Audie Murphy: Sicily & Salerno (Part 1)

Summary

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WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Episode: Audie Murphy: Sicily & Salerno (Part 1)
Date: March 17, 2026
Hosts: Al Murray (comedian), James Holland (historian)
Key Theme:
A close-up look at the combat experiences, psychology, and personal story of Audie Murphy—America’s most decorated WWII soldier—as he enters the war in Sicily and proceeds through Southern Italy. The episode balances gripping narrative, historical detail, and sharp, engaging interplay between the hosts, focusing on the "human drama" of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

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Episode Overview

In the first part of a special series following one man’s war, Al Murray and James Holland embark on the battlefield journey of Audie Murphy—from the invasion of Sicily to the landings at Salerno. Using Murphy’s vivid memoir, To Hell and Back, the hosts reconstruct not just the strategies and events, but also the emotional toll and camaraderie of infantry combat. Central themes include the psychological impact of frontline warfare, the challenges of mechanized armies in Italian terrain, and the cross-section of American society in the ranks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of Audie Murphy’s Story

• Why Murphy? His career encompasses nearly the entire US Army ground combat experience in Europe—rising from a poor Texas orphan to combat hero and field-commissioned officer.
• Their Approach: The hosts will follow Murphy’s war—and those around him—rather than a traditional campaign or event-driven history.
  • “What we want to do is a series about one man's war, an individual's war.” — Al Murray [02:05]

2. Background: Audie Murphy’s Early Life (00:33–12:00)

• Hardscrabble Upbringing:
  • Grew up impoverished in Dust Bowl, Depression-era Texas; lost both parents young.
  • Joined the Army after lying about his age, rejected at first by other services for being underweight.
  • Developed a fierce pride, temper, and desire for belonging—seeking structure in the Army.
  • Notably introspective and honest in his writing, in contrast to many British memoirists.
  • “Getting food for our stomachs and clothes for our backs was an ever present problem.” — Murphy [09:34, Memoir]
  • “God knows where my pride came from, but I had it. It was constantly getting me into trouble.” — Murphy [11:01, Memoir]

3. The Sicilian Campaign: Operation Husky (12:00–31:00)

• Context & Map:
  • Following the Allied victory in North Africa, Sicily became the next step.
  • The Allies launched the largest amphibious invasion to date on July 10, 1943. US 3rd Division landed at Licata, with Murphy’s unit arriving a few hours after the first wave.
• First Contact:
  • Murphy’s first experiences of confusion, fear, and loss as men die beside him.
  • The rapidly-formed friendships among his squad: Italian-American “Antonio,” Irish-American Kelly, Polish-American Sierraja, Southern-born Tipton—the archetype of America’s immigrant army.
  • “As we plot over the hills in sweat-soaked clothes... In the distance a gun slams and the next minute you are dead.” — Audie Murphy [00:33, Memoir]
• Combat Initiation:
  • Immediate action: first enemy contact, death in the ranks, and initiation into the violence of war.
  • Murphy’s first kills—executed with a sense of moral clarity, now numbed by necessity.
  • “Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse.” — Murphy [21:07, Memoir]
• Malaria:
  • Disease as a constant enemy: 55% of casualties in Sicily are from malaria. Murphy himself is hospitalized after succumbing during a brutal westward march.
  • “My brain swam and my internal organs rumbled. Finally I could take it no longer. I fell out of the ranks, lay down on the road, heaved until I thought I would lose my stomach.” — Murphy [22:28, Memoir]
• Terrain and German Defenses:
  • The Allies face narrow roads, destroyed bridges, and deadly river crossings as Germans mine, defend, and retreat through Sicily’s mountains.
  • US Army engineering ingenuity is highlighted, such as the rapid construction of roads for operational flexibility.

4. Transition to Mainland Italy: Salerno Landings (32:10–53:00)

• American Learning Curve:
  • US forces and Murphy both become acquainted with the tenacious German defense—blown bridges, mined roads, and constant attrition. War is proving nothing like the adventure Murphy imagined.
  • “The Sicilian campaign has taken the vinegar out of my spirits. I've seen war as it actually is and I do not like it.” — Murphy [33:48, Memoir]
• Infantry Realities:
  • Mechanized warfare grinds to a halt in the mountains and mud, reverting to mule, donkey, and foot transport.
  • The German army’s reliance on horses gives them surprising flexibility in this difficult terrain.
• Volturno River Feint: The Cave (44:23–49:36)
  • Murphy and his squad are ordered to occupy a cave at a strategic river crossing as a diversion—effectively “pigeons” (decoys) meant to draw German attention.
  • Prolonged exposure, rain, shortages, and increasing psychological strain.
  • A vivid, tragic moment when squad member Antonio is killed attempting to fetch water—Murphy’s first close friend to die, witnessed up close.
    • “He has come home to the soil that gave his parents birth.” — Murphy [49:38, Memoir]

5. The Emotional Toll & Camaraderie (Throughout)

• Brutality and Guilt:
  • The raw emotional reactions to combat and comrades’ deaths; the necessity to “snap out of it” to survive; the cumulative effect of trauma on young men thrust into responsibility.
• National Cross-section:
  • The squad’s diverse upbringings—Texan, Polish, Italian, Irish, Native American—mirroring America itself, a source for both Hollywood clichés and real, lived unity.
• Coping Mechanisms:
  • Banter, mutual dependence, and sometimes callous-seeming attitudes to keep morale intact.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You sit on a quiet slope with chin in hand. In the distance a gun slams and the next minute you are dead... Well, whatever comes. It was my own idea. I had asked for it. I had always wanted to be a soldier.” — Audie Murphy [00:33, Memoir]
• “The earth shudders and the screaming of shells intermingles with the screaming of men.” — Murphy [25:43, Memoir]
• “No, sir, I'm just spilling my guts for the hell of it.” — Murphy, after being asked by a major if he's sick (malaria) [22:44]
• “He would divide his last drop of blood with a comrade or his last bit of lead with the enemy.” — Murphy on friend Seija [18:15]
• “I acquired a healthy respect for the Germans as fighters, an insight into the fury of mass combat and a bad case of diarrhea. I'd eaten too many grapes.” — Murphy [30:30]
• “Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse.” — Murphy [21:13]
• “They are people. Individuals. That’s what makes up the big picture.” — James Holland and Al Murray, on the personal nature of war [02:02–02:04]
• “Rain, rain, rain. The roads are so deep in mud that moving troops and supplies forward is a terrific job. Enemy resistance nearly as great as Mother Nature.” — General Lucas’ diary [47:09]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:33: Audie Murphy’s war intro — reading from memoir.
• 02:05: Hosts introduce the episodic format; focus on one man’s war.
• 09:34: Murphy’s childhood struggles—poverty, loss, pride.
• 13:12: Murphy joins the Army: “The infantry was too commonplace for my ambition.”
• 14:23: Murphy’s response to canceled first combat: “I took no part in the general sigh of relief.”
• 16:17: First experience of artillery and death in Sicily.
• 18:15: On developing close bonds with his squad.
• 22:28: Malaria hits—“my brain swam… I fell out of the ranks.”
• 25:43: The chaos and horror of river assaults.
• 30:30: “Healthy respect for the Germans… a bad case of diarrhea.”
• 33:48: Murphy’s changing attitude: “I do not like war.”
• 35:07: Vivid account of mission to knock out a German machine gun.
• 44:23: The cave at Troflisco—danger, strain, and the “pigeon” role as decoys.
• 48:15: Antonio is killed fetching water—first close friend lost.
• 49:38: “He has come home to the soil that gave his parents birth.”

