My Italian friend, Vittorio Francini of Borgo San Lorenzo (pictured), wrote that word on his Facebook page yesterday.
He was over-excited after finding a WWII helmet (pictured below) on the battlefield where my dad’s 85th Infantry Division fought in September 1944. Imagine that this helmet was untouched by humans for 79 years (my age).
Nay, it was not his first one. However, he and his WWII Scavenger Hunt club members collected hundreds of WWII items. [I don’t know the exact name of this club, but they are associated with the Gotica Toscana Onlus or the “Gothic Line Museum” of Scarperia, Tuscany, Italy, where I researched.]
This newsletter issue aims to tell you that WWII Scavenger Hunting is famous in several European nations. This issue is limited to Italy.
I have not hunted with Vittorio’s group, but I did with other groups.
Battle of Hill 66 (May 1944)
On October 5, 2015, two local historians, Alessandro Campagna and Giacinto Mastrogiovanni, took me to Hill 66 near Minturno, where my dad’s Regiment was fought on May 11-12, 1944.
It was easy to find small WWII items there. Alessandro picked up a rock and rust-covered shrapnel, gave me them, and asked me to keep them for my memory of my dad's first-ever battle.
Battle of Mount Mezzano (October 1944)
On November 17, 2018, I was escorted by two local historians, Christian Nizzi and Venerio Pompei, to the Battle of Mount Mezzano site near Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy.
One year later, on September 28, 2019, Pompei dug out and gave my American tourists shrapnel, bullets, and M-1 clips.
Militaria Alla Torre
The Militaria Alla Torre is located in Bologna and hosts the exchange exhibition of military objects in the exhibition area. A few of Vittorio’s club members have exhibits showing/selling unburied WWII items.
Annual Dinner
O November 30, 2018, Vittorio (third from right) invited me to his club’s annual dinner at Trattoria Fontebuona in Vaglia.
Authentic Italian meal?
Authentic Italian drinks?
Being a son of the 85th Infantry Division, I was bombarded by these club members with their WWII explanations, such as the below note. (My dad was with the 337th Regiment.)
I have great memories with them!
If you wish to have the same adventure as I did, you can buy a book, “Finding Your Father's War: A Practical Guide to Researching and Understanding Service in the World War II U.S. Army.”