A Brief History

My father, Jim Stevens, as one of the soldiers of the 601st Tank Destroyers, was on active duty for the entire engagement of the North African Campaign and The European Theater of Operations in WWII - for over 4 years. He experienced 546 days of actual combat. While he fought at the Kasserine Pass and El Guettar in North Africa and then in France and Germany, it is the Italian Campaign that I have chosen to focus on. Jim has often said that he would have liked to return to Italy. For him it would have been a ritual journey allowing him to reconcile the brutality of the war he fought with the people, culture, beauty and history of the country that he also experienced. At 91, he cannot take that journey so I am taking it for him.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

22 gennaio 1944 Lo Sbarco


This exhibition of the Allied landing in Anzio opened in a museum at the Victor Emmanual Monument the day before we arrived in Rome.  Here are just a few of the many photos, along with a surprise find.


A tank pulling a jeep ashore from an LST.

Going ashore at Yellow Beach, where Dad's unit landed.

The Anzio Ritz, a bunker in which to watch movies.

Easter Mass, April, 1944

Milking a cow!
Imagine our surprise to find a display from the 601 Tank Destroyers!





The Tank Destroyer Patch; Seek, Strike, Destroy.

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1 comment:

  1. pinoNovember 15, 2013 at 3:09 AM

    The citizens of Anzio thank you so much for your father for the beachhead, my children they are free thanks your father. We are happy for our liberty, every year in the beach of Anzio celebrate the our re-enactment of beachhead.
    Best regards
    Pino D'Arcangelo filamento66@gmail.com

    photo re-enactment: http://www.radioenea.it/enea/photo.php

    ReplyDelete

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