WWII British Letter. Tank Gunner. Killed in Action 1945. D-Day, Fall of Rome. For Sale
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WWII British Letter. Tank Gunner. Killed in Action 1945. D-Day, Fall of Rome.:
$20.00
Italy, 7 June 1944. Written by a tank gunner who was later Killed in Action. Content about capture of Rome and Normandy invasion in France. Excitement in Italy about D-Day landings in France. Sherman tank gunner. Killed in Action in Italy in a battle against German Tiger Tanks in April 1945. M4 Sherman Tank Gunner/Wireless Operator.2nd Lothians and Border Horse, 6th Armoured Division. Fought at Cassino, the Gothic Line, and more. Killed in the battle for Bologna, Italy, 22 April 1945. *** Please be sure to read the full detailed item description provided. Click below on "Read More" or "Item Description". a.imagelink {color:#0000FF;} a:hover.imagelink {color:#0000FF;} a:visited.imagelink {color:#800080;} a.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #0000FF; } a:visited.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #800080; } *** Please see my other listings for more Active Service military letters.
This is an excellent and scarce original WWII British letter, written in Italy in June 1944, immediately after the capture of Rome and the announcement of the D-Day landings in Normandy. The letter was written by a Sherman tank gunner in the 6th Armoured Division who was killed in action in a battle against German Tiger tanks late in the Italian campaign, in April 1945. This soldier fought at Cassino, the Gothic Line, the Northern Apennines and more, and was killed in the April 1945 battle for Bologna. The letter was written by 14305334 Trooper Gerald Southwell, 2nd Lothians and Border Horse, 6th Armoured Division. Trooper Southwell was Killed in Action on the 22nd of April, 1945.
*** This soldier was killed at Bondeno, Italy, on the 22nd of April 1945, when his regiment fought a battle against Tiger Tanks and other German forces, during a series of battles to capture the city of Bologna and link up the British Eighth Army with the U.S. Fifth Army.
This letter was written in Italy in early June 1944. The letter was written on June 7th 1944, immediately after the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6th, and two days after the capture of Rome in Italy on June 5th. Trooper Southwell had first heard the B.B.C. announcement of the Normandy invasion on the radio of his tank. At first the rest of his crew had not believed him:
"Yesterday was quite an important day, wasn't it? One of the best B.B.C. news' I've ever heard. The Second Front has started at last. We first got the news on the seven o'clock news flash from B.B.C. Me, being the operator, heard it first, and when I tried to tell the gang they thought I was leg pulling. However, they soon found out I wasn't. I've never known a lot of chaps to look so cheerful at hearing some news. That, after the news of the fall of Rome, was enough to make us celebrate, but tea and water was all we could find to get us merry, so we were just unlucky.
We seem to be making fairly good progress all round, so perhaps the so-and-so war will be over shortly."
Sadly, Trooper Southwell and his entire crew were killed in the closing weeks of the war.
*** This original letter was written by 14305334 Trooper Gerald Arthur Southwell, C Squadron, 2nd Lothians and Border Horse, 6th Armoured Division. Trooper Southwell was killed in action on the 22nd of April 1945, when the M4 Sherman tank in which he served as a gunner/wireless operator was hit by a German shell during the battle for Bondeno, Italy. This battle was fought in order to link up the British Eighth Army and the U.S. Fifth Army, thereby fully encircling the remaining German forces defending the city of Bologna.
Trooper Gerald Southwell arrived in North Africa as a replacement in the summer of 1943. Shortly after arriving in Africa he was hospitalized for malaria and dysentery. Following his release from hospital he was assigned to the 2nd Lothians and Border Horse, 6th Armoured Division. He landed in Italy with his division in early 1944.
In May 1944 Trooper Southwell fought in his first major action, in the final battle for Monte Cassino. Early in the battle his tank commander was severely wounded by an exploding German shell. Later in the battle Southwell's Sherman tank was destroyed, but the entire crew survived.
Southwell's next major action was in the Gothic Line battles beginning in September 1944. Then, in late November 1944 Southwell was hospitalized, receiving an operation to repair an injured knee. He returned to his regiment on the line in early December 1944. In December 1944 Southwell and his squadron fought in a battle in the northern Apennines, dismounted and attached to an infantry division.
Southwell and his division saw only minor action in the early months of 1945. Then, in April, his division participated in the final Allied offensive in Italy, which was carried out against fierce German opposition.
Trooper Gerald Southwell was killed in action on the 22nd of April 1945, in the fighting for Bondeno. He was just 22 years old at the time of his death.
A scarce and interesting original WWII letter, written by a British Sherman tank crewman who was killed in action late in the Italian campaign.
Buyer pays shipping, $2.00 in Canada, $3.00 to the United States, $4.00 Overseas. Immediate payment is required for this listing. I accept Paypal only. Thank you.
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