PLEASE SUPPORT THE 15AF.ORG PROJECT! [MORE]
Prepared by Technical Sergeant Robert S. Levittan, 32297038
July 1 - The squadron, acting under orders from the commanding general, inaugurated a ten hour working day, commencing at 0700 and ending at 1730. A certain amount of grumbling accompanied the announcement but the men responded and over 100 were counted in the mess hall at 0600 hours. This afternoon the "Voice" did his bit for the Army but from the remarks heard by the men that attended the show "Full Silver" sort of ran away with the honors. However, surprisingly, the boys seem to have changed their former sneering opinion of "Frankie" as he is now the burlesque hero of the squadron and his picture has been placed on EG to the 20th Dep Rep Sq so we now have over one dozen in the squadron that we have no room to mess.
July 2 - Quite a number of rest camp comings and goings today. It shouldn't be long before everyone in the squadron has had the opportunity to rest in a rest camp instead of resting on the job.
July 3 - The personnel office was the center of attraction for the squadron today and that office was crowded with men all day filling out Personal Affairs Statements and Army Education Progress questionnaires. The question of "What are your hobbies" invariably brought the answer of "Being a Civilian".
July 4 - "Independence Day" but no independence for the boys. A full day of duty was ordered by the group. S/Sgt. Moore, who has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, was transferred to the Detachment of Patients and will be on his way home shortly. Sgt. Liccardi is an old-timer in the organization and was the brains, among the enlisted men, behind the camp movie. The show at night was "Valley of Decision" with Greer Garson and Gregory Peck and from the remarks heard can already be voted as the "Picture of the Month".
July 5 - For the first time since late May we had some rain. Early in the afternoon we were blessed with a downpour that lasted for about 20 minutes and cooled off the weather considerably. In the evening the usual weekly dance at the Playhouse was held and a good time was had by all.
July 6 - Formation at 7 PM and the entire squadron was present. Capt Weeks delivered a lecture on Hepatitis. He seemed that the incidence of this disease has risen alarmingly since arriving at Pomigliano. After that, Captain Kinsey, the Adjutant, read the Articles Of War. The day was quiet as far as processing is concerned. For the last couple of weeks only a few crews have been going through daily. The current rumor is that all processing will be completed within a month. Another RUMOR that prevailed was the strong notion that the squadron would leave for the USA in September, basing that on War Department had decided that the 885th would depart sometime in August. (maybe).
July 7 - Our Adjutant left for Rome on a five day pass today and Lt. Dokie took over his duties until he returns. Orders arrived for eight more of our men who are members of the "under 85" club to be transferred to different units that are also in the MTO. Our officer from Tech Supply returned from the hospital and resumed his duties. The "Playhouse" had an all GI's show last night which was accompanied by much howling, whistling, and shouting by the patrons.
July 8 - Sunday and most of the sections were closed to a minimum. Primo Carnera put on an exhibition at the stadium this afternoon and, for once, lived up to his billing. He was just as gigantic as claimed. In addition to "Primo" there were a few boxing events and it all added up to an interesting afternoon. The Stars and Stripes carried a feature story about the accomplishments of the 885th which was devoured by the entire squadron. Newspapers were at a premium as everyone wanted to send copies of the article back home.
July 9 - Two more of the "Under 85" class were transferred to units in the Naples vicinity. Orders were received for another 6 or 8 men and gradually the new faces are beginning to outnumber the original members of the squadron. This evening, Father Aubuchon, the Glacier Priest, gave a highly illuminating talk on the virtues of Alaska. For over two hours 1000 GIs suffered through an exceptionally hot evening, so interesting was Father Hubbard. He was followed by the antics of Abbott and Costello in "Here Comes the Co-eds", a hilarious comedy.
July 10 - Processing is continuing at a normal rate. Planes and crews move in and out swiftly and our processing section handles the situation smoothly and efficiently.
July 11 - The "Old Soldier" of the squadron left yesterday for a depot squadron in the vicinity. T/Sgt Farley, our mess sergeant, with slightly over 29 years service, and with 130 points, was transferred to a Class II unit since his desire was to remain in the service.
July 12 - A quiet and uneventful day concerned mostly with comings and goings to and from rest camps. A rare treat for "chow" tonight, ice cream and cake.
July 13 - Friday the 13th and all in the squadron took things easy and tried not to antagonize the fates. The evening brought another dance at the "Playhouse", enjoyed by all who attended.
July 14 - Today was another big day for transfers. Ten men with over 85 points arrived and 13 in the "under 85" class departed. When the original 885th came at Pomigliano we had about 120 enlisted men. Of that amount nearly half have been transferred to Class II units. However, most of these men will probably get back to the States before the 885th does. A number of these men have visited us and from what they say the units they are in expect to leave for the USA in September while we that are left here are sweating out November.
