Notes about March, 1945

I have been incredibly busy scanning a lot of pictures, and haven't had an opportunity to post my notes about March, 1945 yet.  My hopes are to post my notes later this evening.  I will say that there are a lot of documents (pictures, medals, etc.) that complement the month of March very nicely.

I will make sure to post these and my historical analysis shortly.

UPDATE

The month of March is very sparse in terms of content, and somewhat not surprisingly also creates a few mysteries.  There are a few people mentioned, and I want to make sure information about them is made clear first.

1) On March 1, 1945, Vernon writes "Golden went home on furlough today."  I can only assume this is reference to fellow 757th Tanker, Solomon B. Golden.  He is pictured in my post here .  He is fifth from the left in the second row of men.

Corresponding Scans (3/1/45-3/31/45)

March 1, 1945 - March 31, 1945

1945
March

1.) Thurs. 5th day today with assault. Golden went home on furlough today.
2.) Assault Plt. Friday.
3.) Sat. 7th day with assault. Few shells come in but not close at all.
4.) Sun. 8th day with assault. 2 years today we came overseas.
5.) Mon.) Relieved today.
6.) Tues. Went to Florence on rest.
7.) Rest camp
8.) Rest camp
9.) Rest Camp
10.) Came back today. Bn. Is attached to 34th Div.
11.) Loiano
12.) Loiano.
13.) Loiano.
14.) Loiano.
15.) Loiano.
16.) Loiano.
17.) Loiano. Received letter + picture of Dolores Campbell today + she is pretty nice.

Interesting Photographs - Possibly Italy

These photographs have no inscriptions on the back, but could possibly be from his time in Italy.  I have digitally enhanced these photographs to the best of my abilities.  The originals are quite faded, and practically opaque due to their age:

I'm pretty sure this is either an abandoned Pak 38 or Pak 40.  I am not at all familiar with WWII-era anti-tank weaponry, so I encouarge anyone who knows more about the subject to correct me if I'm wrong.  For all I know this might not be a Nazi anti-tank gun at all.

Notes about February, 1945

There are several corresponding documents that I have read through that are of note.  One is a well-prepared summary of the movements of the 757th Tank Battalion between February 1944 and June 1945.  There is an entry in the log that reads:

1 Jan - 31 Mar 45: The Bn was in the Apennines during Jan, Feb and Mar with elements attached to 34th, 88th, and 91st Inf Div.  Aggressive patrolling by the Inf within the sector required direct fire support from tanks, but the enemy remained sensitive to any reconnaissance. To support these actions, additional tanks were placed in position where they could be more effectively used for direct fire.

It thus appears that the 757th was used by the different infantry divisions for tactical support.  From what I've

Corresponding Scans (2/1/45-2/28/45)

February 1, 1945 - February 28, 1945

February
1945

1.) Loiano. Germans say Russians are 45 miles from Berlin.
2.) Loiano. Our reports are that Russians are 45 miles from Berlin. Krauts changed their minds & say they will not evacuate Berlin but will fight to the end for it.
3.) Loiano
4.) Loiano
5.) Loiano
6.) Loiano
7.) Loiano
8.) Loiano
9.) Loiano. Shelled.
10.) Loiano Shelled a little today but no harm done seriously. One man had finger blown off & another little hit in leg but not serious. Furlough are in effect now for medics & one has been chosen today but wasn’t revealed who until the day he leaves. We expect a man to go home every month now. Names of men are put in helmet & Co. Commander draws out one name & he goes.

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:

Addendum to "Notes about Editing"

There's a few points of clarification that need to be made about my process in general. Perhaps this project would be easier to understand if I were to compile the documents in chronological order. That way we could start from the day that Vernon was drafted, and trace his trip from St. Paul to boot camp, to North Africa, up through Sicily, and finally into mainland and Northern Italy. This would probably answer a lot of strategic questions. To which Army Divisions was his tank battalion attached? What were their strategic objectives? Why were they in Northern Italy in 1945 when they were at one point in Casablanca? Etc.

I don't have answers to a lot of these questions because I'm not a history professor, and I've decided to compile the documents in order of "least complication." While Vernon has some very thorough records that document his life all the way back to the beginning of 1942 - before he was even drafted - his later journals are much more thorough, and more importantly, much more legible. I figure that it will be much more easy to start with his good handwriting, and work my way backward to his hastily-written scrawl.

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

January 1, 1945 - January 31, 1945

Journal A

[Inside Front Cover:]
“Property of Vernon Hoschette Med. With 757 Tank Batt.”
First Page:
I owe
John Grove – 2.20 for ticket at the bar pd.
Wenjant - $3.00 pd.
Seif - $10.00 5.00 pd
Banicki – 5.00
Banicki - $20.00
Seifert - $5.00
Banicki - $50.00 pd
Banicki - $67.00 pd
Olav 10.00

1945
January

1.) At front with B. Co. Was relieved at 7:30 p.m. today. Went back to kitchen over mule track of 2 miles + slept there outside without any cover. Snowed a little during nite but slept warmer / had feather tech under me + slept in army sleeping bag.

Purpose of Project

The recent passing of my Grandmother, Veronica Hoschette (pronounced Ho-Shay), has inspired me to undertake a project I have been postponing for years. Her husband, my maternal grandather, died when I was four years old, and because of this I have very few memories of Vernon. I have heard many stories about Vernon throughout the years, most of which center around his remarkable sense of humor. My father maintains to this day that the two funniest people he's ever met are Vernon Hoschette, and Vernon Hoschette after a few Brandy 7's. My mother maintains that he's one of the kindest souls who ever lived.

Whatever the case, what most interests me about my Grandpa Vernon is his service to our country in World War II. There's a whole host of rumors as to what transpired while he was serving abroad, and many of them conflict. One story has it that he took a flights suit off of a dead Nazi. One story has him holed up in a French castle for months, surviving off of SPAM and rum. Yet another story has him lying on his belly in the mud for months on end, advancing only inches per day through the Italian front. Which stories are true?