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Winter 2005 Departments
Exchange
Inbox
Prerequisite
Foundations
Alumni connections
Extended Family
Zip 01003
UMass Trees
Books Received
Alumni Photos
Features
A Fruitful Partnership
A New Kind of Farm a New Breed of Farmer
A Spoonful of Sugar
Flower Powerhouse
Cranberry Culture
Trees We Love
Dear One Absent This Long While
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Extended Family
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Winning the Peace
Sixty years later, a soldier remembered
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RICHARD "DICK" E. NILSSON ’48, BS Animal Science ’51, passed away last fall. Here he shares his memoirs. The full text includes his early years growing up in Brockton and Randolph, his Army training, and his years in Amherst. It is available online at www.umassmag.com/memoirs .
In the Army’s 338th Infantry Battalion in Italy in World War II, Nilsson was awarded three Battle Stars and the Combat Infantry Badge.
On January 17, 1945, we moved on the line just to the left of the British and set up two observation posts. One night when the moon was full and the sky was clear and cold I went with Corporal Bell and “Stinky” Thomas to a post that was in full view by the enemy during the day. We had to walk out in the open on the white snow to get to the post. Around 3 a.m., the enemy let go a “screaming meemie” (a rocket launched from a crude wooden trough—it was not accurate but contained a lot of explosives). I took a compass reading, then locked the compass and put a blanket over my head so the enemy couldn’t see the light. I determined the azimuth, estimated the distance, and called into headquarters for some fire. After some delay, because artillery wouldn’t handle it for fear of hitting our troops, mortars answered and raked the area.
That spring, Nilsson’s unit headed toward the Po Valley, leading to northern Italy and the Alps. Soon they met enemy units waving white flags.
We encountered the Italian partisans who were bringing in large numbers of German soldiers. Some civilians told us the war was over. We didn’t believe them—how could they know this before we did?
The news came that the Germans in Italy had surrendered and for us to proceed to southern Austria with great speed. That was May 4, 1945. We moved 45 miles that day and stopped in Feltre. We stayed there longer than we expected and on May 8, 1945, the German Army surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
The war in Europe was over! |
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In Memoriam
Chairman of the Gourd
Chairman of the Gourd: more images
Winning the Peace
Winning the Peace: more images
The Neighborhood Gourmet
The Neighborhood Gourmet: larger image
The Great Transgene Escape
The Great Transgene Escape
Ambition in Spades
Ambition in Spades: larger image
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