July 15 - The rumor clinic came through with a good one today. Processing seems to be all through. No more ships, no more crews, no more nothing coming through. The story that has the men all agog is that a full time program of close-order drill, calisthenics, etc. will be put into effect shortly. Naturally, none of us are pleased at the prospect.
July 16 - Plenty of shipping and receiving today. The most overworked unit in the entire squadron is the Personnel Section which is constantly closing out Service Records of men that are leaving and putting the new records that come in into good shape.
July 17 — Received new PX cards today. Heretofore, the post exchange cards could be used anywhere in MTOUSA but individual unit cards were issued and will only be of use in the Post Exchange store here on the base. Some of the men had tried to Maples and claim that the store there is somewhat better stocked than our own PX. A bulletin came in today announcing that the town of Pomigliano was no longer "Off Limits" and that the epidemic of smallpox was under control.
July 18 — Received the news today that the entire base would go on a new working schedule effective Monday, the 21st. The day will now start at 0800, lunch from 1200 to 1300, and finish at 1630. This is in line with the reduction in work that is present on the field. Processing is at a standstill, ships and crews are a rarity and the swimming pool is crowded all day.
July 19 — A few men to Lake Como and to Venice today. To make up for the lack of work for the men the Special Services Office has organized a league for soft ball made up of representatives from different sections of the country. There will be several teams and with the proper spirit we should all have a lot of fun. The usual dance at the "Playhouse" at night and a good time was had by all.
July 20 — Plans were being formulated today for the squadron to construct a new mess hall. The present one, located in the basement of the headquarters building, is much too deep, warm and is difficult to keep clean. If former events are any indication of things to come the squadron will just about have the new mess hall completed. At Rosignano, we built a really wonderful mess hall and after using it for about two weeks, not even having time to install chairs and tables, the squadron received orders to move to this location.
July 21 — Good entertainment at the "Playhouse" last night. Saw the overseas edition of "Duffy's Tavern" with the original "Archie" and with Jinx Falkenberg as guest star and that gal can certainly entertain. The new workday went into effect today. No one in the field is wound tighter than a drum and at 1645 quite a few people were at the swimming pool enjoying a pre-supper swim. Heretofore there was not enough time between the end of the working day and supper to enjoy a swim, but the half hour from 1630 to 1700 can now be well utilized and probably will be by many.
July 22 — A couple more of the below 85 pointers shipped out today. One of our below 85 point boys returned to this outfit to inform us that he was ready to leave for the States. Just about all the sections were closed after lunch. Trucks left for the beach, and the usual truck went to Naples in the evening. We had quite a change over the former meals. Especially with the cream puffs and ice cream.
July 23 — Today marked the beginning of our softball tournament. Teams were picked to represent the different sections of the country. The first game to be played was between the East and North East, with the East winning by a score of 22 to 2. What a pitchers battle! Both teams played for all they were worth and a good time was had by all.
July 24 — Everyone settled back down to their jobs now after being off all afternoon and going to the beach.
July 25 — Baseball practice was held tonight. There has been many replacements on the ball team as many of the players have transferred out and the team looks thin compared to what it formerly did. S/Sgt Joseph Miles was one of the men with under 85 points that was transferred out. Joe was doing the catching for the team, and he is sure missed.
July 26 — A lot more of the "Under 85" club members left today and it won't be long before all of the original members will be gone. Out of the 120 charter members there are less than fifty left. Show tonight at the "Playhouse", "GI Joe" reportedly one of the finest war pictures made.
July 27 — The soft ball games are continuing each morning and today the Midwest beat the East by the score of 8 to 1. About the best game that has been played to date.
July 28 — A raft of new men joined the organization today and most of them have over 100 points so they will be reported to higher headquarters for transfer to the proper Depot. The replacement depot has lowered the lists of men with over 100 points but we keep trying and will undoubtedly receive another roster. Rest Camp business is very good and some of the men are starting on their second tour since arriving at this field during the latter part of May.
July 29 — We checked the hospital list today and find that there is only one man in the hospital at the present. According to the medics this is a record for the squadron. Perhaps the lack of flying, plenty of recreation, frequent rest camp leaves, etc., has something to do with the good health of the personnel of the unit. August is approaching and when September, and October are finished the squadron is hoping that it will get to see what a big boat looks like, and that the boat heads in the right direction.
July 30 — On the morning report today was the remark "Usual camp and station duties at Pomigliano, Italy", and that just about sums up the day.
July 31 — The last day of the month. Plenty of reports to be prepared by the different sections during the day and at night the usual pay-day line of men accompanies pay day. This month has been the easiest month as far as work is concerned for the squadron personnel and from the looks of things August will turn out to be similar.
Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
Read about how we need your support and use donations
Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms and gear of the 15th Air Force in World War II as well as other units and commands. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material.
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one.