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Tone & Style

• Warm, conversational, insightful; interspersed with dry humor, but also moments of somber realism.
• Frequent use of Murphy’s own words carries emotional weight and a reflective, gritty honesty.

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Closing & Next Episode Preview

• The episode ends with Murphy’s combat experience still only beginning: “There’s tons more. Not least The Bernhard Line… and Anzio.”
• Listeners are invited to join the Patreon for extra content and to follow the ongoing journey of Audie Murphy as he heads north into grinding combat across Italy.

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For listeners new and old, this episode expertly personalizes WWII history—making the extraordinary journey of Audie Murphy not just a study in heroism, but a lens on the cost and complexity of modern war.

Transcript

[Al Murray]

Thank you for listening to we have ways of making you talk. Sign up to our Patreon to receive bonus content, live streams and our weekly newsletter with money off books and museum visits as well. Plus early access to all live show tickets. That's patreon.com we haveways.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

As we plot over the hills in sweat soaked clothes, the uneasiness passes from my stomach to my mind. So it happens as easily as that. You sit on a quiet slope with chin in hand. In the distance a gun slams and the next minute you are dead. Maybe my notions about war are all cockeyed. How do you pit skill against skill if you cannot even see the enemy? Where is the glamour in blistered feet and a growling stomach? And where is the expected adventure? Well, whatever comes. It was my own idea. I had asked for it. I had always wanted to be a soldier.

[Al Murray]

That, of course, was Audie Murphy in his memoir To Hell and Back. And welcome to we have ways of

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

making you talk with me, Al Murray,

[Al Murray]

James Holland, your Second World War podcast for all your Second World War needs.

[James Holland]

Well, we're doing something new in this series, aren't we? We're doing something new.

[Al Murray]

Doing something new. Exactly. Those of you familiar with the podcast and those of you unfamiliar with the podcast may know that what we tend to do campaigns, we look across the story of a campaign or an event, a spectacular look at the, the stuff around it, the causes. Or we'll look at, you know, a piece of kit. Because one of the amazing things about this subject is that it is, it is a bottomless pit that is also a kaleidoscope and a point list painting and all these different things all at once with so many elements.

[James Holland]

So many elements, but so many elements.

[Al Murray]

But when you think of it as a pointer list painting, what are the dots in that painting?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

They are people.

[Al Murray]

Individuals.

[James Holland]

Yes.

[Al Murray]

Big. The bigger picture. And what we want to do is a series about one man's war, an individual's war. And that individual is probably one of the most fated and celebrated soldiers of the Second World War fighting with the US Army. Audie Murphy, whose life is truly extraordinary. His fate after the war is incredible, if nothing else. But what we wanted to do was dig into his experiences as a soldier fighting with the U.S. army in Sicily, in Italy and on. Isn't that right, Jim?

[James Holland]

He's an amazing character and, and his book To Hell and Back. He's just one of the greats of Memoirs of the War and, and he's an extraordinary man because he's. Well, we'll get, we'll dig into his background in a minute. But basically, cut. Long story short, he's an orphan. He joins the army a very, very young age. He starts off invading, being part of the invasion force in Sicily, Operation Husky

[Guest Historian/Expert]

on temperature line 1943.

[James Holland]

And at that point he's just a grunt. You know, he's, he's, he's one of the men. But he, he's proves himself to be an exceptional soldier and rises up through the ranks first through the non commissioned officers ranks, you know, corp to sergeant to star sergeant, then gets commissioned in the field. So he goes through the ranks and, and he is absolutely at the forefront of the action of the 3rd Infantry Division, which let's not forget, is the single unit in the US army that sees more combat action than any other during the entire Second World War. So more so than any of the Marine divisions, more so in any of the armored divisions, more so than even than the big red one itself, the 1st Infantry Division, it's 553 or something like that. Days of combat, it sees. So, you know, and he's there from pretty much the start to pretty much the end. And by the war's end, he is the single most decorated soldier in the US army ever. So you know, he, he, he's been there, done it, got the T shirt

[Guest Historian/Expert]

and quite a few gongs as well.

[James Holland]

And his story is an amazing one. And I'm afraid it's, you know, it's, it's full of daring do and action and all the rest of it. But it's pretty grim. I mean, you know, he's fairly down on war, it has to be said. And why wouldn't you be? If you've been a frontline infantryman who served in Sicily, southern Italy, then to Anzio, then to southern France, up, up into the Tsar and, and the Colmar pockets and all the rest of it, and then into southern Germany at the war's end. You know, he, he really has traveled a lot of, a lot of miles doing his bit for Uncle Sam. And he's a terrific character and so are the characters around him. He paints these very, very vivid portraits

[Guest Historian/Expert]

of some of his companions and compadres and people.

[James Holland]

And he stays in the same company

[Guest Historian/Expert]

the whole way through in the 15th Infantry Regiment as well.

[James Holland]

So that makes him very, very interesting. And we thought it'd just be interesting to follow one man's story, didn't we? Because it is human drama. That's what we're all obsessed about, really. Yes, we like our Sherman tanks and our String bags and all the rest of it. And you're quite into sea furies at the moment as well, and that's great. But really what draws us to the Second World War is the extraordinary human drama of ordinary people caught up in

[Guest Historian/Expert]

extraordinary events, I think. And I think that's it.

[Al Murray]

Audie's war starts in Sicily. And as we, as those who know the big picture, know that the. The Axis powers throw in the towel in North Africa in May of 1943, it's a major defeat for them. A quarter of a million men go into the bag.

[James Holland]

Tons of material. Tons of material.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it means. It means that the Allies have essential command of the Mediterranean. They can now bring the war to Europe. And in fact, you know, although they. They don't call it a second front, it is very much a second front. And certainly, big picture, the Allied invasion of Sicily that's to follow kind of coincides with Operation Zitadel at Kursk. And it's one of the things that makes the Germans look in the other direction when that's all going on. Yes, because after all, their permanent situation is robbing Peter to pay Paul. They can't deal with every situation they find themselves in. And anyway, the landings begin on 10 July at 0245 hours on 26 different beaches across the island's southern and eastern coasts, spanning 170km. So it's an ambitious, gigantic amphibious operation, the largest of the war so far. And this is the thing with Allied operations is they get bigger and they get bigger and. And the Germans are under ever increasing pressure.

