About This Photo:
In order to avoid being drafted, my dad Bruno Zapor voluntarily joined the US Army in January 1941. He attained the rank of tech sargent in the Army Air Corps. Later in his life, dad described his service in his typical self-deprecating style, quipping “Nobody ever shot at me, and if they wasted a bullet.”
Dad initially trained with 31st Engineers Battalion at Fort Belvoir, VA. He was then attached to the Army Air Force’s 904th Engineers at McDill Field, now McDill AFB, before being transferred to the 815th in 1944. While at Fort Belvoir, located outside of the District of Columbia, the Washington Times newspaper printed this profile of Private Zapor.
Unfortunately I don’t remember much of the details of dad’s World War II stories, but I do remember how matter-of-factly he described his experiences, his stories had the tone of a cross between a typical day at the office and a tourist talking about their European vacation– only occassionally mentioning the German bombs falling in the background.
Several months ago, while randomly Googling dad’s name I found a blog written by one of the men in dad’s unit named Irv Roth, who had the foresight to publish the stories of his life, which have filled in many of the gaps in my knowledge/memory about dad’s service.
According to an article printed following the end of the war in 1945 in the Indiana Evening Gazette noted that dad’s unit made history as the first Army Air Force (AAF) unit to land in British Isles. From there they supported the allied air war in North Africa in Casablanca, Algiers, and Tunis.
Within the engineering battalion, dad aerved in the camouflage platoon. At various sites in Italy, Sicily, and North Africa, it was the camouflage platoon’s mission to hide American armaments from enemy attack. Commenting on this mission, dad often said he “chased (German Field Marshal Irwin) Rommel across Africa with chicken wire.” This comment referred to the camouflage material that used to hide equipment from German spy aircrafts.
After the fall of Italian dictator Benito Mossolini and Italy’s subsequent armistice with the allies, the 904th moved into Sicily and then Southern Italy. This page from Irv Roth’s blog provides an excellent portrait of their time in Italy.
In March, 1944 dad was transferred from the 904th to the 815th Engineering Battalion and was moved from Naples to Caserta. where he was stationed at the grand royal palace that was previously home to the former Italian Monmarchy.
Irv Roth’s blog post from December 25, 2008 lists the names of the men from the 904th who were transferred with him to the 815th. I am quoting that paragraph in hopes that one of those men’s children or grandchildren (or perhaps the veteran himself) will find this article while Googling their name, which is how I discovered Mr. Roth’s blog. I have attemted to contact Mr. Roth through his blog but have not received a response, so I fear he is no longer online.
On March 15, 1944, orders came from AAF Eng Command to move us to 815 Eng. I am listing the 12 other GIs who transferred with me. Possibly some of them may find by blog. Bruno V. Zapor, John Dowling, Anthony Schaeffer, Wilford Boehm, Sam O. Maxcey, Andrew C. Jenkins, Robert Moyer, Sam Rider, William Barlow, Gustave Johnson, Thomas Duffy, Francis Staniszewski and me. I’m seeking contacts. I’ve found two, George Fore and Warren Teets from the 904th Engineers, with whom I am now corresponding.
Although I don’t remember dad discussing any of the battles in which he was involved in Italy, aside from his “ordinary-day-at-the-office” stories about his various construction projects and interaction with local Italian workers, a history of the 815th traces the battalion’s subsequent campaigns in 1944 and early 1945 to Anzio, Rome/Arno, and the Apenine Mountains in Northern Italy. One of dad’s favorite memories was attending midnight mass Christmas Eve 1944 at St. Peter’s Baslica and having an audience with Pope Pius XII, which as he told the story lasted all of 5 minutes.
Following the end of the war in Europe, dad was discharged from the army and returned to civilian life at Indiantown Gap, PA in June 1945.