Wehrmacht Machine Gun Crew take up Positions in the Rocky Terrain

Wehrmacht Machine gun crew take up positions in the rocky terrain. They're wearing tropenhemd (tropical shirt) with 1st patttern (right) and 2nd pattern tropenhelm (pith helmet). The Maschinengewehr 34 (MG 34) mounted on its tripod with long range sights for sustained fire role, as used by the Wehrmacht, still dressed in colonial garb from the campaign in the Western Desert, in their defense of southern Italy, summer 1943. The MG 34 in this picture were used as heavy machine-gun role on a Lafette 34. By removing the indirect fire sights and trigger, the MG 34 quickly converts to a light machine-gun. The most far-reaching feature of the MG 34 was tactical rather than mechanical; it was the first example of what is known today as the ‘General Purpose’ machine gun. Fitted with a bipod it functioned as the squad light automatic; on its tripod, which incorporated a sprung cradle to reduce the recoil and vibration and thus make continuous fire less fatiguing for the gunner, it functioned as a medium machine gun; and on a different pattern of light tripod and fitted with the saddle-drum magazine, it made a good anti-aircraft weapon.

Sources :
http://www.geocities.ws/pentagon/2833/heer/infantry/mg34/mg34.html
http://ww2-weapons.com/mg34/

Sherman Guarding a Roadblock in Livorno

A rare color photo of an early production M4A1 Sherman of B Company's 3rd Platoon (752nd Tank Battalion) guarding a roadblock in Livorno, most likely taken on 22 July 1944, several days after Livorno was secured.  This is a shot that was staged by the photographer for the enjoyment of the folks back home.  Originally labeled as simply "on the road to Pisa." Some historians and enthusiasts once believed this was taken in Ponsacco, but the 752 was nowhere near Ponsacco. It is now confirmed that the location is in front of the Villa Bertocchini in downtown Livorno.  The once beautiful Villa Bertocchini survived the war, only to be torn down and replaced with an ugly apartment complex. This tank belonged to Sergeant Ray Holt (the father of Bob Holt, 752nd Tank Battalion historian), who is show in the tank commander's position manning the .50 machine gun. The photo is another staged action shot in the 22 July series of at least 4 colored photos (the other two photos have not yet surfaced). Both photos have been incorrectly labeled as 1st Armored Division tanks in various books and websites. However, the original photo caption in the National Archives, the markings on the tank, the historical facts, and the unmistakable identities of the 752nd men clearly indicate this is a 752nd tank

Source :
http://www.752tank.com/toarno.html

Trucks and Tanks of the 752nd Tank Battalion Leaving Rome

During the Second World War, despite being the capital of Italy, Rome was declared an "Open City" and never bombed or otherwise damaged by the war. After the Allies captured Sicily in 1943, the Mussolini's Fascist government collapsed. The Allies invaded mainland Italy on September 3, 1943 and slowly moved up the peninsula. Even after the American invasion at Anzio on January 22, 1944, it was hard to advance north toward Rome. Finally on June 4, 1944, American troops liberated Rome. Crowds of ecstatic Italians spilled into the streets to welcome the Americans as the main elements of the U.S. Fifth Army moved north through the city. This rare color photo showing trucks and tanks of the 752nd Tank Battalion leaving Rome on 5 June 1944. A small crowd of curious civilians watches the column move through the Porta del Popolo and past the Chiesa di San Maria del Popolo. The Signal Corps shot only a relatively small number of color photos during World War II. Fortunately, color photographers followed the 752nd during the summer and fall of 1944

Source :
http://www.752tank.com/ebolitorome.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~mcgady/Rome/rome.html

Sherman Tank in the Streets of Livorno

An American mid-production M4A1 "Sherman" tank from 3rd Platoon / B Company / 752nd Tank Battalion on one of the streets of the Italian city of Livorno, a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy, July 1944. This is another staged action shot in the 22 July series of at least 4 colored photos (the other two photos have not yet surfaced). The rubble on the left side was placed there to designate the beginning of the "Zona Nera" (Black Zone), a heavily mined industrial district that civilians were forbidden to enter. The location is one block away from another photo that was taken in the same sequence, and Villa Bertocchini is the light colored building in the background. Both photos have been incorrectly labeled as 1st Armored Division tanks in various books and websites. However, the original photo caption in the National Archives, the markings on the tank, the historical facts, and the unmistakable identities of the 752nd men clearly indicate this is a 752nd tank. The men of the 752nd Tank Battalion distinguished themselves in some of the most difficult combat in the Italian Campaign. They recorded the highest number of consecutive combat days for any battalion in the entire Fifth Army (341), and became the only independent tank battalion in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations to receive the Presidential Unit Citation!

Sources :
http://www.752tank.com/toarno.html
http://www.ww2incolor.com/us-armor/aPisa+tank.html