[James Holland]

It's worth just saying that, broadly speaking, 8th Army, British 8th army under General Montgomery.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[James Holland]

As is at this point, they land on the east coast, the southern half of the east coast of Sicily. If you think of Sicily, it's like a great big kind of. Sort of giant flint kind of spearhead. And the flat bottom side is on the. On the east. And so the British and the Canadians are landing there and then the Americans are landing a little bit further up on the sloping southern coast. And the main one is around Jela, and then a subsequent one is the third Division and some of the Rangers

[Guest Historian/Expert]

at Licata, which is about kind of 30 miles up the track from. From. From Jela.

[Al Murray]

And that's the. The westernmost point of the Allied invasion front, that. That point of descent.

[James Holland]

Exactly.

[Al Murray]

And this is. This is the. The American 3rd Division led by Major General Lucien Truscott. By 11:30 in the morning, they've taken Licata for the loss of 100 men from the division. And one of the men landing at Licata is PFC Private First Class Audie Murphy in Company B in the 1st Battalion, the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division. They're not the first wave, are they? They're about three hours behind the rest of the battalion. Immediately, he pitches us straight into how it feels and what it's like being a soldier in this situation.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

If the landing schedule had not gone snafu, we would have come ashore with the assault waves. That's what I wanted. I had primed myself for the big moment. Then the timings got snarled in the predawn confusion. We came in late, chugging ashore like a bunch of clucks in a ferry boat.

[Al Murray]

Now, snafu people know what snafu means.

[James Holland]

Situation normal, all effed up. And the amazing thing about Murphy is he's. He's a. He's a complete baby face. You know, he's this. He's incredibly good looking young lady. He's only 18 years old. I mean, you know, he's nothing. Yeah, big brown eyes, dark hair. He's not a particularly tall bloke. He's born into a working class family of sharecroppers. I mean, can you imagine it? I mean, this is. This is properly old school farmers in Hunt county in northeastern Texas. And he's born on the 20th of June, 1925. So here he is, you know, in 1943, and he's one of nine children, you know, which is. It is amazing. I remember when I was interviewing all these veterans, American veterans, the number of people that had lost parents when they were very young boys and, you know,

[Guest Historian/Expert]

growing up in the 1930s and had

[James Holland]

loads of siblings, many of whom have died as well, was really quite marked. And it was, it was more common

[Guest Historian/Expert]

than not, I would say.

[James Holland]

And two of the nine children die young. His father leaves the family where Murphy's only little. His mother's left to raise her children alone.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

You know, this is Depression era poverty.

[Al Murray]

This is Dust Bowl America, isn't it?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Getting food for our stomachs and clothes for our backs was an ever present problem.

[Al Murray]

This is the paradigmatic Dust Bowl America that we think of, isn't it? That families, banks going bust in small towns, that whole wave of economic strife, the New Deal supposedly coming to people's rescue and then the war stepping in and superseding the New Deal is the thing that Americans are having to deal with.

[James Holland]

Yeah, and for those who don't know about the Dust Bowl, I mean, the Dust bowl is caused because of massive overuse of. Of prime farmland which cuts a sway through the kind of sort of mid, middle part of America from kind of north to south. It's like this huge chunk which incorporates, you know, all those. Those Midwest states of sort of, you know, Kentucky and. And so on, but also all the way down to Texas and certainly northeastern Texas. And what then happens in the early 1930s is these series of very, very destructive storms and winds that come through, and they just whip up all the topsoil and bury entire settlements and farms completely and just wreck all the crops. And that's the Dust bowl, and that's the kind of the, you know, that's the nail in the coffin of American

[Guest Historian/Expert]

kind of Midwestern agriculture.

[James Holland]

And this is, you know, absolutely what Murphy is a part of.

[Al Murray]

It's interesting, isn't it, because his mother gets ill and dies when he's 16. His three youngest siblings are sent to an orphan orphanage. Right. And he's scrappy from a young age. And he says, God knows where my

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

pride came from, but I had it. It was constantly getting me into trouble. My temper was explosive. My moods, typically Irish, swung from the

[Al Murray]

heights to the depths. At school, I fought a great deal. Perhaps I was trying to level with my fists with what I assumed fate had put above me. I mean, his mum dies when he's 16, his siblings are in an orphanage. But, you know, he's got lots to be scrappy about. You can.

[James Holland]

You're entitled to be a bit pissed off, aren't you?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, exactly. I think one of the interesting things about Murphy, and we get this from. From his writing, is he has insight into himself. He knows himself, doesn't he? This isn't one of those memoirs where he's putting up a screen. You know, very often British. And we're going to. Were leaning into the memoir in these episodes. Very often British memoirs, people don't talk about themselves at all. They talk about what's gone on around them, but they don't talk about themselves one bit. Whereas Audie Murphy, yeah, is happy to talk about himself and let you know about himself and show his insight. He really wants to join the army, doesn't he? That's the thing. Because he wants to be part of something.

[James Holland]

Well, he wants him. He wants to join the gang. He wants to have a sense of family, doesn't he? He wants a sense of belonging. You know, he's. He's. He's been cut adrift. He's been separated from his family. His dad's run off, his mum's Died. He's got, you know, he gets into trouble. You know, he, what he, what he's desperate for is some structure in his life, isn't he? Clearly. I mean.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah.

[James Holland]

You know, this is, this is why young kids who are kind of, you know, from broken homes go and join gangs. I mean, it's the same, same principle.

[Al Murray]

Well, as gangs go, if you want, the US army is the biggest, isn't it? That's basically the thing.

[James Holland]

Yes. You know, but interestingly, he is off to the Marine Corps, the U.S. navy Marine Corps recruiting station. But he's told he's underweight and too young and the, and the airborne office has similar reservations and, and tells him to go and bulk up on bananas and milk. Imagine how well that goes down. But then he's accepted into the infantry, of course, because everyone accepts people into the infantry. I mean, it's the bottom of the bottom, right? And with the help of an affidavit written by his sister who falsifies his year of birth, he gets in. But it's, it's, it's not his first choice. And as he says, I was not overjoyed.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

The infantry was too commonplace for my ambition.

[Al Murray]

Although it's the hardest job. I mean, I think that's what's interesting is it's, it's the, it's the hardest job of the lot. So he's, you know, whatever his ambition was looking for, he's going to find himself with plenty to be dealing with and he wants, he wants an outlet for his anger in combat, doesn't he? Of course, the army will offer you that, but not, not immediately. They've got to break, they've got to break you to their will, haven't they? And, and so, yeah, he finds the early sessions of close order drill and he is young and he is underweight and he, he does need to bulk up because he finds it too difficult.

