June 5 and 10, 1944

Click here to read the Operations Report by the 337th Infantry Regiment for June and July 1944.

June 1, 1944 began with the 1st Battalion 1500 yards north of the town of Lariano in place for a scheduled attack that involved the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions advancing and clearing several Hills (mountains). Over the course of the day, they encountered “heavy small arms and machine gun fire and harassing mortar and sniper fire” slowing their advance. One whole platoon was “surprised by the enemy and taken prisoner.” It took every available man “to scout out and kill the enemy.” The 1st Battalion was in the thick of the “attack with tank and tank destroyer support” but they were hampered by “thick wooded draws.” “All battalions were ordered to advance with all possible speed with the mission of cutting Highway 6” in the advance to Rome. The fight went on all day and into the night. The 1st and 3rd Battalions stopped at 10 PM for the night and spent time getting organized for a strong defense early the next morning. The 2nd Battalion advanced to a position 1200 yards south of Highway 6, two miles “out in front of the rest of the line with no other units on either flank. Prisoners they captured were from the 1059 Panzer Grenedier Regiment” who were reinforcing the Hermann Göring Division. Their mission changed just before dawn but they were able to meet all objectives by 9 AM and then marched in formation into the valley leading to Rome. The Germans took a stand between Monte Compatri and Monte Porzio Catone. This slowed their advance but the 2nd Battalion was able to wipe out their resistence and took 123 prisoners. All three battalions moved to advance forward at 6 AM on June 4, 1944 with support from “one motorized rifle company supported by tanks, engineers, and artillery.” Their purpose was to continue “through Rome after the 3rd Battalion took their objective, and seizing two bridges over the Tiber River west of Rome.” “The Fifth Army Commander sent word to all elements that public and private property in Rome were to be protected and not fired upon unless the Germans chose to defend the city.” Their mission changed again to change position and halt the Germans who were attempting to slow the US Army’s unexpected arrival while they evacuated their troops and equipment from Rome. American troops took possession of Rome on June 4, 1944. They had been under German occupation since September 1943.

American tanks entering Rome, June 4, 1944. Photographer unknown.
Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. Public domain.

The people of Rome crowded the streets on June 5, 1944 welcoming the Allied liberators as the Regiment marched through the city. Headquarters was set up at Forte Trionfale, a military complex built in the 1880s.

Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark at St. Peter’s Square, June 5, 1944, Rome, Italy,
US Army, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Atlanta Constitution headline, June 5, 1944.

Johnnie wrote Lucile a V-mail on June 5, 1944. As usual, he did not mention anything about his involvement in the liberation of Rome.

My Dearest Darling,

Just a few lines to let you know I am well and OK and hope that this finds you the same. I received a letter from you a couple of days ago. It sure made me feel good to hear from you. I don’t hear from you as often as I need to. I guess they are holding most of the mail up here lately. I am glad to hear you have a little money saved up. You are doing alright Baby. That’s one of the things I like about you. I hope all the folks are well and Grandma is lots better. I wrote her a letter. Well Darling, I will have to close for this time. I miss you a lot and I love you a million.

Always, Johnnie

The Germans retreated towards Florence, Italy, littering the roads with equipment along the way. They destroyed some of it themselves and some was destroyed by allied airforce. With the Germans fleeing Rome to the Gothlic Line via Highway 2, several regiments of the Fifth Army, including the 337th, spent June 6, 1944 advancing in the same direction. The 2nd Battalion met some resistance from the Germans 3000 yards south of Monterosi. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions worked together to take control of Monterosi but faced many mines in the process. Some prisoners were captured, guns were destroyed, and they confiscated significant amounts of new weapons and ammunition. By nightfall, the command post was “moved to a villa on Lake Monterosi and the Regiment was given trucks and ordered to be prepared to reinforce the Howze Task Force.” The 2nd and 3rd Battalions stopped on Highway 2 for the night, organized a defense, and patrolled the town. On June 8, 1944, the Howze Task Force was ordered north on Highway 2. The 1st Battalion joined the task force, running “into the German infantry in the hills two miles north of Ronciglione,” in the Cimini mountains. They met some resistance and received light casualties but were able to advance. The 1st Battalion advanced to Viterbo the afternoon of June 9, 1944 but received news the Regimental alert had been cancelled. All Regiments, with very little shelter, made camp for the night there.

Little did Johnnie know he would be one of the soldiers highlighted in the “With the Army, Navy, and Marines” section of the Atlanta Constitution on June 9, 1944. The newspaper reported that he was serving in Italy and his wife was Mrs. Lucile Stacks Marston of College Park.

“With the Army, Navy, and Marines,” The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, June 9, 1944

It was five days before Johnnie had time to write his next letter to Lucile. In his June 10, 1944 letter, he wrote two cryptic sentences making sure she understood he had been a little busy lately and had not had time to write.

My Dearest Darling,

Just a few lines to let you know I am well and OK and hope that this finds you the same. I received the writing paper and the pen and pencil set from you today. Boy was I glad to get them. I also received a letter from you, Dot, and sister Evelyn. Not bad at all do you think? Evelyn wrote and said she was expecting again in September. In this letter and the one I received from you was telling me about her also. Gee, I sure am sorry to hear about Dot being sick; also, the baby too. I hope they are much better by now. You say Drextel got rejected? The lucky stiff. In a way though, I didn’t think he would go in. Well I guess Cecil is doing his training now. Has Jennie heard from him yet? How is she taking it? Darn I almost forgot to tell you I received a letter from your Mother the other day. I am going to try and write to her as soon as I finish this to you. As you can read by the paper’s lately, I haven’t had time to do much of anything. I hope you see things that way and understand just why I haven’t been writing to you much here lately. Say this pen don’t write bad at all. It just needs broke in a little bit, you know. Just like a lot of other things need to be, Ha Ha. Honey I am not going to tell you what to do about going down and staying with Evelyln. Just you and her staying together I don’t like that. If Louise was going to be with you down there, I wouldn’t care but the way they have things planned, that’s no good. You better just wait and let them come up to see you, OK? Well Baby, I will have to close for this time so keep your chin up and keep smiling. Also tell all the folks hello for me. I miss you a lot Darling and I love you a million. 

Always, Johnnie

P.S. Are you sure you sent me a watch? I am still looking for it.

Johnnie’s sister Louise and her husband Carl Rowland

Relief came to the Regiment on June 10, 1944 when the 3rd Algerian Division took over “leading elements,” “the Howze Task Force was disbanded, the 1st Battalion moved back to Monterosi,” and the rest of the Regiment got some rest. Thanks to the help of the Italians, some of the Regiment’s men who had been captured were able to escape and make their way back to their units with “tales of German cruelty to prisoners, of the scarcity of the foe’s equipment, and of the confusion in the retreating German columns.” The photo below, taken June 10, 1944, shows the wreckage of buildings in the streets of Civitavecchia, Port of Rome, Italy. The streets were completely blocked by the rubble from the bombed buildings. This might have been one of the sights seen by Johnnie while in Rome.

Photographer: Katz. Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive. Public domain.