Transcript My days in the Warx - Westmoreland County Social Studies

My Days in the War
By,
Ross Abbott
&
Mercedes Zuzak
Dear Mom,
I have been drafted by the army to go
and fight on the European front. My best
friend John Johnson has also been drafted. I
will begin basic training in two weeks. I am
going to board a train to Camp Wolters,
Texas. I will learn the ropes on how to fight
and use weapons. After basic training, I will
be shipped across the Atlantic Ocean with my
fleet. I do not know where I will be sent.
But I just want you to know that I will try
to write as much as I possibly can to keep
you informed.
Love,
Roy Wilkinson
May 3, 1943
• Today we will
begin the
invasion in
Tunisia. Our
goal is to break
through the
Mareth Line.
General Erwin
Rommel will be
commanding the
Germans. We will
be led by
Here is a picture of
us on a tank in
route to begin our
battle against the
Germans in Tunisia.
July 9, 1943
• Today we have
successfully
arrived in
Sicily. We took
a large toll in
deaths in
Tunisia, but
many of my close
comrades are
still with me.
One of our war
supply ships was
bombed by a
Here is a picture
taken from the
mainland of
Sicily of the
cargo ship
July 22, 1943
Above is a picture of us
storming the hill up to
Palermo. We overcame
much loss and hardships
to take control of this
city.
• Today the
allies have
taken the town
of Palermo,
Sicily. I have
managed many
kills. Our
orders as of
now are to
occupy the
Sergeant Wilkinson
After you have taken Palermo, you and
your troops are to stay and occupy the city
until further notice. My squadron of 521
allied planes have bombed the city of Rome
for the second time. It has caused hundreds
of civilian casualties. We will send for
you if need be.
Major Ryan T.
Wapiennik
Here is our guide map
of our advance
through Italy. Each
soldier was given
this map in order to
know where we are
Above is a picture of
one of our bombers
dropping tons of pounds
of bombs on Rome. This
picture shows the second
bombing run on July
th
This is one of the
newspaper clipping about
us taking countries in
Italy. It was it the News
This clipping was on the fro
of the paper. It sums up how
claimed Rome and how the Ger
are starting to falter.
October 13, 1943
• Well today we
heard some big
news. Italy has
now declared war
on Germany. We
are scheduled to
have a second
air raid on
Schweinfurt.
Hitler is
planning to
invade Italy to
A picture of Italian
dictator Benito
Mussolini. He took
control of Italy in 1922
Here is a picture of
me getting treated
by a medic after
taking a stray
bullet to my left
shoulder. The bullet
penetrated the skin
but was not lodged
in my shoulder.
This picture was taken on our
warship on the way to Sicily.
The plane on the deck was
just about to take off before
I took this.
March 14, 1944
• Today I have
been deployed to
Europe to meet
up with allied
forces. I
believe I will
be sent to Monte
Casino, Italy.
Allied forces
already have
bombed here on
the 15th of
Above shows the
destruction up of the
bombing from February
15th. My task forces
is moving in to
liberate and link
Dear Mom,
We are waiting for more allies to land in France to overthrow the
Germans. I have been very successful over here. I’ve managed to stay alive. The
majority of my squad is still alive. We have seen much loss due to sickness and
injuries. Currently, I am resting, waiting for further orders. My best guess is
that I will be moving north into Germany. I can’t wait to come home.
Love,
Roy
June 6, 1944
• Today Allied troops landed in
Normandy and stormed the
shores. As they fired down the
hill at us I was hit badly in
the leg. I was immediately
taken by medics to an remote
area and treated. In the end
they decided to amputate my
left leg from the knee down. I
will soon be going home on a
medical discharge and I will
receive a purple heart.
Here is a picture of us landing on the shore on
D-Day. We had much casualty in this
dispute.
This is a
picture of the
Purple Heart
that I was
awarded after
getting injured
in combat.
Franklin D.
Roosevelt
handed me this
award when I
was on my way
back home from
being overseas.
WWII Timeline: 1943-1945
• July 9-10, 1943: The Allies
landed in Sicily.
• October 1, 1943: The Allies
entered Naples, Italy.
• October 13, 1943: Italy
declared war on Germany.
• May 3-11, 1944: The Battle of
Tunisia took place.
• June 6, 1944: D-Day occurred.
• July 20, 1944: German attempt
to assassinate Hitler failed.
• September 11, 1944:
Operation Market Garden
started.
• December 16-27, 1944: The
Battle of the Bulge in the
Ardennes occurred.
• March 18, 1944:The British
dropped 3000 tons of bombs
during an air raid on Hamburg,
Germany.
• January 16, 1945: The 1st and
3rd armies of the US meet up
after a month long separation
during the Battle of the Bulge.
Works Cited
D-Day. (2001-2007). Retrieved February 5, 2010, from
World War II History:
http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/
History, U. A. (2001-2003). Brief History of World War II:
Sicily and Italy. Retrieved February 5, 2010, from World
War II History:
http://www.worldwariihistory.info/WWII/Italy.html
World War II in Europe. (1996). Retrieved February 5, 2010,
from The History Place:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww
2time.htm#1945