[James Holland]

Well, because he's from an impoverished family and he hasn't, hasn't eaten enough. You know, it's not surprising, is it?

[Al Murray]

He hasn't got the bananas to bulk up on. He's nicknamed Baby. Yeah, shortly afterwards. And he's, and he finds it all quite humiliating, doesn't he?

[James Holland]

Yeah, well, you would, wouldn't you?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, you might. And then they're posted to Morocco in early 1943, but, but too late to be involved in the action. Carries on training and then that. And then as we said, that the, the Axis powers surrendered Tunisia not long after that. And his first planned combat mission is cancelled and he I mean, this is the spirit of the man.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

I took no part in the general sigh of relief.

[James Holland]

Yeah, but these ideals, they're going to be tested pretty quickly, don't worry. But other than Murphy's platoon arriving late, the landing at La Carta on Sicily is completely successful.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

I mean, you know, yes, there's, there's 100 casualties, but, but you know, that,

[James Holland]

that, that's pretty light. And they overwhelm the Italians very quickly and they move inland pretty swiftly as well. And Lucian Truscott, who's the 3rd Division commander then orders a division to attack in a wide arc around, rapidly expand the bridgehead. And actually this is the part of the invasion front that makes the greatest gains quickest. And this suddenly froze Murphy right into the action. And, and he's excited about this. This is what he, this is what he's wanted. And he sees this compensation for the kind of late arrival. You know, he's just absolutely gagging to sort of get into it and get stuck in. And his platoon takes a break after pushing in land and they sprawl over some rocks under blue sky. And Murphy's now getting to know his comrades and he's already become friends with Abraham Johnson who's, whose nickname is Horse

[Guest Historian/Expert]

Face because they were kind of pals

[James Holland]

in, in North Africa together. And then there's also Martin Kelly who's an Irish American, so he has an affiliation with him because obviously Murphy is

[Guest Historian/Expert]

a, is a, is an Irishman as well.

[James Holland]

You know, his Irish background. Then there's Joe Sieja who's a, who's a Pole from Chicago and Latti Tipton who's born and raised in Tennessee. And then there's Antonio, who's an Italian American and these are his great mates. And I have to say that in the book they're all given pseudonyms. But, but you know, enough work has been done on all of this and Audie Murphy's life and career and writings that they figured out who they are. But anyway, suddenly two shells fall near

[Guest Historian/Expert]

them in quick succession.

[James Holland]

And this is Murphy's first real experience of combat.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

And he writes something terrible and immediate

[Al Murray]

about its whistle makes my scalp start prickling.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

I grab my helmet and flip over on my stomach. The explosion is thunderous, steel fragments whine and the ground seems to jump up and hit me in the face.

[James Holland]

And a red headed soldier who's been resting with them has crumpled off the rock and has blood trickling out of

[Guest Historian/Expert]

his mouth and nose and he's dead. You know, that's it. And the men Sort of crowd around him sadly and take his ammo at the behest of a more senior soldier.

[James Holland]

And Kelly says he recognizes him. He says, you know, that they were.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

They'd been together in North Africa and he was married and had children.

[James Holland]

He was just sitting there on the rug.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

One man remarks, I was looking at

[James Holland]

him just a minute before. And then another man is killed. When the platoon pushes northwards towards Campo

[Guest Historian/Expert]

Bello the next day, you know.

[James Holland]

And as they advance on the town, they come under intense machine gun fire

[Guest Historian/Expert]

from across the railway track and they take cover. But it's clear they now have to

[James Holland]

attack the guns, so the orders are

[Guest Historian/Expert]

passed down in whispers. When you get a signal, make a run for it, stop for nothing until you find cover on the other side of the track.

[Al Murray]

Murphy starts to run when he gets the wave and there are bullets zipping past him everywhere. Two men around him jerk backwards and fall. A drop, then a grenade explodes. He jumps into a shallow ditch to take cover again with Sierraja, who snaps a cigarette in two and offers him half Murphy, he doesn't smoke, which is unusual for the time, seeing as basically everybody does. So he refuses it and Seija says

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

to him, you gotta smoke smoke to stay happy.

[Al Murray]

You try it.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

No, thanks. Did they get the machine gun?

[Al Murray]

They get it, but the sons of

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

bitches knocked over two of our men.

[Al Murray]

What I love about this is they're there, you're there with them. It's. It's incredible, isn't it? And then Campo Bello falls to the Allies not long after this. This is the beginning of a very strong bond with Ciego, isn't it, that he begins to really. That they're being pushed together by, by, by the experience. And Murphy later recalls his great selflessness.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

He would divide his last drop of blood with a comrade or his last bit of lead with the enemy.

[Al Murray]

And he always refers to the Germans, living or dead or wounded, as sons of beaches. He hates them passionately, which is because

[James Holland]

he's got a Polish background, hasn't he?

[Al Murray]

Plenty of reason to be Polish, which is what, what. But what's remarkable as this unfolds is that. Is that we get to see all these. I mean, that cast of people that Murphy has with him, you know, it's an Italian American, a Pole, an Irish American, you know, again, when we did. When we did our Warbirds of Liberty series, we were joking about how it all felt like it was written by, you know, Hollywood scriptwriters. There are elements of this that feel the same. It's too good to be true that he has such a sort of amazing cross section of American people, you know,

[James Holland]

but it's, it's, it's, it's a cliche because it's true. That's the point. You know, this is, this is the cross section of America. You know, it is a nation of immigrants and there are Poles and Italian Americans and Irishmen and, you know, German Americans and you know, people who've been

[Guest Historian/Expert]

there for 300 years and all the rest of it.

[James Holland]

So, you know, it's, it's, it's just like that. It's well worth also reminding everyone that, you know, this is July 1943. It's incredibly hot. You know, the Baedeker guide to Sicily warns tourists never under any circumstances to visit Sicily in the months of July, August, because it's so filthy and hot and, and terrible and full of malaria. And of course the Allies, in their wisdom, this is exactly when they go there. And by the 12th of July. So just two days after the invasion, the Americans of the 3rd Division and the Rangers have created a 50 mile wide bridgehead, linked up the forces from all three American landings, Gela, Licata and Scoliti. And good gains are being made. And the 15th infantry, to which Murphy's attached, have read Canitkati, which is more than 25 miles inland. You know, I mean, that's a good effort in 48 hours.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

And Murphy kills his first men on this day. You know, he's on a scouting patrol and he spots two Italian officers cantering

[James Holland]

on horses and he instantly drops down onto his knee, hoists his rifle onto his shoulder, aims, squeezes the trigger, shoots them both and watches both slump off their saddles. And Murphy's lieutenant chastises him for such a spontaneous outburst.

