| Original caption: “Vehicles crossing rain swollen stream. A few minutes before the rain, the stream was only a few inches deep. Fifth Army, Volterra Sector, Italy.” United States Army Willys MB Jeeps are flooded out during the drive on Volterra. The censor has removed the division markings. Rain, mud, and flash floods often interrupted momentum during the Italian campaign. The 88th Infantry Division — the “Blue Devils” — and the French Expeditionary Corps added their share to the growing pressure on the Germans to withdraw and yield Leghorn, Pisa and Florence. The 88th, refreshed and replenished after nearly a month in reserve, relieved the 1st Armored Division before Volterra on July 8. From that ancient Etruscan stronghold — a forbidding lonely eminence on the heights dividing the Era Valley to the north from the Cecina Valley to the south, the Germans had a commanding view of 15 miles (24 kilometers) in all directions. Through the artillery smoke drifting over the city, its medieval walls seemed to Blue Devil reconnaissance impenetrable, unbreachable by frontal assault up eroding slopes and crumbling cliffs. Fortunately, as Colonel James C. Fry (December 25, 1897 – October 27, 1982) of the Blue Devils’ 350th Infantry Regiment put it, Volterra was “merely a fortress island. It could be bypassed.” That is precisely what the 88th did, enveloping the city in a scissor-like maneuver, the 349th Infantry attacking on the right and the 350th on the left. The fields around Volterra were heavily mined, however, and clearing the mines ahead of the infantry outposts was essential if the attack was to succeed. Corporal Orval Sullivan (December 27, 1921 – June 12, 1991) of Ontario, California, and 1st Lieutenant John P. Tucei (February 23, 1922 – August 21, 2002) of Biloxi, Mississippi, were among the 313th Engineers assigned this perilous task. They had not more than started when Nazi German 88 millimeter (3.46 inch) and self-propelled artillery fire forced them to take cover. After watching the exploding shells, they decided that the dust raised would shield them from enemy observation. So, working 2 to 3 minutes at a time, hitting the dirt every time a round came in, and taking advantage of the dust clouds, they cleared more than 400 yards of minefield for grateful dogfaces. Each was awarded a silver star. Artillery and chemical mortars “smoked” high-lying Volterra, enabling the Blue Devils to reach their initial objectives before dark, well within the time allotted in divisional plans. Volterra was soon encircled and the enemy withdrew. “Our casualties had not been light,” Colonel Fry said, “but they were fewer than I expected.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii0626.jpg |
| Image Size | 975.80 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2936 x 2268 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 9, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Volterra |
| State or Province | Tuscany |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NRE-338-FTL(EF)-205(1) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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