
courtesy, discipline and the difference between stripes and bars. Most
importantly, they learned it was best never to volunteer for anything. They
found themselves completing obstacle courses, going on night compass marches,
dealing with gas mask drills, and learning how to fire rifles and other small
arms.
Combat experienced men came from North Africa to offer tips and battle methods
to the new soldiers. Upon inspection of the division, all were satisfied and
impressed with the progress made by the men of the 88th. MG Sloan was a strict
disciplinarian and a stickler for minute details, but in the end he got the
results he desired. Even residents of cities and towns near Camp Gruber held
the new outfit in high esteem. To almost all, these men were well-trained,
well-behaved, and very well-received.
The only people who were not originally confident in the 88th were the soldiers
themselves. For some reason, the men thought they were overrated and going
nowhere. To many, 88th was still just a number. That feeling followed the men
from Camp Gruber to the Louisiana Maneuver Area on 16 June, and to Fort Sam
Houston, Texas, in August 1943, as the men completed their training, and even
into November 1943 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, as they waited for
deployment overseas.
On 2 November 1943, an advance party of ten officers left Camp Patrick Henry
for North Africa. BG Paul Kendall, who led the expedition, was the first member
of the 88th to set foot on foreign soil. While he and his advance party members
were busy preparing to receive the division, the 351st Infantry Regiment began
its slow voyage across the ocean to North Africa. Aboard a Liberty ship, the
trans-Atlantic voyage was no easy feat. The ship was overcrowded and many of
the men battled seasickness. It was a relief when the ships docked in
Casablanca. The 350th Infantry Regiment and the 349th Infantry Regiment soon
followed, and the entire 88th was assembled in North Africa by 27 December
1943. Not one man was lost during any of the crossings.
The 88th Division arrived overseas with about 14,000 men. Sixty percent were
infantry and the rest were artillerymen, medics, ordnancemen, signalmen,
reconnaissance troops, quartermasters, and engineers. Upon landing, the men
were assigned to Camp Passage. They were there primarily to recover from the
voyage, have a few decent meals, see a few recent movies, and enjoy a quick
sample of life in Casablanca. All too soon, however, the 88th was on the move
again. This time they were headed by train to Oran. The division reassembled,
but MG Sloan was unhappy with what he saw. In all its travels the division had
gotten sloppy, so Sloan ordered more training in the Atlas Mountains. The
training paid off - not only was the 88th back in top form, but also better
prepared by the wintry terrain of the Atlas Mountains for what lay ahead in
Italy.
An advanced party of officers and men flew to Italy in late December 1943 under
the command of BG Kendall. Late in the night on 3 January 1944, the first
members of the 88th went into the line with the Fifth Army. The division's
first battle casualty came that very same day, when SGT William A. Streuli was
killed by enemy air attack two miles west of Venafro.
On 1 February 1944, the rest of the 88th Division began their trip to Italy.
The last units came ashore by 21 February, and the entire division was reunited
in Naples. Upon arrival in Naples, the 88th became the first draftee division
to enter a combat zone in World War II.
The arrival of the 88th was a much-needed respite for the Fifth Army. Tired and
battle worn, many in the Fifth Army had been fighting since Salerno, Sicily, or
even as far back as North Africa. The 88th was the first fresh division to
arrive in the Mediterranean since Salerno. It was cold and wet in Naples,
weather many of the men were not expecting. They were also exposed for the
first time to the sights and sounds of war: the gunfire, rubble, and the
physical destruction of the Italian countryside. Still in a rear assembly area,
the waiting was almost worse than the actual fighting. Rumors flew about where
the units would be assigned. At night they could see faint flashes over the
mountains behind Piedmonte d'Alfie which suggested the front lines were located
in what the soldiers called "Purple Heart Valley" and Cassino. The soldiers
began to wonder when, and if, they would ever see the front. Fifth Army
Headquarters had orginally planned to break up the 88th Division and deploy
them as needed, but MG Sloan did not want to see his division broken up. He met
with LTG Mark Clark, commander of the Fifth Army, and Clark agreed to keep the
88th intact.
