Chapter 47: Rendezvous
In Chapter 47, the men of F-85 are sent back to Montecatini on leave.
1. There are accounts of the soldiers singing Over There without the last line on the way to Montecatini. It is not known which soldier sang the last line and it may not have been Shapley Haines.
2. The joke about the General in the shower was reported by a number of veterans from F-85.
3. Johnny's conversation with the Finnish soldier is fictionalized, but it is based on fact. Alfred Koski apparently was investigated as an "enemy alien" during WWII, but the authorities eventually determined that he presented no risk, perhaps because he had six sons in the service.
4. The dinner with the Italian woman is based on numerous similar accounts. The photo is from the correct era, but is probably not from Montecatini.
5. The conversation with Shapley and Johnny's reciting of the poem Rendezvou are fictionalized. However, that was one of Johnny's favorite poems which he had recited many times before and it is not unlikely that he would have remembered it that spring. Coincidentally, 4th Platoon Sergeant James Orwig also mentions that poem in his battlefield notebook.
6. James Winterbottom's pass from the rest camp at Montecatini, March 22, 1945.
7. Review the F-85 morning reports for March 20th to 21st, 1945.
Media and Web links:
1. Figure 47-1 Video: Listen as James Orwig tells the story of the loss of his best friend.
2. Figure 47-2 Video: Watch a video about rest areas in WWII.
Copyright 2007 by Dan Oja