[Al Murray]

And Murphy responds, that's our job, isn't it?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

They would have killed us if they'd had the chance.

[Al Murray]

That's their job.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Or have I been wrongly informed?

[James Holland]

I mean, he's a cocky little bastard, isn't he?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, but they may have been, you know, pair of officers, probably more useful to capture them and interrogate them, but there we are. But he's, he's basically, he's seen his, he's seen guys in his platoon killed. You know, he's beginning to be brutalized basically by the reality of war, isn't he?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms. Qualms.

[James Holland]

Got a qualms.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Now I've shed my first qualms. Now I've shed my first blood. I feel no Qualms, no pride, no remorse.

[James Holland]

But as we know, you know, disease is a massive issue in, on the island and malaria is, is taking out more men than bullets and shrapnel. And of course, Murphy succumbs to this and he catches it during. Because they create this provisional cord, don't

[Guest Historian/Expert]

they, to spread west?

[James Holland]

Because basically the original plan was to just go straight northwards and cut up towards Messina. But 8th army has taken over some of the roads that had been before the invasion had been allocated to the Americans. And they've taken them instead, their axis of advance. And so Patton has redirected his forces to just sweep westwards and clear the whole of the western part of Sicily. And it's an amazing operation. And it's really where, you know, the U.S. army in the war sort of comes of age really, because it's a fantastic operational success. And the Provisional Corps, which is provisionally

[Guest Historian/Expert]

created for this purpose, has the 3rd Infantry Division attached to it.

[James Holland]

But as they're heading westwards, marching under the intense sun and through dust clouds, Murphy starts to feel increasingly unwell.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Yeah, my brain swam and my internal organs rumbled. Finally I could take it no longer. I fell out of the ranks, lay down on the road, heaved until I thought I would lose my stomach.

[James Holland]

And he manages to get up and keep going.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, and then a major says to him, what's wrong?

[James Holland]

Are you sick, soldier?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

No, sir, I'm just spilling my guts for the hell of it.

[James Holland]

I mean, he's quite cocky, isn't he?

[Al Murray]

Well, in the, in the telling, he's quite cocky. I, I think, you know, this is a situation he's throwing his guts up. He's got malaria. He doesn't know, but who knows what he said. Anyway, he blacks out the next day, he's taken to hospital. This is one of the issues of fighting in these sort of, in these sort of climbs. 55% of all casualties on all sides are malaria related, which is quite incredible. And the fact that the terrain is very, very difficult, mountainous, great drops hit villages on hilltops and all this stuff. Sicily is a very, very difficult place to fight through. 3rd Division are driving along the north coast along the coastal highway 113.

[James Holland]

Yeah, so this happens after they've done. They've cleared the west and they've, and they've, they cleared a west. The British are still on the kind of eastern side, up, up into the middle, sort of converging on the, towards Messina in the northeast. And the Americans are now sent, having cleared Palermo on, you know, on whatever

[Guest Historian/Expert]

it was, the 23rd of July, I think it was.

[James Holland]

They're then redirected along that north coast of Sicily heading straight for Messina. But, but the roads are narrow again, lots of mountains. It's very difficult terrain. And that coastal Highway 113 is easy to defend and easy to destroy if you're the German defenders.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

That's the truth of it.

[Al Murray]

The Germans are doing what you do in this situation. And what will become the pattern of things when the war gets to Italy, which is blowing bridges, mining roads, demolitions and all this sort of stuff to basically. Because if you're, if you've only got the one, one route, one highway that actually makes slowing the enemy down easy and cost effective with, with sappers and pioneers essentially. They reach the furiano river on 3 August, which is an outpost of 29th Panzer Grenadier Division's San Fratello position. And it's very well defended. So the Allies tumultuous charge comes to a halt.

[James Holland]

It's an interesting position because you've got, you've got where the river comes out into the, into the sea, you've got this little sort of plany bit. So the Americans are coming on the coast road. There's mountains on their side, mountains to the south, mountains on the far side. But there is this sort of low level bit which, you know, you've got a crossover. So from a German point of view it's quite easy to defend because you know, obviously you've blown the bridge. You kind of lace either side of it with huge numbers of mines and

[Guest Historian/Expert]

wire and what, whatever.

[James Holland]

You then have observers on the hill and you've got the, you've got the, the bit zero. So the only way to kind of outflank it is to kind of basically work your way around the mountainy bits and get in sort of behind them. So it's really, really difficult.

[Al Murray]

Murphy has since recovered from his malaria. He's been promoted. So someone spotted his, his appetite for action responsibility. As they're crossing this, this heavily defended area, they're caught in artillery and mortar fire.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

He says. The earth shudders and the screaming of shells intermingles with the screaming of men

[Al Murray]

and they fall back and one of his guys breaks down in tears and is taken out of the action. I think this is very interesting. Audie Murphy sees this as cowardice and has no sympathy. Let's not forget that the Sicily campaign is the one in which General George C. Patton ends up striking one of a couple of his men for that exact reason. So Murphy at the bottom of the food chain in the American army may well approve of George Patton's actions at this particular moment. But he's new, isn't he Murphy? He's still new, Murphy. He still hasn't been through too much. We'll see. His attitude, I think mutate. They can't get across the river. They try again the next morning, they can't get across. Task Force 88 is called up for support and an example of American operational flexibility. They put together an amphibious operation to outflank this position at San Fratello. And the problem is, is the landing craft they've got are all being refit from the landings, the main landings. So you know, they're in the, they've been removed from the equation because they need to be repaired and landing craft are incredibly precious resource. So, so there's a limit on them. And this asks a question was will there be enough troops and firepower to, to actually, to make this work and dominate the, dominate the Germans? We are after all talking about pattern. So he goes ahead anyway. 7th Army Commander, as you said, this is where the, where the American army sort of comes into itself, this campaign. And it's little coincidence that it's a, it's, it's someone who really likes to have his foot on the gas that's making that happen. They're, they're interrupted by four attacking Ju 88s on the, on the 6th of August and the Americans shoot two of them down. But one of the landing ship tanks LST suffers some bad damage. So 24 hour postponement landing craft are precious. And that basically that there's been four days fighting at San Fratello. After this amazing progress that they've made streaking along Highway 113, they're stuck. It's been four days and they haven't been able to crack this particular nut. So on the night of the 7th, the amphibious operation begins with a land operation early that next morning. This is all under the watchful eye, under the watchful binoculars, the binos of George Patton.

