KIWIS IN ITALY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 41, 19 January 1945, Page 6

KIWIS IN ITALY

A VIVID PEN-PICTURE

FRONT LINE DIvSGRhPTIGNS

One is reasonably safe in. a slittie except l'rom direct hits and it would be absolute foul luck to get'one of these. The times I don't like are ■when we arc kicking up a Avliale of a din and -Herm. is throwing them back at the same time. Under these circumstances it is impossible to hear his coming and they have landed before you knew they were on their way. This happened during a shoot a few minutes before we fired the ten rounder T mentioned and one of the enemy shells burst about 2f) yards in front of our gun. When this happens seconds seems like hours, and 1 can assure you there i& a very fast rush for one's fox hole when the Gr.P.O. gives the stand easy. The days, that followed this action were as pleasant as I have experienced for many a long day. We had little to do but maintain our guns and equipment flnd then liacj tons of leisure hours to rest, swim in a dandy river and relax to our heart's content. I went for several strolls into villages in the hills—quaint little places inhabited by simple country folk who had been forced to fear and hate the Hun for the cruel way he had handled them during his control of the ■country.' We came across quite a number of Ities who had letters from Allied prisoners confirming that they had been assisted to escape by the holder of the letter. Herm had no sooner been driven out than the Ities who had been in hiding started to return to their homes. They had mules shcepj donkeys, turkeys, geese push bikes, personal property cows—all sorts, of gear—goodness only knows how they managed to hide such things for so< but it is a fact that they did, I saw them myself on one of my visits, to their villages. One chap came in with a mob of 100 sheep and as soon jus he got them in a pen four other chaps came along and helped him to milk them — weli did you ever?—and what is more the darned things almost fell over themselves in their excitement to be milked. No sooner was one milked —they only hold about lour squirts —than another would bound up and back in to be done over. They milk the. sheep from behind and not side on like a cow. One of our officers who went forward to„try and .keep in touch with the retreating Hun told us that in one village quite a number of Ities came back from the hills before Herman had left it ? he rounded up twenty or more, took their stock l'rom them herded the Italians into a shell hole- and mowed them down with machine gun lire. This may seem fantastic to you and you needn't believe it if you doubt it—l know it is true and I| have seen enough to know that the swine is a fiend of the cruellest type. For days we were able to share our food with the poor little souls who came, around the gun positions looking for' nourishment. Absolute darlings many of them and the poor kijls as thin as match sticks with little tummies blown up like balloons for want of proper food. We adopted three little sisters for four days, and pumped more food into them than they had seen in as. many months.. Their ages ranged from 3 to (i and despite the rags they wore and their frail litth; bodies they were beautiful little souls. We took it quite badly when we had to leave them. For want, of soap and proper homes to live in every kid was well and trulv infested with lice we 1 gave them what soap we eoukl spare but it would take tons for each village to get them anything like clean. Musso and his big family policy has. been a curse to most every family, for it has left every mother and father with many mouths to feed when food is not to be had- j Amgot is getting busy but* they j have a tremendous job and can't j make .a start until the roads anil transport are not so busy in the] major job of driving out the enemy. Around these parts it is. fortunate that the localit3 r was cleared before! the crops of grain, vegetables, etc. were ready for harvesting. Had k been a month later the Hun would] have had the lot whereas, in a few J weeks all this food will be available to relieve the desperate situation. The wheat will be. particularly valuable for bread but what is wanted is moi'e meat to give them a more balanced diet. What .a gigantic problem it will be to get relief to all these Avar ravaged countriespeace be:l> will sound good but we. will have lots of worries for years ahead of us before we can get hack to normal living again. Back home yqu almost certainly must feel keenly for these poor devils but your

imagination can't possibly give you any real picture of their real plight and suffering. Even we who see it every day can't get a real appreciation for Ave also are-well fed and adequately clothed. I have lieard chaps say that it serves the Ities right for throwing in their lot with the "Hun, that is not true of these country folk and in particular the women and children who seem to suffer most, they do as- lliey are told and carry out laws like we do— even though their own ideas are very much different from the policy of their Government. Anybody in New Zealand who complains about rationing, living conditions and petty labour problems should be sent over here for a month and they would soon change their tune. Peter Eraser made a point of seeing it when lie toured the country and I'll bet it made such an impression on him that he won't stand for any nonsense from his trouble makers when he returns home. Peter ? by the way. made a great, hit with the boys for the way lie moved about the battle area visiting the boys. It must have been a heavy strain on him because his itinerary was a very strenuous'one. His best effort was his determination to see the Maoris before he left I'taly and as they were, in action at the time he had to visit. them under shell fire. It says quite a lot for the old chap for he is no chicken. Before his meetings there was all sort of talk what chaps were going to say to him and how they were going to 'wipe' him. I went to the chat he had with our regiment and his statements were straight forward and reasonable that no one attempted to have him on. The reports in your home papers, no doubt gave him a good 'write up,' and I can assure you tliey were quite justified. At the moment we are resting and training J'or our next role wherever it may be. Life is very pleasant with just enough work to keep us fit and sufficient leisure not to become too tiring. There is some entertainment most jcverj' night—pictures, KNSA shows, and these past three' days we had our own Kiwi Concert Party, ami are they any good. I have seen a few ENSA shows, some good some poor, but the best of them can't come within miles of the standard of entertainment given by the Kiwi party. They were absolutely tops, and it says a lot for any show when chaps will sit lor three hours just to get. a decent scat before it starts. I saw it twice. Their band is a real beauty and can play classical music just as enjoyably as tliey blast out hot jazz. Before they came to us they were playing in Rome to a request Irom the Americans and I believe they received a marvellous reception. Talking of Rome, we are now getting leave to the famous city ? but as yet, only a verv small percentage can make the trip. Five go in every four days from our troop, and ail are most hopeful when the draw is due to come out. I am still waiting expectantly as those who have been say it is just the most wonderful place imaginable. Enormous j clean j and beauty in buildings and statues that beggars description. The beauty of the Roman girls has, knocked everybody who has seen tliem these girls are evidently a different, type to anything else we have seen in Italy they dress well, have a.lmond complexions, and as one chap described them have faces and figures like Roman godesses the only part the Kiwi, doesn't like about them is that, tlie Roman girls are quite friendly with their happy smiles but that is as near as they will allow their friendship to go. As is the case in all other towns, food is very short, and the shops are bare of all stocks. There is plenty to see there though without bothering about shops and from all accounts day leave, is quite inadequate for such a vast amount of sight seeing. More about Rome when I can pass it on first hand. (To be continued)