The Germans had fortified that big Catholic Cathedral that was up on the hill in Casino, Italy. That gave them a big advantage over us. Our US 36th Division was trying to move on north. As we started along the valley, around the bottom of the hill, we were shot to pieces, from above. The 36th division was 'setting ducks'.
There were orders from Washington, "Don't fire on that Cathedral". Finally, against first orders, our dive bombers blew that church all to pieces. Our troops jumped up and down and shouted. It was leveled--all except for one little outhouse, that I could see. It was a way out by itself. We fought on further north---
'Big Bertha' was a 300mm(about 10 inches in diameter) gun. It was a little way up from Bologna in the Appenine Mountains. It was in a cave, up on the side of a mountain. It was on a flat railroad car, where it could be pulled back inside and hid. They would open the door and pull it out to shoot it, mostly at night. It was a little further north than my outfit was. The sound of that gun was different--kind of an explosion. I quickly learned it's sound, I knew when it was Big Bertha shooting. And I could see the muzzle blast---hear it coming and count to 3. You would be surprised how fast you can move in 3 seconds. You ducked and hit the dirt, behind a wall or into a fox hole.
I always hoped that it would go over me. When I lay in a foxhole, the prayers of my Mother were right in my ear.
We had our army field-kitchen set up behind a big building. That building was between us and Big Bertha. About sundown we were eating supper outside. We heard the muzzle blast and knew that a shell from Big Bertha was coming toward us. This one had a 'screamin mimi' attached to it. That was an attachment that made a shreeking, screaming noise, you knew a shell was coming. If you had any fear in you--your hair stood on end--you were scared. It landed on top of our building. The shell was a 'dud' and it slid off among us. If it had exploded, we would have all been killed. We looked at the little round screamin mimi that was attached to it. It was an accident when a big building got a direct hit, the big guns were pretty accurate at a
mile, but we were about 10 miles away.
We moved on north and were in battle again. Later we were pulled back from the front for rest and baths. It was our first night, back in the same town. We were in a wealthy part of town, at a three story residence. It had an eight foot rock wall behind it. We set up our kitchen on the first floor, on the far side from Big Bertha. Shelling started, along about dark, guns were booming, it was loud. Shelling at night was an effort to stop the troops from moving around.
I was Mess Sargent and usually slept with the kitchen. That night I was kinda uneasy and moved my cot and slept in the basement. The cooks decided to sleep there too. Big Bertha arched and lobbed a shell--a direct hit. At first we thought one of our own guns had hit our building. Then we thought it had hit the building next to us. It exploded just above the first floor of the building that I was in. The three floors fell down, we were covered up in that basement. Smoke from the exploded shell and the dust was bad. The basement entrance was covered with rock, down from the upper floors. The basement windows were narrow slits, we could not get out through them. We expected it to catch fire, and kept hoping we would be rescued.
I wondered if I would live.
Our command post had been set up in the big building next door.
Before long, help came and started digging us out. It took about two hours, that we were in that dark choking basement.
We didn't know how many soldiers, about 8, and Italian girls were
killed. They were upstairs together. They were not supposed to be there.
They picked them up in pieces. It was amazing how quick that prostitutes would come---right up to the front lines. "See what 'woman chasers' have done--it cost us eight men."
Shelling continued, the shells just kept coming. I crawled back into that basement, in my same bed. I thought it was the safest place. The next morning, I dug out my mail that had come the night before. Louise had mailed me a can of ham, It had a piece of shrapnel go through it.
It could have been me.
Me and another Sargent ate the good part of the ham.
Soon an American dive bomber caught Big Bertha outside. It couldn't get back and hide in time. That same day, a German troop train was bombed. Our line moved forward that day too. Some soldiers went up to see Big Bertha and the train, I didn't.
Leaning Tower of Pizza
Fighting and moving north through Italy, we crossed the Arno River. September 2, 1944, the 5th Army moved into the town of Pizza.
It had lots of two and three story rock buildings. We were camped near the 'Leaning Tower of Pizza'. We were not especially fighting for it. It was just a space where we could camp. It had big green lawns around it, and the big Cathedral was real close. It was all built of white marble. We were in the blackout zone, it went 10 miles back from the front lines.
We had specific orders not to go around the tower, especially not to climb it. As the Germans retreated, they 'booby trapped' nearly everything. Sometimes the whole building would explode, sometimes just the one person, who touched the wire or string leading to the bomb. We knew there were snipers around, they were well hidden and waiting for a good shot.
I climbed the Leaning Tower of Pizza
I watched that no one was around, I didn't think anyone noticed me.
Cautiously I watched for cords and wires that could lead to boobie traps.
I climbed to the first floor, then stopped to look out, it looked safe to me.
I climbed on up the 294 steps on the spiral staircase, to the top of the tower.
I stood on the leaning side, away from the big Cathedral, that was built next to the big tower. I thought that I had a better chance of not being seen---
I had a good view when I got to the top, seven floors up.
I didn't look very long.
A sniper had seen me and took a shot at me. The first bullet hit so close---that I felt the marble fragments fly back and hit me. I thought I was shot.
I stayed behind the banister and managed to get down and not get caught.
Everyone heard the sniper shot and they started looking for him.
A sniper was usually 'holed up' and he stays hidden.
He would keep 'picking people off', until he was found and shot.
My cousin Evin was in the army in Italy, we never met over there.
Evin, he climbed the tower later, when it was declared safe. We both remember how the marble steps were worn down, from the years of people climbing the tower.
A bluegrass friend saw the tower in 1991. They wouldn't let anyone climb the tower then.
60 years later--- Arbuckle, Oklahoma ---Fall Bluegrass Jam, 2004
I was in a circle of about 10 bluegrasser's.
A new guitar picker come up and set down.
I finished my song. The new man, leaned toward me and stated, "You were in the army in Italy, weren't you." Thel surprised, answered,"Yes."
And the music went on around the circle.
Later the man got ready to go---his family had to help him walk.
He motioned for Thel to come over.
"Yeah---You were the one that climbed the 'Leaning Tower of Pizza', and the sniper shot at you. And we all started hunting for that sniper."
"We were both Sergeants, we were fighting and moved up through Italy, close together. You were in a tank outfit, and I was in the infantry."
"The Germans had fortified that big monastery, on the hill, and shot down on our men. After the bombing, there was nothing left of it, but trash.
"And remember 'Big Bertha', that big gun the Germans had on a track on that mountain. The day that a shell from it hit the building by where we were eating. and it was a dud and slid of the roof. ----You remember---"
I remembered it all. I couldn't really remember the man.
But I knew that the man had to have known me 60 years ago in Italy.
Because of these 4 things that he told me.
I had never told anyone that I had climbed the Leaning Tower of Pizza.
I knew that no one would ever believe me.
The spring of 2003, the Challenger Space vehicle exploded over Texas,
Thel was flying his radio-control airplane at Plainsman Field, at Whisky Flats. He likes to fly there at daylight, and maybe see a doe and her two fawns, while he is driving to the field. He had his plane flying in the air and heard an explosion, a different sound. His first thought was 'Big Bertha'. He knew it wasn't a sonic boom. He couldn't look for the explosion, he had to
control and land his airplane. He said light silvery dust and sprinkles come down around him. Soon a second 'Plainsman' drove up to the field. He had his car radio on and told Thel that the Challenger had exploded overhead.
Most of the debris come down in east Texas. Thel drove home.
The first thing he said was, "It sounded just like Big Bertha."
( he had talked about ‘Big Bertha’ so much—I knew what he was talking about.)