[James Holland]

They're really close to the front and they're there via a five mile road built by American engineers in less than 24 hours. I mean, you know, this is the operational art that these guys are proving capable of. And you know, this is also an aspect that no one had really appreciated I think before the Americans come into the fight the previous November in, when

[Guest Historian/Expert]

they land and part of the torch

[James Holland]

land is in northwest Africa and it's just phenomenal and, and you know, this is a point we've made before that, you know, with every tank you've basically

[Guest Historian/Expert]

got two bulldozers and. And graders and all the rest of it.

[James Holland]

So they are very well placed to kind of make this. These. These huge sort of engineering projects that enable them to kind of maneuver more,

[Guest Historian/Expert]

you know, maneuver more efficiently.

[James Holland]

Anyway. That evening of the 7th of August,

[Guest Historian/Expert]

the 3rd Division attacks with full firepower

[James Holland]

and offshore naval guns. And they do take a crucial feature, which is Hill 673 overlooking the Little town of San Fratello.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

And this is a key kind of piece of territory.

[James Holland]

And Murphy's been ordered to stay behind and guard a machine gun emplacement in a vineyard. And so he has a great view of the action by this stage. He's seen enough action to know that he doesn't need to have any FOMO at all. He's not no fear of missing out

[Guest Historian/Expert]

on combat by this stage.

[Al Murray]

Yeah.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

He says the assignment suits me. I now see that the fighting will not run out. There will be plenty of war for everybody.

[James Holland]

Yeah.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

And how.

[James Holland]

Anyway, the ensuing German counterattack, which is as inevitable, as light as night follows day, is predictably vicious. Murphy's company commander is killed, but the Americans keep hold of the hill. And Murphy eats lots of grapes from

[Guest Historian/Expert]

the vineyard as his as this all unfold.

[James Holland]

So this is sort of bizarre picture of him sitting next to this machine gun position, you know, eating grapes and going, holy cow, look what's going on over there.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

And all the rest of it.

[James Holland]

Anyway, the Germans at that point start

[Guest Historian/Expert]

to abandon their positions and pull back.

[James Holland]

And they also abandon Italian troops from the Assieta Divisione who've been supporting them on the left flank.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

But, you know, obviously the Germans don't really give a job for their Italian allies.

[James Holland]

And so masses of these Italian troops

[Guest Historian/Expert]

surrender the next morning.

[James Holland]

And Murphy says, well, he has a

[Al Murray]

hangover from his day, but not the one you might expect.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

I acquired a healthy respect for the Germans as fighters, an insight into the fury of mass combat and a bad case of diarrhea. I'd eaten too many grapes.

[Al Murray]

K rations and fresh fruit are a bad mix, I think is what we've learned there. And the Allies Capture Messina. On the 17th of August. The Sicilian campaign ends and the invasion of of mainland Italy begins, which we will return to after the break as the Allies press on to the mainland. We'll see you in a tick.

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[Al Murray]

welcome back to we have Ways that make youe Talk with Mi? O Murray and James Holland. And we're looking at Audie Murphy's war. And Audie Murphy has successfully captured Sicily. Now he progresses onto Italy. It's interesting, isn't it, because we're looking at just him. There is a sense, isn't there, in this campaign that the Americans are learning about what fighting the Germans is really like. And Audie Murphy is doing exactly that himself, isn't he?

[James Holland]

And he, and he's also learning that being a frontline soldier is one that involves getting malaria boiled by the sun. The privations and discomfort of having diarrhea while you're out in the open and, and surrounded by your fellows, insufficient, you know, food, which is samey and tedious and, you know, all those, all those difficulties and all those things that, that, that come together. And this is where you need your mates and this is where camaraderie comes in because you need conversation and banter and, you know, guys to keep you going, don't you?

[Al Murray]

The seriousness of the thing, you know, the man joins up for adventure and finds himself in something quite, quite different to I think, what he, what he'd imagined. In mid September, the third division, they come ashore at Salerno, which is just south of Naples on the coast. It's nine days after the initial landings and they're part of 6 Corps under John Lucas. Murphy has already been, he's been promoted to corporal. He's still knackered though. The intensity of Sicily.

[James Holland]

Yeah, yeah, he is. But that means he's now a squad commander. So he's a squad commander.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

So he's now commanding 10 minutes.

[Al Murray]

But he says, the Sicilian campaign has

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

taken the vinegar out of my spirits. I've seen war as it actually is and I do not like it.

[Al Murray]

Which is quite the U turn, isn't it? Basically what third Division are trying to do, they're trying to move northwards and catch the Germans. And once the Allies land on the mainland, the Germans do what they've been doing in Sicily, blowing up bridges, taking out vulnerable pieces of road because the roads, after all, are cut into hillsides or whatever, trying to slow the Allies down. Of course, the Allies are fully mechanized. That's been their ambition for the way they're going to fight war as a fully mechanized force. And so if you're mechanized, you're incredibly vulnerable to a road network being messed about with. And so, yeah, so, you know, while this may mean that when the going's good you can, you can bring your tanks up and you can bring your guns up and you can pummel, when the going's bad, you can't. And things are reduced to, yes, infantry scraps, machine guns, well positioned machine guns that need to be wiggled out by gi.

[James Holland]

Exactly that, exactly that. And there is this amazing episode, and

[Guest Historian/Expert]

it's a brilliant episode in the book

[James Holland]

where, you know, he's got his squad

[Guest Historian/Expert]

and they're in a ditch near a road running along a valley through the mountains. And this is a particularly vivid section in, in his memoir.

[James Holland]

And the task is to destroy a

[Guest Historian/Expert]

German machine gun emplacement which is just over on the other, over the, the other side of the stream. They slide into the riverbed and crouch along it, trying not to be seen by the Germans over the bank and there's Murphy and his, and Tipton and another man called Steiner and they stop leapfrogging forward, you know, so one covers the moves forward, third jumps both and so on, but Steiner doesn't notice a spot where the Germans have cut a gap in the grass, you know, so the Germans have got this machine gun crew, they've got this clear firing view

[James Holland]

and there's a sudden burst of bullets

[Guest Historian/Expert]

from the German machine gun and Steiner's hit, lurching forward and then crumpling into the riverbank.

[James Holland]

And all Murphy can think about in

[Guest Historian/Expert]

that moment is Steiner's nine year old daughter who had described to them, you know, Steiner had described them all before, you know, freckled nose, wearing her hair in pigtails and with bows at the end. And Steiner had shown them a letter she'd sent him.

[James Holland]

You know, it's like, dear Daddy, I'm

[Guest Historian/Expert]

in school, but the teacher is not looking.

[James Holland]

When are you coming home? I miss you. And, you know, this is all Murphy can think of. And he suddenly goes, get a grip, you know, snap out of it. And of course, you know, he's thinking of his own sisters, isn't he? His younger sisters who've been ripped away

[Guest Historian/Expert]

and sent off to an orphanage.

[James Holland]

And, you know, and what he aspires to, of course, is this kind of perfect harmony, family life where he's married,

[Guest Historian/Expert]

he's got kids himself.

