July 1, 1945 - September 30, 1945

I haven't gotten around to updating this in quite a long time, but I have finished digitizing the journal, and want to post the remainder of it online for all who are curious.  Enjoy!

July 1945


1.) Still at A Co. Letter from Dee today. Rumors are all men 85 pts + over will leave before 10th.
2.) Oleis
3.) Oleis
4.) Oleis
5.) Oleis. Received Wal’s letter today.
6.) 7,8) Oleis Had dance Sat + Sun nite. Moved back to base camp the 8th. Am going home.
9.) Still at camp expect to leave in the morning to Florence to join up with 755 Tank outfit.
10.) Manzano
11.) Left to go to Florence. Rode 12 hrs from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Am with the 755 Tk. Bn. Med. Det.
12.) 13, 14) K.P. Still in Florence
15.) In Florence redeployment training area. No one know when we leave. Had picture taken.
16.) Florence R.T.A.
17.) Florence R.T.A.
18.) Went to rest camp in Florence for 7 days. Rumors are we will move 25 + get on boat the 28th
19.) Florence rest center
20.) 21, 22, 23, 24) Rest camp
25.) Came back to camp today
26.) Florence
27.) Florence. Rumors are we may leave the 6th or 10th of Aug. Got letter from Dee today.
28.) Camp. On K.P. today.
29.) 30, 31) Florence

Corresponding Scans (6/1/45-6/30/45)

June 1, 1945 - June 30, 1945

June 1945

1.) Sambasso
2.) Sambasso
3.) Went to church this morning in town.
4.) Still here at Sombasso. A C. is on alert due to Tito’s men. Red cross girls brought doughnuts today. 27 months overseas today.
5.) Still at Sambasso. Expected Tito’s men to start fighting tonite. They advised us to move by 6 pm but nothing happened. Rec. letter from Dee - birthday card. Also letter + card from Florence.
6.) Sambasso. Red cross girls were here at noon today with doughnuts.
7.) Was relieved today + went to rear area. Had a dance to nite. Am near Udine.
8.) Still here at Udine.
9.) Had another dance tonite
10.) Udine
11.) Udine
12.) Udine My birthday so I went down to our bar + celebrated some.
13.) Udine
14.) Udine
15.) Udine
16.) Udine
17.) Udine
18.) Udine. Today we were awarded the bronze star by a General from the 91st Division. There were 69 of us in all.
19.) Udine
20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.) Udine
27.) Today 238 replacements from the 85th Div. came in our battalion. Only 4 men from the medics with over 95 points will be going home when the next bunch goes. Came up to A. Co today to relieve Parker who is going home.
28.) A. Co in town of Oleis
29, 30) Oleis.

Notes about May, 1945

I'm going to begin my analysis of the month of May with a continuation of the quotation at the end of the month of April:

...After crossing the river the attack continued to the north. Bn assembled (1-2 May) in vicinity of Treviso and was attached to 85th INF Div as the Armor force of the various task forces continuing the attack to the north and northeast across the Po Valley and into the foothills of the Alps.  On 2 May all enemy troops in Italy and Austria surrendered.  The following days were spent moving north through German occupied rear areas, to secure the Austrian border.  Bn was attached to 91st Inf Div and moved to Manzano vicinity Trieste, where the territorial dispute between Marshall Tito and the Allied High Command was the major issue.  Bn was part of the Armored reserve under II crops.  Bn was relieved from 91st Inf Div and became Corps troops (11 June).  Balance of month spent in preparation for return to the states.

As the document points out, at the beginning of May the 757th was still marching full-steam ahead.  Vernon moved with the Battalion to connect to the 85th Infantry Div, and on May 2nd they started beating a path toward Austria.  Vernon doesn't make record of it, but the next couple of days were witness to some extreme fighting conditions as the 85th met very confused enemies.  Most simply surrendered, but a select few did misguidedly put forth valiant fights, and those poor individuals often met with very tragic outcomes as the Allies slaughtered their way to Austria.

Corresponding Scans (5/1/45-5/31/45)

May 1, 1945 - May 31, 1945

May

1945

1.) Went over to 85th sector + stayed with rear area for nite.
2.) Today we started in convoy at 12 p.m. with 85th to go to Austria. We traveled 43 miles + biv[..] on the road for the nite. A german [sic] general was captured + he surrendered all the troops in Italy. There is no more fighting in Italy.
3.) Today we traveled 57 miles thru the Alps + it was snowing + cold as hell. We reached a town + stayed over nite in german [sic] barracks + slept with them. Rumors are that war in Germany is over.
4.) We are near the border of Austria + german [sic] people live here. This morning we went in a german [sic] house + made our breakfast. The people were very nice + gave us plates to eat out of + let us use their frying pan. This town is full of germans who have surrendered. Expect to stay here tonite + go over the border tomorrow + start fighting again. It is still cold.

Notes about April, 1945 (Part 3 of 3)

After he was rested, Vernon woke up at 8AM on the morning of April 24, 1945, and traveled 15 miles North.  He was still most likely attached to the 91st Infantry Division.  While the 85th and 88th Infantry Divisions headed north to the town of Verona, the 91st headed North by Northeast to the town of Vicenza.  He then spent the next couple of days trying to cross the Po River.

The bridges over the Po had been deliberately destroyed by the Axis Forces.  As Vernon was attached to a tank Battalion, the solution was not to simply swim the river.  It took the army corps of engineers a couple days to cross the Po.  At 5:05 PM on April 26, 1945, Vernon and the 757th Tank finally crossed the Po.  He then travelled 15 miles north to the town of Legnago Italy, and slept for the night.