| Naples, Italy: June to August 1944 |
| The 51st Evac’s initial bivouac was on the grounds of the Summer Royal Palace at Fusaro, a village at the north tip of the Bay of Naples. |  |
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Shortly, however, all officers and nurses received "TDY orders", assigning them to various hospitals from Batapaglia up to Rome. Keeping in touch with old 51st friends during the next 2 ½ months meant doing a lot of "hitch-hiking". |
| I was assigned to the 21st General Hospital (the St. Louis Barnes General Hospital Unit) located at the Fair Grounds in Naples. On the Fair Grounds was a large complex of Army hospitals occupying the elaborate buildings in what was to have been the 1938 Worlds Fair, but which never took place because of the Ethiopian War. |  |
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The medical officers were quartered at Terme, a nearby spa, the bathtubs having been removed from each room to make space for our army cots. |
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| After the liberation of Rome, with the Germans retreating north, battle casualties admitted to our hospitals in Naples decreased greatly, so that we had considerable amount of free time. There was a great deal of history and beautiful scenery to enjoy in and around Naples: Pompeii, with its new coat of cinder and ash ... |  |
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| ... Sorrento ... |  |
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| ... the Amalfi drive ... |  |
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| ... and Capri. |  |
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| A hitch-hiking trip to Rome gave us a close-up look at the devastation left
by the desperate fighting at Monte Cassino.
Rome, itself, was spared almost completely from war damage. |
| The temporary duty assignments of the 51st personnel lasted until August 15, 1944, when the 51st was ordered to be the first hospital landed with the invasion of Southern France ("Operation Dragoon"). The hospital was divided into 3 units for the invasion. I was assigned to the second unit, in charge of a group of 33 enlisted men who would set up the hospital at the site designated for our first operation. My group traveled in a convoy of 50 LCI’s (landing craft infantry) from Pozzuoli (Naples), reaching the invasion beach at St Tropez, France on "D plus 3" (photo). From there, we moved inland to the little town of Draguignan and set up the hospital. |
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"Operation Dragoon" 51st Evacuation Hospital Invasion of Southern France |
| A fine map, drawn by 51st's Chief Clerk, Staff Sgt. Jack Crouse in 1945, shows the 51st’s sites of operation in the E.T.O. (European Theater of Operations), and also the emblems of the various corps and divisions whose casualties we treated. |
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Chief Clerk, Staff Sgt. Jack Crouse 51st Evac Hospital - Lyon, France - WWII |