[James Holland]

And, you know, in that way, I think he's. Of course, I mean, you know, it's just the idealistic view of life, isn't it? A peaceful life, but you can't do anything about it. Stein is dead. And so he and Tipton shift into a new position.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

And when a German head cautiously pops up from the riverbank, Murphy's ready. He fires a burst of bullets from his Tommy gun before the German drops to his knees. And Tipton then reaches the collapsed bridge ahead, pulls the pin from a grenade before hurling it towards the enemy and then throwing another two in the same direction.

[James Holland]

And amidst the explosions, he gets ready

[Guest Historian/Expert]

to throw a fourth. And Murphy yells at him and says, keep down.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Keep down. Are you nuts?

[James Holland]

But Tipton lobs a grenade anyway. And after the explosion, they both scramble towards the enemy positions and.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

Five Germans dead.

[James Holland]

They then caught up the rest of the squad. They lay Steiner's body on the roadside

[Guest Historian/Expert]

where he'll be picked up. And as Murphy points out, it's grim, isn't it?

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

The bullet ripped an artery in his throat.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

Yeah, this guy just bleeds out.

[Al Murray]

But this is what you've got to do. You've got to take out these machine gun nests one by one before you can make progress. And, and this is why the. Being an infantryman, as we said really early on, is the hardest, the hardest of the, the gigs. What, you know, were. Murphy a paratrooper, if he'd succeeded in being a paratrooper, he'd be sat around waiting to be deployed, wouldn't he? Waiting for their number to come up for, for, you know, whereas if you're a regular infantryman, you're. You're going to get. You're going to get plenty of this sort of thing. The Germans are. They're really, really good at this. Stalling, defensive. They're really good at it with booby traps and blowing up bridges and roads and make. And the weather's not helping. There's very bad rain. The combination of things also, if this is what you're trying to do to hold The Allies up. This is exactly what you do. This is, you know, it's what. It's what the Americans will be doing in reverse where. Where the worst situations reversed. And it means that, you know, you're not using trucks and mobile mechanized warfare. It's mules, it's donkeys, it's ponies, and

[James Holland]

it's your own two feet.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Exactly.

[Al Murray]

And finding soldiers who can deal with the animals is difficult because. Because the decision has been made to go mechanized. Whereas. And I think this is very. This is an excellent point here, Jim. The German army, of course, and this is the thing that often gets pointed out, doesn't it? This is like a. Did you know that actually most people who are across this now. Yes. The German army is much more. Is almost entirely reliant on horsepower, literally on horses. You know that for all the stories of blitzkrieg, I mean, I remember a very long time ago, you wheeled out that picture of German horses watering during the campaign in France.

[James Holland]

Oh, yes, in 1940. Yeah.

[Al Murray]

They've been brought down to a river or a stream or. Or a pond or whatever to. To have a drink. And you, you know, the question is, when is the. When's this picture from? And it's from May 1940, because the German army is horse drawn. So the German army actually, by, you know, chance and by the turn of fate is actually well equipped for dealing with this battlefield on this terrain because they're much. That's what they use. They use horses. They're men are used to using horses. All their manuals have horse handling notes.

[James Holland]

They do. There's the famous. The famous infantryman handbook called the Ribert. And the Ribert is. Is. Is privately produced, but every soldier has one. And as you point out, there's a huge section at the back of it on.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

On horse care and how you look

[James Holland]

after what you need to do and all the rest of it. I mean, having said that, though, of course, you know, the German problems is they're just short of everything. They know how to handle horses, and that obviously gives them a certain advantage. But. But they are short of absolutely everything. But they do have this ability to, you know, in this terrain of all these mountains and rivers and all the rest of it, to make attacking very difficult and make defense. Defense quite straightforward. And, you know, winter comes very quickly in Italy and in that. That autumn of 1943, and, you know, it seems incredible to men like Murphy who, you know, just a couple of months earlier are kind of sort of absolutely being baked alive in sort of, you know, 30 plus degrees Celsius, by

[Guest Historian/Expert]

the way, for American listeners.

[James Holland]

Not Fahrenheit, but very hot, hot temperatures. What would that be? 85 degrees or something in Fahrenheit? They're suddenly, they're being rained on the whole time. And you know, it is, it is a, a meteorological fact that from the 1st of October to the 31st of December, 1943, it rains on average 30 seconds of every 60. So you know, it's horrible. And John Lucas, who's the general who's commanding 6th Corps at this point, you know, he, he notes the town near the river is merely a mass of

[Guest Historian/Expert]

rubble and smells horribly of the bodies buried in the masonry. There can be no doubt in any soldier's mind as to what we're fighting for.

[James Holland]

Anyone who has seen these miserable people, this is Italian citizens standing amid the

[Guest Historian/Expert]

rubbish of their destroyed homes or digging

[James Holland]

in the rubble for bodies of relatives or friends, must know that this must

[Guest Historian/Expert]

not happen in America.

[James Holland]

That's the scenario. And it is, as you point out, it is the doughboys, the infantry, who are having to. The dog faces, as they're also called, who are having to do the hard

[Guest Historian/Expert]

yards here on this attacking.

[Al Murray]

Because we are talking single roads. And so bringing up an armored column is basically, it's a non starter, isn't it really, until you, you, you reach a plane or something or a river crossing that you need to do in style. But as you, as these roads are cut through the hillsides and mountains, they're very, very vulnerable. This is the, the story of the Italian campaign, isn't it? Is that, is that it's. Yeah, these sort of scratching across mountain sides and hillsides and then into valleys and across rivers, across the big rivers that come down regularly off the mountains to the coast. So you've got, you've got no option to be crossing rivers the entire time. And the challenge is that option, because the mountains at the village of Trefliscoe, the mountains drop steeply down onto the south bank and then there's 300 yards across the width of the river and there's lower hills on the north bank. But basically you've got to get across the darn thing. The Germans are in a defensive posture.

[James Holland]

So from the Germans point of view, it's an incredibly strong defensive position. And from the American point of view, you've got this comparatively narrow stretch of, you know, from, from the road from the riverbank up to the kind of base of the, of these steeply rising hills. So you've got very little room to maneuver. And so they get, they get a bit, get penned down there and actually where Murphy is is where there's one of the narrowest stretches from the foot of the mountains to the river. You can maneuver in there in night and get into that position, but actually to get across the river, you've got to expose yourself, get across, you know, get over the floodplain bit down to the riverside, get across the river, then get up on the other side. It's, it's really not, not easy at all. And of course, you know, the whole

[Guest Historian/Expert]

point is to try and start in, you know, when the weather's dry, which they do.

