Soon my father and Bill were assigned to the 532nd Anti Aircraft Artillery-Automatic Weapons Battalion and reported to the Communications officer.

A Battery gets own water trailer and returns D Btry's to D Battery.

Headquarters Battery quartered in Italian farm house.

"Damn it, keeping a diary requires methodical adherance to dates, but over here they simply slip by. Then again, I sometimes return home so thoroughly fatigues (sic) that nothing but my bunk absorbs my thinking powers. Last night we got a terrific shelling. The enemy went to work on it. It was a very rainy night in which our observation was poor and our counter-battery not too much, but Heinie poured them over, all sized and everywhere. It was no precision firing, but searching fire creeping and striking out like vicious tentacles everywhere at once. We have the British 4th Corps around us now plus and Indian Division and a tank corps. The Indians are all tall "Lights", full bearded and white turbaned. The British - mostly New Zealanders, are a curious lot. They pile in anywhere disregard dispersionn of trucks, group their tents and shun camoflage; even fox hole requirements are disregarded, but wait - they are from a sector where these things weren't necessary because of virtually no artillery fire. They are amazed about the way we handle these things, so thoroughly systematically. They'll learn tonight why we do! My battery commanders have called in the same observations, saying "These Limeys are nuts, they're even lighting cooking fires at dusk!" They are in for a surprise, and casualties!"

"I obviously started this writing in the wrong tense. "Quietest Day!" Hell broke loose here - C Battery which came out of the line yesterday bivouaced for a "rest" just outside my little house (little Italian home he was using for a command post; ed.). At 2 p.m. today a terrific enemy H.E. (High Explosive) shelling started on and near them. This area hadn't received much shelling but unknown to us a "Piper Cub" squadron flew in and placed itself about 100 yds south and west of us. What in all stupid hell any C.O. would move them up into this battle zone within artillery fire for is beyond me. They could have just as easily operated 10 miles back in safety for they are ony observation planes of the smallest type. It was "duck soup" for the Heinies, and at 2 p.m. he really poured them over. One of the first explosives hit a cub and that threw up a mass of black smoke thereby giving Heinie perfect gauge adjustment. We got it for two full hours. Two or three planes are gone, numerous trucks, American and British, tents and some casualties. Brother, it was really brutal. One of our trucks of C Battery was shelled and caught fire. It was the motor repair truck. I organized a detail and went into the area with 1st Sgt. Mills to get the truck out. We put out the fire, pulled off the smoldering tarpaulin and had that truck and the mess truck driven away from the increasing fire from tents that were burning. Some 50 caliber ammunition from a truck that was hit was popping all around us. It was a hot spot with enemy shells still landing near. One of them knocked me over as well as the soldier near me. I heard a terrific thud on his helmet and thought, "Oh, oh, he's hit". I turned around and asked "You hit, soldier?" He said, "No, my helmet blew off and hit a stone. That was the noise Colonel". Cripes, it was hot! What the hell did I go down here for anyway! Needless to say, we evacuated C Battery to the rear immediately. Young Lt. Conner, acting B.C., certainly made a good showing of coolness and courage during the whole show. Messing around with that fragmentation bursting all around really proves whether a man's a man!"

"Rain and mud, then for a change we have mud and rain. This situation is tough enough to down any man. I wish to hell we could take the warm beds of the strikers at home and let them take over our mud-soppy beds for a week. There would be no cry of "Strike". Damn their ungrateful souls. How my men can keep physically well, and they do is beyond all human comprehension. Yet they're cheerful! Although I am a military man, I do not believe in violence or intimidation of these strikers, but isn't there something, ostracism or white feathers that could be used. I am here to defend to the death the rights of our four freedoms, but what about these avaricious men who sell our blood so cheaply? Where is the equity in the situation. We'll win this war in spite of them, I suppose, like the stuck pig, that squeals the loudest, these strikers will line the streets and yell the cheers the loudest - damn their black souls! I should think a father or brother at home who strikes when his son or brother is over here should be ashamed of himself. I hardly think we fellows would ever forgive them."

"The German air force was all but gone by the time the Allies reached the Arno and anti-aircraft units were no longer needed. Since infantry was in short supply, Clark fashioned Task Force 45 out of redundant anti-aircraft units. Ack-ack gunners now carried M-1 rifles. Infantry equipment was borrowed from the 34th Division. The 45th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade, (includes the 532nd), which had provided ack-ack for most of the combat divisions and for the supply and communication routes in the IV Corps area, formed the nucleus of the new Task Force, joined by new born foot soldiers from the 91st, 107th, and the 434th Ack-Ack groups, the British Light AA Regiment less one battalion, the 751st Tank Battalion, and company B of the 805th Tank Destroyers. After completing only one half of their scheduled training, the new infantrymen went on line on July 24 to relieve the battle-weary 34th Division along a ten-mile sector west along the Arno from the Ligurian coast."

On July 18, 1944, the entire Battalion moved to (E-608907) Montemassi, Italy, new Battalion assembly area.