This book contains over 400 pages detailing the history of the 1st Armored Division, the division Armand was a part of during World War II.
I am a bit overwhelmed when I think that Armand lived the events contained in these pages. This book meant a lot to him. He took the time to underline sentences and paragraphs that detailed marching into new territory, battles he had fought in, and the local color of the regions he traversed. "Old Ironsides" The Battle History of the 1st Armored Division, states in it's opening chapter; "During the second World War, The United States Army prepared 90 divisions for combat, activated 2 others, and committed 88 divisions to battle. Of the 92, 16 were armored divisions. This history is an account of the life of the first of them, described once as 'Old Ironsides, the first of the mighty Armored Force, the pioneer in the art and science of armor, the father of other divisions, the first armored division overseas, the first to land on African soil, the first to engage German troops in World War II, the instructor of others entering combat, the first into Rome, and the first of the armored divisions in days of actual field service during World War II' ". Below is a photograph of the book's cover, and underneath that, one of the many photographs that appear in the book. On the left hand side you'll see a soldier in the foreground standing apart from the rest, looking back at the T2 Tank Retriever. Bob is convinced this is Armand. Armand also thought it was very likely him. He was an armored engineer, and the 16 Armored Engineer Battalion was his battalion. Plus, look at that jawline. Personally, I think Bob's right. It's likely that it is Armand. Though even if it isn't, what we do know is that he was there, fighting with the men of Old Ironsides to put an end to WW II. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories.
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As we all know, Armand was a gregarious guy. He made many friends during the war, and some of them gave him photo mementos so that he would remember them. The first three photos are of Armand and his best friend Anthony Panzo. The slideshow below features many of Armand's friends (and some girl friends - ooh la la), some with captions written to him. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Here we have Armand with the 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon at Anzio Beachhead. A great photo of him and his buds at their foxhole, which he refers to on the back of the photographs as "My Home". A little bit about the Battle of Anzio; "The location of the Allied landings, thirty miles south of Rome and fifty-five miles northwest of the main line of resistance running from Minturno on the Tyrrhenian Sea to Ortona on the Adriatic, surprised local German commanders, who had been assured by their superiors that an amphibious assault would not take place during January or February. Thus when the landing occurred the Germans were unprepared to react offensively. Within a week, however, as Allied troops consolidated their positions and prepared to break out of the beachhead, the Germans gathered troops to eliminate what Adolf Hitler called the "Anzio abscess." The next four months would see some of the most savage fighting of World War II." If you'd like to read more, click here. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Here are some photos of Armand near the Arno, as he writes on the back of these four photographs. I don't know exactly where he was, but it is safe to say he was somewhere in Tuscany. He mentions on one of the photos that they "couldn't get a pass". Can anyone enlighten us as to what he meant by that (perhaps Bob, John)? Did that mean that the troops couldn't clear out? They couldn't move on from that camp? Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! While the Santomasso men were away fighting, the women were busy taking care of the family at home.
Here's Rose and some of the ladies of the Southern New England Telephone (SNET) in New Haven. Not only did the women help to support the family financially during the war, they were able to help returning soldiers to connect with their loved ones. As we know, Ida was able to help a soldier on furlough with only a small window of time to locate his family. If you haven't already, you can read that blog post by clicking here. Rose did the same when she could, I have no doubt. Thanks ladies for your work on the home front! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Does anyone have memories of "Cousin Art Santo" they can share? Looks like he shortened his last name even more than we did! Did he live in New Haven? Was he a son of one of the Santomassimo brothers who moved to upstate NY, or RI? Any light you can shed will be much appreciated!
Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! After North Africa, Armand went on to Italy.
Below, is a shot of him in Maddaloni in the Campania region - the region our family is from! The next is a photo of some interesting locals that was taken in Paestum (an ancient Greek city) in the province of Salerno. Below that, the two photographs of the procession are from 1943, and they are so captivating. I wish there was some more information on the backs of these. The boy looking straight into the camera, the wizened man behind him, the rough brick wall- these images evoke a solemn occasion. And in the next one I wonder who is in that car? Why everyone is gathered on the rocks? What is that building behind them? Sadly, we will never know... Something we may be able to find out however, is if Armand tried to meet up with family members while he was there. In Maddaloni it would have taken him less than an hour by car to get to Piedimonte D'Alife. Bob - John, feel free to jump in. Do you remember him mentioning anything? Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Some fun photographs of Edmund and his fellow soldiers during his training. Possibly from his time at Camp LeJeune in New River, North Carolina.
There are quite a few photos, and it's sometimes hard to make out the faces, so I have indicated the photos that Edmund is in. Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! Here are some photos chronicling Armand's time in North Africa.
In the photo below, Armand is standing with his buddies in Sidi Bel Abbes on May 28, 1943. This is after they had traveled through 41 villages/towns in just 3 days! Sidi Bel Abbes was the 15th, and last place they had visited on May 28. Those men look pretty tired. All but Armand, smiling brightly, who undoubtedly suggested that the picture be taken! Below is a great shot that Armand took of men riding their camels in Tunisia on May 23, the first day of their 10 day trek. Beneath that is a snapshot he took of a family in Rabat Medina - the older part of the city- in Morocco. Please find a wonderful map Sean made of Armand's travels in the "Document" section of the blog, posted this week! Click on "comments" above to add your thoughts and/or memories! A winter's day, somewhere... unfortunately there is no information on the back as to where it was taken. On a day like today as the cold weather sets in, we can begin to imagine the conditions these soldiers endured.
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May 2016
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