[James Holland]

So the problem is, is they get there and then it starts to pour with rain and they, they know they need kind of dry weather to get across and it's just filthy. So they're kind of slightly holed up in this cave to start off with, sort of pinned against the kind of base of the mountains, knowing that every movement they make can be seen by

[Guest Historian/Expert]

snipers and machine gun nests on the other side of the, of the, of the river Volturno.

[Al Murray]

These situations are interesting, aren't they? Because if you're attacking, you have to make all the decisions. If you're defending, you don't have to. You have the defenders initiative, which is you've reduced the other side's options. And whichever, whichever decision they make, you've probably got a solution to, right? And, or you, you at least you know, you, you don't have to decide what to do. You just have to defend and pen the other guy in. So Murphy, he describes the cave.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

He says the sour stench of decaying food and moldy clothing tells us us that the Germans have been up to the usual job of bad housekeeping and

[Al Murray]

they look for mines and booby traps before they settle down. But they've been told to stay there until relieved. It's at the narrowest point of the river, across from Troflisco. So they're going to claim, interestingly, use this position as a feint and then conduct the main assault further up the river to get the Germans off balance to try and make a decision. Because your problem is if you're attacking, you have to do the deciding. Murphy's squad pretty quickly figure out what their job is. James Fife says he says to Murphy, so we're pigeons. A damn decoy, I guess you could call us that. And then there's a guy called Fife who's a Seminole Native American from Oklahoma.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

And Murphy says he has nerves of iron, a fine eye for targets, and a weakness for Automatic weapons.

[James Holland]

Yeah, he's. He's the man with the bar, you know, he's the man with a Browning automatic rifle. And he's. He's a terrific character, Fife, you know, so you're talking about your cliche. You've got. You've got your. You've got your Pole, you've got your Italian, you've got your Native American, you've got your Texan. I mean, what more do you want?

[Al Murray]

Well, what you've got is a hundred million dollars from that Hollywood studio to make your movie, Jim. There you go. Simple as that. Yeah, well, we're green lighting this. It's still raining. The next morning. They spend the night in this cave. Murphy can't see the enemy across the river. Of course they're there. He takes a few shots in that direction from behind the sandbags, but they're met with a reply from sniper bullets. So they're. Not only is the enemy there, but the enemy knows where he is. And, you know, this is one of the problems, of course, with taking a position that the enemy have previously held. They know perfectly well where it is, and they know perfectly well how useful it might be. So they all basically feel like they're in a trap, don't they?

[James Holland]

Yeah. Well, Antonio is particularly cheesed off because his pop had always told him that Rome is the real Italy. But instead he says, we ain't going nowhere. But to another son of a bitching mud hole crawling with lice. There's no vocation. We came in a fight, responds Sieger. Yeah, we fight. And what for? I'm asking you for what I mean, you know, so they're in this closed space. They're pinned in. It's dank, it's miserable, it stenches, it's pouring with rain outside. You know, Antonio's looking at the countryside of his father and just thinking, this place is miserable and I've got Germans wanting to kill me, you know, so, so he's, he's, he's got a point. And you know, General Lucas, who keeps this amazing diary throughout this time, you know, he also notes that his diary

[Guest Historian/Expert]

at this time he goes, rain, rain, rain. The roads are so deep in mud that moving troops and supplies forward is a terrific job. Enemy resistance is nearly as great as that of Mother Nature.

[Al Murray]

They're in this cave, Murphy and his squad, for three days. So come October 12th, they're still there. Their rations are still going, they're out of water, so they're thirsty. There's the grumbling. As we've seen there's some nerves. They also know they go down to the river for water, they'll be shot by whoever's been, they've been taking pot shots at Mutually.

[James Holland]

But they're all getting parched, aren't they?

[Guest Historian/Expert]

I mean, that's the problem.

[Al Murray]

And they agree that that night though, someone will have to go and get some water. But what's interesting is they don't agree who. So Murphy is dozing and he's suddenly awoken by the sound of an MG42 like that. And he and Sieger dash up and peer through a gap in the sandbags to find Antonio shot and writhing on the floor. And he's gone to go and get water without anyone being on watch. I mean, this is awful. Murphy shouts to him, come back, you

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

crazy fool, come back.

[Al Murray]

Antonio manages to get up, takes one step, his legs bend double and the, you can see the bone thrust through his flesh and he stumbles forward onto the stump. I can't see the, the machine gun, the gunner. Then there's another burst of bullets that goes through, cuts him through the midriff and he's cut down.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

This is horrible, isn't it?

[Al Murray]

Sierra just shouts, goddamn Sansa beaches. And starts to run out to go and take on the enemy, but Murphy

[James Holland]

tackles him to the ground.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Al Murray]

Brings him down and stops him going and everyone's like in a state of shock. Murphy later finds siege in the cave with his head in his hands. He's mumbling, God damn it, man.

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

It would have been no use. Antonio was already dead.

[Al Murray]

Murphy has seen men killed before, you know, right on the first day he saw that red headed soldier killed. But this is his first pal, this is his first friend he's lost.

[James Holland]

It's a guy he's lived with for, you know, the past. You know, where are we now? We're in October, so, you know, July, August, September. Yeah. For four months these guys have been, you know, absolutely wedded together, cheek by jowl, cheek by jowl, every day, you know, so, so, you know, he's, he's a bosom buddy and it's, and it's cutting. And don't Forget Murphy is 18 years old and he's responsible for these guys. You know, that's the other thing. You know, he is the squad commander

[Al Murray]

now and he says Antonio lies in

[Audie Murphy (narration/quotes)]

the mud with his leg double beneath him. He has come home to the soil that gave his parents birth.

[Al Murray]

You got to remember the American war is being fought by people who are, I don't know who are, who are the children of immigrants and people who've escaped Europe to get away from Europe and the turmoil that Europe represents. And here they are giving their lives in Europe to try and end that turmoil. It. It's an extraordinary thing.

[James Holland]

Yeah. But the truth is it's barely begun for audio Murphy. There's, there's, there's tons more. Not least The Bernhard Line, 30 miles to the north. And then, of course, Anzio.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

So big moments to come in the next episode.

[Al Murray]

We hope you've enjoyed this so far. If you want to get crack on and alongside Audie Murphy and his pals and find out what happens to them next as they make their way north, then what you want to do is get yourself over to our Patreon that we have ways to make you talk Patreon, where membership affords you live casts, ticket offers and all sorts of other fun that comes with the we have ways experience. Or you can join the Apple Channel way. What you get with the Apple Channel officer class is you get the podcast without ads, but you're not quite the sweet taste of membership that you might get with a Patreon. Anyway, we hope you've enjoyed this. We'll see you very, very soon as Audie Murphy wipes down his M1 Garand, or his Thompson, whatever his weapon of choice, and embarks on further grinding combat against the Germans. We'll see you soon.

[Guest Historian/Expert]

Cheers.

[Al Murray]

Cheerio.