Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 7, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Saturday the stars and stripes weekly Page 3 War comes i invasion by passes medieval Pollina started into finale. I could see them working their Way Down the a Ope a single file of warriors. Among them were indians of the with american forces in North Central Sicily there was modern Stream lined War being waged in the Valley of Mazzura. But the town of Pollina. Nesting atop a Pinnacle a Quarter of a mile above tile Valley had not been disturbed by the yank invasion. No invader had assaulted the medieval Village for Many hundreds of years the Castle its Garrison and the townspeople sat serenely on top of the Mountain and watched tile successive Waves of conquerors the Saracens in the ninth Century the normans 200 years later the swabian emperor Frederick ii of Barbarossa in the twelfth Century the French an Gevins. Then came revolt in Sicily and the Vesper raiders Rode. They won and at the parliament of a this is the tale of three towns three Small sicilian towns in the North Central part of the Island a. Foil swim the Trade of and How they were affected by the fighting. One i air forefathers they crossed a j j ii Bridge and then disappeared into secluded on a Hill top was by passed by tile i Ann an Olive Grove on the fringe of the invasion. The second a tiny Village was nothing. Tiptom up or the Hill above the showing me a Small can of Coffee More than an incident which no one will Ever a. A nip id return of shots. We did member. The inhabitants of the third town Learned the horrors of War when they were subjected to a six Day barrage. All dispatches were written by sgt. Jack Boss. One Gailaro Phillipo and the Lea pm. Cd of padre of Pollina. Father Giovannia Foisie stars and stripes Start writer. Montana. A Liillie to. Now a employ _. A Ault r hey Sara a Blu a shut Mcc and handed me a note. I expected Ledly Deal with More important w will be feet it its Tana who Hail a jeered Hiis a Quot imn in my Surprise when i read death and rebirth will be recorded through the pm scat up Gimp with a or Peter Marchese. 1515 w. Ai-1 Only in the division journal in a firm unyielding hand. By ame. Road Alhambra Cal my single line a a second  from beneath his Biretta his round Liam Bra r he re y0,/and r i re ziment entered finale. 1220.&Quot be whiskered face family. We Are very Well and a1- even the men who fought for with american forces in and the 1 priest had cornetto pay ways remember you your John 30 hours to Lake the Ridge to the North Central to the american  written in a neat in Pas 0 Village a Ridge that the past six Days some 300 citizens press Ute Iid the american in Alish handwriting. The fellow sex begins at Cape Rassiga by and ends of a coastal Village have lived Ines a t a Hon Thor Riva lib a i planned a you can deliver this note at the up top i Fountain town of an Beans. This is All tile Coffee we have Nad for four years. I drink a cup once each year on january 27, the saints  through the crowd which had Asse bed outside came the fascist Boss one Gailaro pm Fillipo. And the a rapid return of shots. We did not know until later that the shot had found its Mark and that the return of shots had pattered into an earthen Wall from behind which the sniper had fired. This was the Battle for finale the Little it Mage in Sicily which no one will Ever remember. Oft the coast i Tuiuri v that has always characterized the Island. Lost three times in 1713 Sicily first became Italy a but they were to lose it three times in the next 150 years before Garibaldi with his thousand men landed at Marsala and won tile Island. Aud now Italy has lost Sicily on e again this time to an Allied army of Many thousands who Are conquering rapidly. What was a1 this to the Village of Pollina it was nothing. Each Day the people crazed their goats on the Steep hillsides and tended their vineyards. Each Day the Waler twaddle went Down into the Valley with his Donkey and filled his earthen vessels from the Spring. Not too Manv years ago a Man in a new uniform with his Arm outstretched in stiff saute Rode in the narrow winding Road that once had Len a Trail. The citizens of Pollina returned the Salute and accented the fascist Delegate. He told them of their new Leader Mussolini and he showed them the profile of Mussolini. Edicts signed  began to Nenear on the Walls of this up and Down vile age. In Church archives in the archives of the Church at Pollina Call this is to be found. The earliest Page ers Are dated 1593 Little is known of How the Community fared before that. A count Vanetna a built the Castle around which the town grew sometime luring the tenth Century. Pollina accepted the newest conquerors with somewhat More in thus Iasin than they had shown their predecessors believes it. Patrick Petersen of new York City. He was one of the first into town tile people had already heard that the Man a my. He of the powerful rom was no longer the Boss. Like every other Village in Sicily there were among the Anno at least two adventuresome men who at one time had been to that wonderland. America and they had returned with wonderous stories. Now americans were coming to them from the sound of the Califon in the Valley below they would soon be there. Photographer Mike Ackerman and i. Accompanied by it. Jack who Don of Springfield. Mass. Climbed the Road not a Ong afterwards it was a cond test for the jeep we drove until the Road became a stairway and then. Inst a the fascist Delegate had done. We climbed the winding pathway. I had to Huck several times to avoid the overhanging balconies. I am not Verv tall. Invited to stay a local Carbinier with sword dangling at his Side escorted us lip to the town Hall. At the very top of tile town. His presence was merely a formality the local police Force of three a ways mimed out for a new conqueror he said. Mike. Who Speaks italian explained that we were merely War correspond puts looking for a German 210 Nim 1 Pun which had lobbed two shells j Over the mountains into the town of cd Falu the Carbinier said that to p germans had taken the Pun with them hut  we not stay As guests of the t of ii Mike Grin i Ning from ear to ear  h makes j a very wide Clin. Said that we would he Elad to Mauro polio Otto p-o-1-i-double Zero double t o a a who had been to America proceeded to Lay out a banquet of red wine and almonds and Strong cheese. Ile wooo sized for tile humbleness of the meal Yousling from father Montana who hands. The citizens of Pollina place  they May or May not As always had the backing of the shifted their attention to or. John notice a solitary grave in the or Vatican Marchese or. Polio Otto sidled up Chard on the fringe of town. Be Uliey not even venture out re. Mike la Weldon and my to me and told me confidentially Neath this freshly turned thin is -1 Sld far water. If than we were judge and that or. Marchese had not silent Chian soil lies the body of Ani but Thor Days of hell in the self to the i j ,.  