The 34th and 36th Infantry Divisions withdrew from the front for much needed
rest and reorganization. A corps from New Zealand and one from France took over
the American sector of the line. Most of the French corps was still enroute
from North Africa and therefore were spread too thin. MG Sloan saw an
opportunity, and sent the 2d Battalion, 351st Infantry, into the line with the
French. The battalion arrived at the front on 27 February. That same day, the
88th was ordered to relieve the British 5th Infantry Division in the Minturno
section of the Fifth Army line. Done in secret, the 88th took command of the
British sector 4 March 1944. To fool any enemy observers, the American soldiers
wore British helmets while the switch took place. The ruse worked, and the
relief went smoothly.
The Fifth Army was trying to get to Cassino in hopes of gaining a hold on the
central Italian highway to Rome, thus forcing a German retreat on both ends of
the line. Although the principal mission for the 88th was a holding and
harassing action, ground troops were used mostly for reconnaissance. In the
opinion of correspondents and those still stationed in the rear, the action
taking place at Cassino was not as exciting as it had been in Salerno, Naples,
and Volturno. Although none of these people truly knew what was happening at
the front it was because of them that this portion of the Italian campaign was
called "the quiet war." Although it was relatively quiet, the 88th was getting
a taste of what it was like on the front lines.
The days passed, and by mid-April, both the Germans and the Allies had
twenty-two divisions in Italy. Whereas the Allies were supplementing their
lines with fresh troops, the Germans were pulling troops from the from the
Eastern front to beef up their divisions. The Germans were trying to keep the
Allies as far south as possible as possible to avoid having them get anywhere
close to Germany itself. The Allies, however, were torn: an invasion of France
was being planned and they did not know how best to use all their troops. As
the debate continued, Allied commanders in Italy decided to go forward with
their original plans to break out of the Anzio beachhead and smash the Gustav
Line. On 11 May 1944, the 350th Infantry attacked enemy lines at Mount Diamano,
Hill 316, Mount Ceracoli, and Mount Rotondo, while the 351st was ordered to
seize Santa Maria Infante, then open the way into the Austene Valley. The 349th
was held in reserve.
Although the Germans put up a fierce fight, Mount Diamano fell to the 350th
Infantry in less than an hour. By dawn of 13 May, the 350th also held Hill 316.
Soon after they won Mount Ceracoli, and soon after that they captured Mount
Rotondo. The Gustav line had been cracked.
The 351st, however, did not fare as well as its counterpart. Attacking the
major strong point of the Gustav Line, the soldiers there found it very
difficult to capture the hill town of Santa Maria Infante. Company F was
destroyed, with all of its men either killed or captured. The Germans staunchly
defended the town. Fighting continued through 14 May, when the 1st Battalion
moved on the town from the right and the 3d Battalion pushed upwards. The 88th
finally captured Santa Maria Infante by 1300. The division was so fierce in
battle that German prisoners supposedly remarked that the troops of the 88th
fought "like devils." As a result, the division eventually adopted the nickname
the "Blue Devils" in reference to their blue shoulder patches.
The 349th Infantry came behind the 350th and 351st and led the division's
advance across the Ausonia Valley. On 15 May 1944, the 88th pushed through
undefended Spigno. By this time, mountain fighting had begun to take its toll
on the soldiers. The weather was often wet and cold; the terrain was muddy and
hilly; and the men were always sore and tired. It was difficult to get supplies
to the troops and evacuate the wounded. There was ever-present radio
interference, making communications almost impossible. Yet they still trudged
on, determined to make it to Rome.
The 351st faced heavy fire on 18 May 1944 in its attempt to take Monte Grande,
while the 349th and 350th advanced from Roccasecca to the Amaseno Valley, which
they cleared on 28 May. After breaking out of the mountains, the 88th Division
was thrust right back into combat. They were headed towards the Eternal City.
