When I first started reenacting, this was the unit my friends and I decided to reenact. It was a draftee division made up of average Americans, and we thought it fitting. Over the years, I’ve collected lots of information related to this unit, and I’ll be putting it here.
We were featured in a veterans newsletter (Modern Day Reenactors Honor BlueDevil Accomplishments) and I also had the opportunity to correspond with a few 88th Veterans: Carlos Cordova, Frederic Lincoln, Bob Wells, Leonard J. Dziabas, John Mezinarch, Thomas O Kinney, and Donald Zucker. I also worked with James Brindy and helped edit his diary: Echoes of War: The Memoirs of a 976th and 913th Field Artillery Battalion Wireman in Italy during World War II.
The 88th Infantry Division Archive has more historical resources available.
As well as the 88th Infantry Division Archive.com Discussion Group on Facebook.
The 88th Infantry Division fought
- Herrman Goering Division
- German 71st Division (oppositte 88th on Gustav Line)
- 1060th Panzergreninder Regiment
- 1st Parachute Regiment
- 4th Parachute Regiment
- 1st parachute division (Major General Schulz; we fought them at Battle Mt) (nickname: GREEN DEVILS)
- 305 Infanry Divison: Major General Von Schellwitz
- 8th Mt. Division (Major General Schricker)
Some Notes I have
31st US Infantry Division: 88th regarded as its personal enemy (since LA maneuvers)
US Units in Italy with 88th: 85th, 91st, 9th, 1st 3rd, 36th, 45th, 10th Mt, 92nd, British 5th Division, French Corps were under General Alphonse Juin, Brazilina Expeditionary Force, 6th South-Africans and British 1st Division which was with 88th for Gothic Line Assualt.
The 7th Army was formed for Invasion of Southern France: Units were 3rd, 36th, 45th Divisions.
The 103rd Infantry Division met the 88th a few miles south of Brenner Pass
Was part of II Corps: 88th, 85th, 3rd Infantry and 1st Special Service Force. Was part of 5th Army
88th Recon Troop first in Rome, July 4th 0715hrs
Rome Area Allied Command GI Restaurant served meatloaf, string beans, asparagus, salad, bread/butter and coffee.
Bluedevil Rest Center was in Montecatini consisted of 3 hotels. It was located in Tuscany, 20 miles northwest of Florence. It is situated on the Austostrada that connects Florence to Pisa, just west of Pistoia. Today the highway is A11. Before the war it was the location of a spa.
The rest center was home to the Trianon Theater. The theater did 2 performances a night, and could hold 1,000 men. Drinks were 30 cents for rum, whiskey, and cognac, and champagne was sold by the bottle. Fights broke out just about every night between the Red bulls (34th), Pine Trees (?) and of course, the Bluedevils. Soliders could by knick-knacks, vino, roasted chestnuts from various civilians while relaxing in Montecatini.
The Fifth Army Red Cross set up “The Tent Club” and soon had one of the best clubs operating. The best attraction of the club was the ‘Jitterbug Queen” Mississippi (Ann Jenkins of Alabama).
349th Infantry Regiment
(PO VALLEY CAMPAIGN)
(Personal Experience of an Engineer Platoon Leader)
2nd Batt 349th 88th Inf 15-24 Apr 1945 Breakout to Po River – Battalion on the Attack
350th Infantry Regiment
350th Company A Personal Experience of a Company Commander Feb 1944 – Night Patrol to capture prisoners
Country Boy Infantry: Bluedevils 88th Infantry, 1944-1945 by Carey E. Ashcroft. Yellow Springs, OH: Keahey Graphics, 1997. – Images are taken from that book. Consists of a narrative of the 350th Cannon Company.
The book be hard to find/out of print?
The Anti-Tank Company 350th Infantry and the Po Valley Battle – A short history of that company’s involvement in the battle. Includes a roster.
First Combat Unknown source 88th Infantry 350th Division Company E – Probably writen by the company commander or a LT.
350th Infantry Battle Mountain in Occupation – About their TRUST experiences.
351st Infantry Regiment
2nd Lt Clyde William Morrison Jr, Co M 351st Infantry Regiment – Diary account of time in service. Includes a few Heave Ho scanned publications at the end. Heave Ho was a publication made either by the soldiers on the ship or the navy personnel to help pass the time on the voyage back to the States. A few racy and nude drawings are included.
1st Lt Frederick J. Kraics 351st Regiment Co H 2nd BN, Interview – He was a machine gunner in charge of 4 machine guns.
351st Santa Maria Infante Small Unit Actions May 1944 – About the battle for Santa Maria Infante
Leonard J. Dziabas, H Company, 351st Infantry Regiment – This is some personal correspondence I had with him back in 2003. He’s been featured in a few documentaries and other interviews, such as this Witness to War one.
351st S-2 Journal Oct 23rd and 24th 1944 – A neat example of a probable radio operator (though it could be wire!) listening to radio traffic and transcribing it. This is probably at the regimental level as the regiment is communicating with different battalions (white and blue).
Fr means from, and To means to.
I’m unsure who Seagull and Sunray are.
351st 3rd Battalion Bulletin from March 26th and 27th 1944 – Looks like some kind of battalion-level news sheet. A partial copy.
What’s hilarious is that someone obviously asked about getting pin-ups, and it has to be explicitly mentioned that “the battalion does not anticipate reproducing pin-ups.”
351st Santa Maria Infante Attack Route Maps and images – a zip file containing a historical map analysis of the attack routes as well as images of the roads and ruins around Santa Maria Infante.
351st Oct 24th 1944 Daily S-4 Report to G-4 by Maj William H Klein – a status report of needed supplies and units.
Other Units and Misc Reports
913rd Field Artillery Battalion – 88th Infantry Division attached field artillery
My YouTube Interview with James Brindy a 976th and 913th Field Artillery Battalion Wireman in Italy during World War II.
The BlueDevils Come Home – A three part series that interviews several BlueDevils about their stories. Part 2 and Part 3
Muzzle Flash – a report from a field artillery unit in Italy and in Europe. I’m unsure if it was or wasn’t with the 88th.
88th Infantry Division in WW2: A Case Study of Combat Performance Excellence by Col Dupuy and Gay Hammerman 1987 – Take from Military Review
88th Infantry Division Stats Document – A general document to give an idea of what I think might be a shipment of soldiers coming into the unit. The idea is to get a handle on who they are.
It may go with: Enlisted Personnel Replacement Requisition WD AGO Form 210 May 1942.
88th Infantry Division Images
These are just some images I’ve collected over the years. These are all expected to be images of the 88th Veterans or original 88th Infantry Division WW2 era photos.
The ring is a vintage WWII 88th Infantry Division, the Blue Devil Division Men’s Ring. Marked on the inside SILVER 800″ and marked around the outside “BLUE DEVIL DIVISION” along the edge of the ring. The ring is worn but not too worn. It is approximately a man’s size 9 1/2-10. The face of the ring is 1/2″ square. and it weighs 12.2 g. Marked 800 Silver, so I’m guessing it was made in Italy during the occupation.
Battle Mountain Photos
The Battle Mountain photos were taken by a fellow history buff in the early 2000s.
Monuments
Battle Mountain as shown from the perspective of the German lines
Battle Mountain from the US lines as they approach it
Trenches and Foxholes on Battle Mountain
View from Battle Mountain
US Soldier: Harry Castilloux was found in 1998
Generic Italian Theater Images
Images come from: United States Army in World War II Pictorial Record, The War Against Germany and Italy: Mediterranean and Adjacent Areas. Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army. Washington D.C., 1951
