My webpage on the Italian Campaign began with research on my Dad's unit.  But this project didn't start because I had sat at my father's knee and listened to all of his war stories.  The opposite was true.  It wasn't until he finally decided to go to the 32nd Reunion of the 337th Infantry Regiment and Attached Units(i.e. artillery, military police, medical), that I began to learn of the events that impacted his life for those 2 years overseas.  When he returned from that reunion, he called up the local Greenwood, MS newspaper and they published an interview.  I gained more from that article than I had known up to that time.  I started my webpage with the stories I heard at this reunion and the small photos from Dad's scrapbook. Before the War   Newton Cole left home with literally the clothes on his back to attend Mississippi A&M College.  His dad wanted him to stay on the farm.  So Newton was on his own, but later received financial aid from a supporter of the college.  As part of the cirriculum, N.F. went through ROTC training.  He had almost completed college in Agriculture, when the war began.  He volunteered and was allowed to leave for training before his graduation: his diploma was mailed to him.  N.F. was one of the earliest recruits to arrive at the re-activated 85th Infantry Division being formed at Camp Shelby, MS.  (Yes, I guess it was convenient to go to boot camp in your home state.)   The 85th completed training at Camp Shelby and then went on what was affectionately referred to as "Louisiana maneuvers".  Then there was further training at southern California for desert warfare, as part of preparation for fighting in North Africa.  By the end of his training period, he held the rank of Staff Sergeant.  That was the highest rank he could attain in his position without transferring out of the unit.    While in training, he married Lillibeth Hill and their first son was born in 1942.  Lillibeth made a cross-country train trip to visit N.F. in southern California while he was in training.  I remember stories she told about traveling with a small infant on long train rides across the country.

  

These photos show the "before" and "after" effects of boot camp.

During the War   Sgt. Cole entered the war with the 85th Division and stayed in the same unit until the war ended.  He had the hazardous duty as a forward observer, who were the eyes of the artillery. He radioed the positions of the enemy and directed the artillery firing missions.  Sometimes this was done from the lofty perch on a mountain but other times it was with infantry patrols in the forward line.  The 328th FA Battalion was usually assigned to support the 337th Infantry Regiment; Battery B in support of this infantry's 2nd Battalion.  But there were times that the artillery shifted positions.  For example, in December 1944, he was forward observer in support of the 92nd 'Buffalo' Division near Lucca.  He could never recall an occasion but I would think he probably shared observation posts with other divisions, including British & South African.    The 85th Division embarked from Fort Dix, NJ in December 1943 and landed at North Africa.  They trained there before shipping to Naples, Italy.  They were moved up to the Cassino front lines in the Liri Valley in April 1944.  The attack on the Gustav Line began with a massive artillery attack at 2300 on May 11, 1944.    Early in the attack on the Gustav Line in May, 1944, my Dad took a nice Zeiss camera from a wounded German.  He used this camera to take photos throughout the war. Many photos were censored but he was able to keep several that were taken of his buddies.  I've tried to put many of these photos on my webpage.

 

Sgt. Cole was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal during the hard fighting at the Gothic Line in the fall of 1944.  In his scrapbook, he referred to a photo taken at this time as "the hardest week of my life".   In an interview for the local newspaper, Sgt. Cole recalled how his forward observation post was almost over-run by Germans.  He called in artillery on his own position.  The commander of the battery refused to allow them to fire.  But Lt. Sullivan told the Colonel that Sgt. Cole was in trouble and he was going to fire the mission as called.  This was one of those situations where you either get a medal or get court martialed.  His citation only states that he earned the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service during the few weeks of combat in the mountains.

  

Lt. William Sullivan of Mississiippi was an officer in Battery B.  Towards the end of the war, Lt. Sullivan was transferred to Headquarters Battery to serve as Communications Officer.  After the surrender, he served on the border of Yugoslavia with the peace-keeping forces. Bill and my Dad became great friends after the war. He talked my Dad into going to the reunion, where they told many stories and laughed with each one.  Bill delivered a tribute to my father at his funeral. See color photo, below.

