FAAA JOINS THE FORCE

[FAAA]

The following is based on actual letters, the name of the author and date time line has been changed.

 

Newspaper cuttings based on pictures taken by Ade

 

Pvt JOE DAWSON

6th Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment

First Special Service Force

 

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well, I’m tired. We have just finished another hike into the mountains and today it started to snow. I’m doing fine. We haven’t had much time for sleep, so I’m writing this before I go to bed, the first night in barracks for a week now. That’s all I want is a good night’s rest. The other guys continue to be such an encouragement. Because I have been gone from home, we are all the family we have for each other. We are all hoping that this war will end soon but not before we go into action, the training has been tough and we all now feel we have something to prove. Something big has got to break soon, last month we got new vehicles, little things with caterpillar tracks, look like they came from some farm back home.

 

Last week we had some news reporter follow us on a hike, well he kept up long enough to take some pictures of my platoon before heading back down the hill. I cut the enclosed pictures from the newspaper when we went into town, don’t think they care much for security and keeping things here secret, there is talk of a big parade down main street in a few weeks when we do our jumps.

 

Well it’s time to hit the sack, I will write again write soon

 

Tell Wilbur I said hello.

Your son,

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FAAA]

NIGHT RAID WITH THE BLACK DEVILS

 

When you get to Anzio you waste no time getting off the boat, for you have been feeling pretty much like a clay pigeon in a shooting gallery. But after a few hours in Anzio you wish you were back on the boat, for you could hardly describe being ashore as any haven of peacefulness. As we came into the harbor, shells skipped the water within a hundred yards of us.

 

In our first day ashore, a bomb exploded so close to the place where I was sitting that it almost knocked us down with fright. It smacked into the trees a short distance away. And on the third day ashore, an 88 went off within twenty yards of us. I wished I was in New York.

 

When I write about my own occasional association with shells and bombs, there is one thing I want you folks at home to be sure to get straight. And that is that the other correspondents are in the same boat – many of them much more so. You know about my own small experiences, because it’s my job to write about how these things sound and feel. But you don’t know what the other reporters go through, because it usually isn’t their job to write about themselves.

 

There are correspondents here on the beachhead, and on the Casino front also, who have had dozens of close shaves. I know of one correspondent who was knocked down four times by near misses on his first day here.

Two correspondents, Reynolds Packer of the United Press and Homer Bigart of the New York Herald-Tribune, have been on the beachhead since D-day without a moment’s respite. They’ve become so veteran that they don’t even mention a shell striking twenty yards away.

 

On this beachhead every inch of our territory is under German artillery fire. There is no rear area that is immune, as in most battle zones. They can reach us with their 88’s, and they use everything from that on up. It seems at times we are not moving forward, that we are here just to be shot at and bombed, but now and again one unit at least disappear into the night to take their revenge on the enemy. For several days I have been with a unit the Germans themselves have come to call the Black Devils.

 

Last night I was invited to attend one of their briefings for their next night raid. In the basement of a destroyed house not far from the beach these men dressed in a variety of uniform devoid of their heavy equipment, blacked their faces and prepared their weapons, the enemy tonight were going to sufferer at their hands. On this patrol I would not be going, advised the results of their actions that night would be unpleasant, I would have to sit and sweat it out until what I hoped would be their safe return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Report based on original reports

pictures by Ade of this groups Photo unit

Based on original Photo

[FAAA]

[FAAA]

Sgt Fred Dawson

1st Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment

 

Dear Ma,

The last few days have been hard. We have been fighting a great deal with very little sleep. I have only a few moments to write this before we move out. I think yesterday was the hardest night of my life so far. I have seen nothing like it and you probably wouldn’t believe it unless I could describe it to you myself. I will do my best with a little amount of time.

 

We had have been moving up through some foot hill up towards a big mountain an Infantry outfit has been trying to take for some days now, the CO thinks we can do but we look like we are going a different way and boy are those cliffs steep.

 

Well I won’t now get time to finish this until this battle is over, but that camera Pa gave me is coming in real handy, I hope the film survives and I can bring home my pictures, my buddies say they feel like film stars when I take their picture, but of course this aint no film Ma

 

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Everyone is so tired, it was one hell of a battle, I caught some metal in my leg but am doing fine. We lost half our section on that mountain and the Regiment took a lot of casualties, but we got to the top the hard way and kicker them off. I was alone with only half of our section on the mountain we took lots of fire from mortars and other heavy stuff. The only thing I could think to do was set up a small firing line. I had to leave them for a while to see if there was a better place to fire from. We were under such heavy shooting that we weren’t doing any good! I had to go quite a distance before I could find a good spot.

 

I went back to get the boys and have them all move so we could shoot better. We finally got the German firing to stop so we could reorganize. The shooting was close and loud, but I didn’t lose anybody after that. Got a few scrapes here and there, but nothing that won’t heal. I’m not so sure that it was the right thing to do at the time, but I knew I had to get that firing to stop. I didn’t want to lose anyone. We can’t afford to. We’re pressing farther on down the other side today, but are resting up for now. I have had some time to take a few pictures of my buddies; I hope they all come through this too.

 

I will write again when I can, give my love to Pa.

Fred

 

In January 1945 after again being wounded in action Fred returned home to the United States with his camera and film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FAAA]

 

 

 

 

 

[FAAA]

 

 

 

 

[FAAA]

 

 

 

 

 

 

pictures by Ade of this groups Photo unit

Tim and myself

[jumpwings]

Regards title "FAAA JOINS THE FORCE", there's only one FSSF group in the UK, I don't recall them applying...Please confirm/expand?

[124cav]

yeah,what are they thinking??

 

like they went crazy and wanted to start a reenactor rumble!

 

er,actually i mean LIGHTEN UP,none of it is real

[jumpwings]

yeah,what are they thinking??

 

like they went crazy and wanted to start a reenactor rumble!

 

er,actually i mean LIGHTEN UP,none of it is real

 

Funny that ye should say that.... :thumbsup: