REPORT
ON JUNKET BY HINSON AND
SCHEIBLE TO EIGHTH ARMY:
Left PISA on morning of 4th March and went to Florence, to 15th A.G. Hqs. THere we met Col Brisach and some British Officer who took us to see Brig. Packard. He was full of big ideas on us being attached to the 8th army, and to man 182 LVT's in coming operations. He sent us to CESENA to 8th Army Hqs. to attend meeting there.
Left Florence after lunch, accompanied by Col. Brisach of 15th A.G. Hqs. Gen. Bowman, 5th Army Engineer, and Col. green, 39th Engineer, co. made same trip by plane.
Arrived CESENA about 1630a. Meeting of 8th Army and Corps staffs, presided over by C. of S. 8th Army to discuss big moves and operations. Proposals put to have 755 Tk. Bn. U.S. man 182 LVT's. We said we were not manned to do that. Big pariz_vousing while this went on. Maj. Hinson said LVT's were not so good. British tee_heed, went on with big plans. Everybody had something to say about what two people, Hinson and Brig. Cooke, 9th Armoured Bde, C. O., were to do. Real big talk fest(sic) meeting lasted two and a half hours, and at the close, the British chief of staff was seeing all sorts of plans and schemes. WE would move the Lake TRASIMENE 22 March, train, move up to assembly area attached for operation s to 8th Army. That would entail clearing an area at TRASIMENE, getting proper security, working out our own supply problems-- " we have our problems-- you have yours-- we are here to discuss our difficulties." The american delegation didn't see much after that. The blues in the night.
The next day we motored to RAVENNA to go a "TEWT". Tactical Exercise Without Troops." Same as our CPX. They had two LVT's there for the demonstration which consisted of running them up and down a canal, getting out and getting back in, And mostly getting stuck in the mud. The generals all went for a ride, and got bounced all around when they took one LVT over a ditch like we would a tank. Only these aren't tanks and some people went for a spill on the floor of the LVT. It all added up to the fact that by the time we came home on the night of the 5th March, the British weren't so grandiose in their schemes and were pulling in their horns a bit about how man of these things they would take out on "D" Day, and left us all wondering whether we would go to 8th Army or not. Arrived FLORENCE, 1700 Arrived PISA next day at 1100 hours. All Done
KMS
This page was last updated on August 26, 2007
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