Witness to Death of Mussolini    Dad always told us about seeing Benito Mussolini hung in Milan.  He said they heard about Mussolini's capture and execution by the partisans.  Dad and some of his buddies jumped into a truck and went to see for themselves.  Here is where his version was a little blurred: for a long time he said it was in another city than Milan.  But he described seeing Mussolini strung up by his heels and he took a picture with his camera.  The Italian people became enraged and started hitting, spitting, and beating on the body of Mussolini.  They got so worked up that the authorities had to turn water hoses on the crowd.  That is when the soldiers left.   He always talked about his photo of Mussolini, but the only two photos I remember in his scrapbook were a newspaper article and a commercial photo.  We think his photo was lost at the reunion he attended.    I have always had some reservation about Dad's story.  Some of it made sense, but other details didn't.  I searched through all the history books and found no mention of any Americans in Milan on that fateful day.  Then finally in 2001, I found a photo that showed about 8 soldiers at the scene.  It is exciting to think that one of them could actually be my Dad. (From interviews with veterans and from email I've received, I am aware that many veterans claim that they were witnesses to Mussolini's death.  Not all of them could have been there.  The reason can vary.  Some soldiers bought souvenir photos and the family assumed he was there.  I've received an email that said a British MP was there and even had a photo of him on top of the girder where their feet were tied.)

            Photo of 8 GI's who witnessed the death of Mussolini.
                 The Piazalle Loreto in Milan, April 29, 1945.
Click to read more about the Execution of Mussolini.


Photos taken soon after the war ended.

Photo "Me in Rome, July 1945" I always wondered why he would be on leave in Rome after the war and wear his combat uniform. The civilian's coats seem to indicate this was taken in winter. Note: Soldier in back appears to be a black soldier.

Sgt. Cole displaying some of his war booty; a German police helmet and a Nazi banner. Yes, that is a chicken on top of the helmet.  Photo was taken after the announcement of the German surrender.

After the War    N.F. returned to his home state of Mississippi and began working in the agriculture business. Then he was hired as a bookkeeper in Minter City at a cotton seed mill.  He lived in company housing where he raised his 3 children.  He also farmed cotton on the side and always had some really good crops.  Dad would talk about his experience, but usually only to those he knew had "been there".  Sometimes he would sit down with a special guest and show them his scrapbook of photos and throw out some Italian words like "bambino".     One image of my Dad from when I was a young lad was him walking across a plowed cotton field.  You could not keep up with his stride.  He always walked fast and would run off without you.  He probably picked up this ability while hiking up the mountains in Italy.

Photo of Sgt. Cole's wife, Lillibeth HILL and his first son, Newton III, taken during the war.  This photo was probably one that Sgt. Cole kept with him to remember his family back home.   While in training in California, his wife traveled across country by train with their baby, which must have been a strenous task for both Mom and child.     While he was overseas, she stayed with her father and mother in Greenwood, MS, shown in the photo to the right.  She worked at the Greenwood Air Field.

Photo of James S. Hill and his wife Maude, with their 3-year old grandson, Newton F. Cole, III.   Sgt. Cole's wife and son stayed at her parents home while he was overseas.  They appear to sitting on the steps, waiting for the return of their son-in-law from the war. Events of 1945   August 30 - Sgt. Cole arrived home.   August 30 - his son's birthday.   September 1 - His father-in-law*, James S. Hill, died. * My Grandfather.

 

 

In 1970's, his eldest son, Newton F. Cole, III, was an officer in the US Air Force and was transferred to Italy for 5 years, where their two sons were born.  N.F. and Mom flew to Italy to visit their 'Italian' grandsons in Vicienza.  While there, his son drove Mom & Dad around Italy to see some of the places he had been during the war.  This trip perked N.F.'s interest to contact some of his ole buddies.  One buddy that he had kept in contact with over the years was Lt. William (Bill) Sullivan, mainly because Bill was a fellow Mississippian and an officer in his Battery.  Eventually, Bill Sullivan and N.F. decided to attend the reunion of the 337th Regiment in 1986, because that year it was held nearby in Huntsville, AL.  So, Bill, Dad & Mom, Newton III, and myself loaded into Bill's van and drove to Huntsville.  The reunion was a time of re-telling stories and laughing and remembrances.  After the reunion, Dad was able to contact many of his buddies and re-establish old acquantices.  He made special vacation trips to meet those that lived in Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee.    Lillibeth Cole died of a heart attack on December 31, 1988.  NF remarried about 11 months later and then soon afterwards he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.  He had a successful surgery, however, it continued to cause problems until his death in 1992.  He is remembered by his 3 children and 6 grand-children.