Chapter 49: Mountain of hope
In Chapter 49, the soldiers of F-85 are sent back to the front lines, taking up positions on Mount della Spe.
1. The conversations about faith and war are fictionalized, but are based on thoughts expressed by several soldiers.
2. George Murray was saved when a bullet his his bible, as recounted by his wife.
3. The account of finding and burying the fighter pilot as recounted by James Winterbottom. We do not know if John was in that group.
4. The anecdote about the 2nd Liutenant and the foxholes as told by Phil Lane.
5. The conversation between Johnny and Bobby about the unexploded artillery shell is fictionalized, but many veterans of the Italian campaign remember dud shells.
6. Review the F-85 morning reports for March 22nd to March 27th, 1945.
Media and Web links:
1. Figure 49-1 Video: Watch a video about the infantry war in Italy.
2. Figure 49-3 Video: James Orwig talks about their time on Mount della Spe.
Copyright 2007 by Dan Oja