European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                American infantrymen March past the colosseum in Rome As the liberation of the italian capital is completed prior to the a Day  of Rome preceded a Dayno trumpets blared no bands played As first . Troops entered City by j. King Cruces Northern Italy Bureau the capture of Rome two Days before the Allied armies landed at Normandy was a strange affair that received scant attention. And by its timing it May have prolonged the fight against the germans on the italian Mainland. On june 4,1944, when Allied troops entered the italian capital no trumpets blared and no bands played. Initially the troops the first army in 15 centuries to seize Rome from the South were greeted by silence. A when we got into Rome it was eerie. It was like no one was there. It appeared to be a City from which everyone had moved a remembered retired . Army Brig. Gen. Edward h. Thomas who was then a 24-year-old major commanding a battalion of the 1st special service Force. A we entered Rome Early on the afternoon of the fourth. We were advancing along a Street and keeping close to the sides of buildings when i realized i could no longer communicate by Walkie talkie with my Headquarters. 4�a h i cd uld pick up Vas jazz music. I a a could Jim to figure out where it was. La coming from and to this Day i still can to. Then people came pouring out of the buildings to Greet us. But it  have been the jazz music that did it because Only i could hear it. I done to know what brought them out a recalled the 75-year-old Thomas a resident of Charlotte . A the people were tremendously jubilant a said Thomas chairman of the Rome 1994 committee commemorating the liberation of the City. A we were pretty darn tired because we had been on the Road since May 23 after breaking out from the Anzio beachhead. We had a former italian lieutenant Tito Gozza attached to our outfit and a roman family asked us into their Home to have Spaghetti. Well we did and in be never seen anyone eat a Rome Falls to Anzio units Boulogne b a a a Uil i time j  Hitler on Lorn Niusia to withdraw Chirk among first to enter for Tamru Ali the Watrt of it uti us Untim Hub a a a a  serial a we j fit of in Tatum j5 1ur�u t a. Luff <n/f11n>y Yvo a Suu ilk t Oil a Furt at san Sci hour a of Are sri a. A j to we it re. A Quot a i. V Raj a bowl of Spaghetti faster than Gozza  while Rome had been declared an a open City by the germans a meaning that they would not contest it in Bat Leand German forces had withdrawn from the eternal City Allied forces did encounter pockets of resistance on the City a outskirts. Thomas recalled that his Force a mix of american and Canadian troops trained in Mountain warfare lost a regimental and a company commander in firefights. William Konze was 29 and a first lieutenant with the 88th inf div As he marched into Rome about mid morning on the fourth. The Force Konze was with had encountered no opposition to its entry into the City. The Only distraction we had was some shots fired at us from Termine the City scentral train station. We heard later that italian fascists did the firing and that they were eliminated. By the afternoon there was no More firing a said Konze a retired department of defense employee living in Oxon Hill my. A the weather that Day was sunny warm and the skies were cloudless a Konze said. A we had a marvelous greeting. What i remember Best is the Joy of the italian people and the roses they threw at us a thorns and All. As people Learned that they had nothing to fear from us More and More of them came out of their houses. A there were huge crowds All along the route. We were offered wine but our co told us not to drink it because it would hold up the Progress of the Convoy although i know some of the Guys a stars and stripes commemorative edition june 6, 1994