Stories from a recent past

This section of my website offers some articles and videos related to the second world war, mainly to the Engineer teams who played a key role in the support of the operations during the Italian campaign in the period following the Sicily landing (July 1943) to the end of war.

The Engineers was also involved in the rehabilitation of the main services (road, water pipes, electricity, monuments, etc), those activities was managed by the Allied Military Government. Such activities last also during the post war period.

Military Government of Italy was planned as a joint venture by an integrated force of British and American Civil Affairs Officers (CAOs).

A different project is hosted on the “Lucky 13” website, “Lucky 13” was the jeep of Frederick Hartt, one of the Monument Men active in Tuscany in 1944. We wanted to take it as a starting point, as an ideal connecting thread to narrate the events connected with the preservation of art in the Tuscan area during the Second World War: facts, places, people involved. As Hartt did in his time on Lucky 13, we will move time by time to tell the pages of an incredible story unknown to most people.

Articles

In Taking Mount Delle Formiche, Italy 10-13 Oct. 1944

The liberation of Florence and the restoration of city services

The history of 1338th Engineer Combat Group – 337th Engineer General Service Regiment

Map showing Headquarters and bridges of the 169th ECB (1338th Engineer Combat Group)

The story of the 316th Engineer Combat Battalion

The Traction Service of the Italian “Ferrovie dello Stato” and the Military Railway Service

American Rail in eight Countries – The Story of the 1st Military Railway Service

The Whitcomb Locomotives Ne 120 series and the Military Railway Service

Videos

La linea Gotica e i luoghi della Battaglia di Monte Altuzzo (English subtitles).