The Tablet, June 17, 1944
The Italian theater of operations was the forgotten theater of operations in World War II Europe. The American, British, Poles, New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans, Brazilians and other Allied troops fought a long and grinding campaign against a formidable German defense, with advances often painfully won from mountain top to mountain top, up the tough spine of the Italian boot.  Typical of how events in Italy were overshadowed by events elsewhere in Europe was the liberation of Rome on June 5, 1944, a very hard won objective of the Allied 5th American Army and the 8th British Army, which was immediately overshadowed by D-Day the next day.
The Pope, like almost all Romans, was joyous to be free from Nazi occupation, and he made that clear when he met with General Mark Clark.
“A few days after the liberation of Rome, Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Commander of the Fifth Allied Army, paid his respects to the Pope: “I am afraid you have been disturbed by the noise of my tanks. I am sorry.” Pius XII smiled and replied: “General, any time you come to liberate Rome, you can make just as much noise as you like.”
My grandfather was in one of the skiing groups there!
Now I’m wondering if he got to do anything actually in Rome….
Truly, the war in Italy has been one of the Forgotten Wars. I submit that the other is the China-Burma-India Theater.
Stalin wanted the Sllies to open up a front against Germany in the West. As it turned out, there were three – Normandy, Marseilles and Italy.
Today, the Baltic Coast at Szczecin (Stettin) and east is Polish, a small amount of compensation for the Kresy Stalin kept at Yalta. During the War, it was Prussia. I occasionally wonder if there had been an Allied carrier fleet in the Atlantic that could have landed on the Baltic Coast and invaded through Prussia and Poland.
I am trying to confirm and verify a story I have been told by a 90+ year-old, Norfolk, VA Catholic friend. He attends my church with me and told me that, on June 4, 1944, Catholics from all over Tidewater, Virginia (greater Norfolk) gathered at the Norfolk Naval Base for a prayer service to end World War II. Two days later was D-Day! Can you provide any information?
During WW2 major events sometimes came in triplicate. Look at June 1944:
Rome was liberated on June 5.
Normandy was invaded on June 6.
Operation Forager, the invasion of the Marianas which led to the liberation of Guam, began on June 15.
By the end of those two weeks the Allied civilian population must have been quite giddy with fear and hope.
TERRANCE AFER-ANDERSON,
Naval Station, Norfolk VA Office of Religious Services perhaps can provide you with the information you seek (or direct you to another office on base like Administration or the Museum.)
Phone: 757-444-7361
Address:
1530 GILBERT ST
SUITE 2000
NORFOLK VA 23511
https://www.facebook.com/NSNChapel/
In addition I suggest you contact The Virginia-Pilot regarding a news story of that event in their archives. 150 West Brambleton Avenue; Norfolk, Virginia 23510
https://pilotonline.com/site
Good luck with your research of such a remarkable event.
-CAM