time Iii America As had american lad of about la years Rinir Una la scr round should taif to thai we were Yudee and that or. Marchese had not spell Chian soil lies inc omy in but their Days of Neil in inc Melv the in Val delegation of the As much time in America As had i american lad of about la Vears a k Dank underground should new ruler of Seiv thro Ueli the he. Or. Polo Otto. The priest and who came from a town Nokia and the Yanis Oread their army Ini a Pretor pvt. John Mattie. I the politician looked first at Mij horns bom the stye of finale. But Way into the today and with he Iclet re or it Mer an and. The.,  steady a to. A Ca i a Tim or of it Man to a  i o blasted Village should be out of artillery Range perhaps by to appeared to i a nerf n lad of about the same in old on americans took the a suddenly very much interested age. I just saw him he had tried Morrow then the people will to Erie my the fascist aside and in or. Marchese and recall talk to escape by sea in a Small boat Agata and their Knowli Icv  were inc with him. I should not lie sur the a Encan oath Jhio has Mauo will 17 modest that nil amen prised of or Marchese is the Quot a a a a veered finale fired them into the shattered a As were big  j mayor of Pollina. German sniper but by were close i Chapel and they will celeb a e i was interested in the. Ancient 1? is i Mph to persuade him to turn Uhr i Ainee War came to history of tile town for instance. Beta Quot waited. On the Back into Shore and father Fry a Quot has been with his Why in Heil did no to they build a modern our Zelins k they marched him Back past the father ire town on top of a Pinnacle and was we to Vine town on top of a Pinnacle. Anu Donkey and his earthen so addressed most of my questions with is Donkey to father Montana. The spectators vessels. Took this As a sign of favor for the a a a a a a a a clergy and so did Phillipo who made violent efforts to catch in j with his rival until his gestures j a i became frantic this die Ted the m citizens of Pollina who held no Ove for Philliip nor his fascist party nor the a Mavor. A Quot a Rev times during the a in. A v North Centra Sicily the 1 d Niy  fel1 at noon my wine and remain solemn. One a it la interruption. -. This might have gone on Allaf it hardly More tha widens int a Wiit father Franco has been with his grave of their Comrade he had people in the Tunnel Ainee the first killed the German did not look i shells began to jail. He has la at the grave and the americans bored to provide then with enough 5l ii nil in him to live on but the germans Lett did not Potat it out to Lim. W  o Hor a thrill c Ivil Ianh Beans per person. When the Ger there were three sicilian civil  left so did the italian ind ians who remained in finale a Tia Tjie Iochai Carbinier and the throughout the fighting. When Pas Cost officials. This left the they thought a1 the germans had Homes of the villagers undefended i Fyk i Niwatr Immer Alif i la i t p j a i a Law nor Ahi Nylla viols or am t i of they a Noguni him we j Nomes 01 tile pm Nycia  left they Hung out a White Sheet indie Markels who hang on the rift pc ii Imp the from the Only second Story win in acc of any retreating Force have hour our or. Pol Coho whispered with american do leh Quot a a a a a it and plunder a Quot must he washing  cracked j was in the Tunnel today when pvt Jesus h Barre Ca. Of ins an by it o our own 105�?~s let Loose of. In America i l acres a lineman operating the Tel with a that rocked the Cavern. Hopr of the fall of finale for phone at the second battalion of a Grev haired woman with Saucer Over hear of the and of finale Lor vat Lon Point have right it it is i eyes jumped and Clung to me this might have tone on Allaf a let in the  chuckled another yank since i happened to be the nearest fermion Hod not there been a we in the r. Railroad. Orders wer Given to Stop firing on to Cpl on a a americano Quot i Comfort Home interruption. A tall Man  line. A Flop on  i vi.,r,e led her. Pointing toward the Bat made he a through10 Harrow foce Headquarters Ali Undoubt-1  platoon Tery. And then. To make a Jet Rural banquet in Potrina out of me a Shell came screaming Over hitting the Hill behind us throwing up a Geyser of Rock and Dill. Unpleasant place the Grey haired woman looked at me and then at the explosion. Sik covered her ears with her hands and Shook her head Back and Forth moaning. Everyone is huddled together in Hie Center of the 200-Yard Tunnel. No sunlight reaches them but then neither does the shrapnel. An american mortar platoon enters the Tunnel to rest a few minutes before moving Forward it is led by 2nd it. George Baglietto. Of san Francisco. He can speak italian but before he talks to the padre he issues orders to bring up All available rations for he sees that the people Are desperately hungry. Father Franco himself wildly excited attempts to quiet his people but it takes an italian interpret or. Pvt. Joseph Bruccoli of Philadelphia to Stop the Stampede. A quiet. God Damn it. Quiet a he roars in Plain English. Choline the people line up the younger and stronger Are first in line. Two aged women claw at the padres Arm a Man pushes them roughly aside. The mothers with babies remain on thir Beds they Hope they will not be forgotten. It. Baglietto announces that there will be one a a a ration for each family until More food can be brought up. He explains How to make Coffee from the powder and he cautions them to eat the Rich chocolate ration slowly or they will become ill. The priest pleads with his people to be unselfish. Pvt Bruccoli again roars a quiet. God Damn  charcoal fires Are started for cooking. To is a Savage a a Chow  this. The Tunnel is filled with a stench. I decide i have seen enough of this Story. Outside the guns bark and the shells sing. I go outside