The 88th attacked to the northwest, with their orders being to cut Highway 6
then head eastward towards Rome. Highway 6 was cut on 2 June, and by 3 June,
the Blue Devils were just 4,000 yards from their objective. There was a brutal
battle on the outskirts of the city as the soldiers of the 88th ran into strong
German resistance. Still, on 4 June, the Eternal City fell to the Allies.
Everyone wanted to be first into Rome, but at 1530, on 4 June, the all-draftee
88th became the first division to enter the city. Although overshadowed by the
Normandy invasion two days later, the capture of Rome was a significant victory
for the Allies and a welcome event for the Romans.
The happiness and celebration that followed the entry into the capital city
soon gave way to the reality of war. The 88th received its new orders: follow
the Germans north. They were involved in some brief but intense fighting at
Monterosi, battling German tanks and hoping to buy time for the main body of
troops who were blasting Nazi soldiers fleeing north by Highway 2. After 100
straight days at the front, the Blue Devils were finally granted some much
needed rest and relaxation. The respite was short, however, because MG Sloan
did not want his men to lose their fighting edge. After only a few short days,
he launched another training regimen. Sloan was tough, but the toughness paid
off -- total casualties in the division only numbered 134 officers and 1,844
enlisted men after 100 days of heavy fighting.
On 5 and 6 July 1944, the 88th was once again back at the front. The confident,
heavily armed Germans were waiting. The 88th was ordered to seize the ancient
Etruscan fortress town of Volterra, location of a large German garrison. The
349th flanked the town on the righth, the 350th flanked from the left, and the
two met in the middle. By 2200 on 8 July, the town was in American hands. Four
days later the 351st came out of division reserve and took the town of
Laiatico. It was during this battle that the 3d Battalion, 351st Infantry,
earned a Distinguished Unit Citation.
Villamanga fell to the 349th on 13 July, and the 351st took Monte Foscoli. On
19 July the Allies dug in at San Miniato, where they soon experienced the
brutality of the Nazis. All civilian areas were heavily mined and booby
trapped, including houses and streets. The citizens of the town were herded
into a church so they could not warn the Allies of what lay ahead, and then
were mercilessly shot by German tanks. The Germans obviously did not plan to
give up easily.
The 91st Infantry Division relieved the 88th so they could once again take time
for refitting and training. This time they geared up to cross rivers, as the
upcoming assault crossing of the Arno was not going to be easy. The trip from
Volterra to the north bank of the Arno was accomplished, but not without high
cost: the division lost 142 officers and 2, 257 enlisted men killed, wounded,
or missing.
After the crossing, the men were once again relieved from the front lines and
sent back for seven weeks of refitting and training. MG Sloan was forced to
retire in August of 1944 due to his worsening dermatitis. His replacement was
his deputy, BG Paul Kendall. He was the obvious replacement, since he had been
with the division since Camp Gruber, but it was upsetting to many of the
soldiers to see MG Sloan go. Many thought BG Kendall was not of the same
caliber as MG Sloan.
By the end of August, the 88th could sense it was once again to go into combat.
True to their prediction, the Blue Devils attacked towards the Gothic Line on
10 September 1944. It was once again rainy, cold, and miserable at the front.
SOldiers on both sides had to trudge around the mountains in deep mud and
water. Trying to break through the Gothic Line, the 88th encountered some ofthe
heaviest fighting in the fall of 1944. While studying the Allies to figure out
where to launch his main attacks, Field Marshall Albert Kesslering, the German
commander, held his reserves in preparation for a surprise counter-attack. That
attack occured 28 September when elements of four German divisions assaulted
the 350th Infantry atop Mount Battaglia. For seven bloody days, the Blue Devils
threw back every assault and held the critical position. They had won the
battle, but not without great cost -- approximately fifty percent of the 350th
were killed, wounded, or missing. For its heroic part in the ferocious fighting
at Mount Battaglia, the 2d Battalion, 350th Infantry, earned a Distinguished
Unit Citation.
While the 350th battled atop Mount Battaglia, the 349th Regiment was busy
attacking the village of Belvedere enroute to their destination of Mount
Grande. They blasted the Germans out of the village and without stopping,
captured Sassaleone and cut the road to Castel del Rio. By 10 October, the
351st had pushed past the 349th, and faced German flamethrowers in a battle at
Gesso.
