Copies (undated) of World War II Publication, including The Red Bulletin and Mission Accomplished, an unpublished partial history of the 34th division of the 135th Infantry Regiment, and photographs.
The 135th Infantry Regiment traces its lineage back to the American Civil War, where it was the first volunteer regiment formed for service. It mustered for service in World War Two on 10 February 1941 and was incorporated into the 34th Division, known as the "Red Bulls". After conducting training exercises in North Ireland and England, it deployed in the North Africa Campaign, assaulting the beaches at Algiers, Algeria on 7 November 1942. The regiment then moved east as part of the push into Tunisia and acquitted itself remarkably against fierce German resistance, with its members earning several Distinguished Service Crosses in the fighting. The North Africa Campaign concluded in May of 1943 and the regiment was deployed to the Gulf of Salerno for the Italian Campaign on 20 September 1943. The regiment was present at the Battles of the Volturno Line, Monte Cassino, and Anzio before marching north through Rome and participating in the assault on the Gothic Line. The regiment finished the war with a distinguished record, as its members earned four Congressional Medals of Honor, 28 Distinguished Service Crosses, and approximately 4000 Purple Hearts, in addition to a myriad of other citations.
This collection contains two photocopied images on a singular sheet of paper, the top image of Benito Mussolini's execution and display at the Piazzale Loreto and the second of an unknown mass execution during the Italian Campaign. The photos are in black and white and both measure approximately 5.5 by 3.5 inches.
The documents in the collection consist of a Mission Accomplished review of the Africa, Sicily, and Italy campaigns, three editions of The Red Bulletin newsletter (April 14, 28 and June 2, 1945) from the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, and a partial history of the 135th Infantry Regiment. The Mission Accomplished booklet gives a broad description of American accomplishments during the campaigns while The Red Bulletin contains contributions from and anecdotes about specific men, typically from the enlisted ranks. The partial history of the 135th is much more detailed, with descriptions of movements, people, and encounters during the course of the North African and Italian Campaigns.
Gift of Mr. William Norman Hudson
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Processed by Joel Cook, March 2020.
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.