Notes about January, 1945

Tracking the movements of the 757th Tank Battalion has proven to be quite difficult, and something that I've decided to postpone until after the complete archival record has been created.  Some preliminary research into the issue has elucidated why it so difficult.  The tank battalions of World War II were not like modern-day battalions, which are normally considered to be the smallest unit capable of carrying on independent operations without tactical support.  The WWII tank battalions were comprised of much smaller numbers of men, and were often passed around to different army divisions as needed.  Vernon makes references to being attached to several different infantry divisions throughout his time overseas, and eventually I will compile the complete history of the 757th Tank Battalion itself.  For now all I can say with certainty is that the Battalion was made up of several companies of men - so far I know of A, B, and C companies.  Vernon was a member of B Company.

For an idea about how difficult tracking the tank battalions can be, and what the end result of my battalion research would look like, I recommend viewing this history of the 746th Tank Battalion:

http://home.hiwaay.net/~blan/

Now as for the historical references, there are few interesting things to note about his January notes:

1) The several references to Loiano denote the fact that he was stationed in the town of Loiano, Italy during the month of January.  I believe he was attached to the 88th Infantry Division, also known as the Blue Devils, during this time.  Loiano is a very small Italian town in the heart of the Apennine Mountains in Northern Italy. I can't seem to find much information about the town, but I believe Vernon had at least a few postcards and pictures from his time there, and will post those as I find them.

2) From January 12th through the end of the month, Vernon gives several updates about the Russian march toward Berlin.  He makes reference to the taking of Warsaw and Cracow (or Krakow), and tracks their movements in miles-from-Berlin.  My guess is he probably acquired this information from a combination of rumors, Stars and Stripes publications, and Allied radio reports on the ground.  The Russian offensive toward Berlin did in fact begin on January 12, 1945, and went until the Germans offered unconditional surrender at "2301 hours Central European time on 8 May 1945."

3) He saw the movie "Princess and the Pirate" starring Bob Hope, on January 15, 1945.  Information can be found at the Internet Movie Database, and a poster is below:

4) He saw the movie "The Conspirators" starring Hedy Lamarr on January 22, 1945.  Information can be found at the Internet Movie Database, and a poster is below:

5) On January 31st Vernon makes reference to two interesting things.  First, that he received a "battle star" for Rome.  I believe this to be the Bronze star he was awarded, and look forward to finding out what exactly happened in Rome.  Second, he suggests that the Germans are considering surrender.  I'm not quite sure what this is in reference to, and am looking for any suggestions.  My gut reaction is that it's propaganda put out over Allied radio that's patently false.  Interestingly enough though, this would have been the date of the Malta conference, where Roosevelt and Churchill met to discuss final battle plans for the conquering of Germany.