All three regiments were involved in intense fighting, and all three were
beginning to lose their drive. The units were losing men faster then they could
be replaced, but orders remained unchanged: the 88th Division was to keep
going. There were no more reserves, but the North Appenines campaign had to
continue.
Fighting not only the Germans but the treacherous terrain as well, the 88th was
exhausted. In fourty-four days of fighting, the 88th had lost more than 6,000
men killed, wounded, or missing. By November, there was nothing more they could
do in the drive through the Appenines. Orders came in to hold and dig in where
they were. Finally the Blue Devils were going to get the rest they needed so
desperately.
After resting in Montecatini, the 88th was once again headed back to the front
on 24 January 1945. They were to relieve the 91st Infantry Division near Loiana
and Livergnano. They did little more there than heavy patrolling and
maintaining defensive positions, and were once again pulled out of line for
further rehabilitaion. This time they went through special training to prepare
for the impending spring offensive.
The offensive began in April. The Germans had spent six months digging
themselves into caves, wrecked buildings, and rocky ridges. Machine guns,
mortars, and artillery were well hidden and placed everywhere. The 88th Units
were shuttled up and down the front in the hope of confusing the enemy. The
Germans were not fooled and built their strongest defensive position south of
Bologna and right in front of the Blue Devils. That turned out to be a big
mistake: when the Germans tried to pull themselves out of a trap placed by the
10th Mountain Division, the 88th Division's flanking manuever held them in
place. The Germans were caught, and the Fifth Army broke through into the Po
Valley.
Once the past the Po Valley, the 88th headed to the Alps. On 25 April, the Blue
Devils became the first Allied troops to enter Verona. Vicenza fell three days
later. The effort of the Allies paid off. At 1600 on 2 May, German forces
surrendered. The war in Italy.
On 4 May 1945, the 88th Division joined the 103d Infantry Division, another
draftee division, driving south through Brenner Pass from Innsbruck. On 7 May,
it was announced the Germans had surrendered unconditionally. For those
fighting in the European Theater, World War II was over.
The men in the 88th did not celebrate wildly, but instead refelcted a quiet
joy. Many thought it was too good to be true. Many mourned the men that did not
make it to see the end. All the soldiers cared about now was wrapping the job
up and going home.
The Blue Devils moved into Bolanzo, the city that had once been the
headquarters of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe. On 31 May, the 88th gave Bolanzo
over to the Allied Italian troops, but since tensions were so high between the
Italians and the Germans, the 349th Infantry stayed to prevent trouble. The
rest of the division was sent to Lake Garda, where they were given the
assignment of guarding 300,000 POWs. Some of the soldiers had enough points to
ship out during the summer, while others were moved to Trieste for occupation
in the fall. Many of them remained in Italy for the next two years. The
division was finally inactivated on 24 October 1947 in Italy. Today the 88th's
lineage lives on as the 88th Regional Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve, with
headquarters at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
In 344 days of combat, the 88th Infantry Division lost 2,298 men killed in
action and 9,225 men wounded. The Blue Devils proved that with rigorous
training, teamwork, competent leadership, and fierce determination, an
all-draftee division was more than capable of fighting well against a
well-trained, well-equipped, and battle-hardended enemy. Even under the worst
circumstances, the men of the 88th gave their all and wound up playing and
integral part in the defeat of the German Army in Italy. The Blue Devils saw to
it that MG Sloan was good on his word: the 88th Infantry Division had well
finished the job it had started long before in World War I.
For more reading on the 88th Infantry Division in WWII, please see: Draftee
Division: The 88th Infantry Division in WWII, by John Sloan Brown, The
Blue Devils in Italy, by John P. Delaney, and Salerno to the Alps: A
History of the Fifth Army 1943-1945, edited by LTC Chester G. Starr.
Written by Jami Bryan (Managing Editor of On Point)
Copyright © 2003 Jami Bryan
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