Four days before the Axis surrendered in Italy in 1945, the Força
Expedicionária Brasileira (Brazilian Expeditionary Division) made a push for
the Allies in the Taro river area near Collecchio.
A swirling breeze lifted scattered leaves into a shrinking
spiral against a cloud bedecked blue sky that spoke of ascending hope. Sargento
Zenóbio da Silva, 6th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Division closed
his eyes against the momentary grit, opened again to the ocular lens, resumed
his breathing, tightened his tension on the trigger and waited.
Hidden in a young orchard to the west, scanning through his
binoculars Oberleutnant Frederich Schmidt, 242nd Sturmgeschütz Battalion, 90th
Panzergrenadier Division saw a flicker of breeze-born leaves rise above the
stone wall lining the street exiting the town. The gaps in the stones would
make excellent sniper hides.
Stabsgefreiter Oskar Hinkel, knelt at the Fiume Taro’s edge,
filled their canteens and returned, distracted by the glory of the mid-day sun,
walking upright through the trees.
“Get down, Hinkel, down! The sun is bright and betrays
us,” hissed the Oberleutnant. Hinkel instantly dropped, scattering the canteens
as he hit the grassy earth.
Studying the orchard eight hundred yards across the river, Sgt Zenóbio thought he saw movement in the trees while their branches briefly bobbed
up and down as if waving to him. There! A semicircle by a tree trunk revealed a partial
silhouette of an enemy’s helmet. His rifle cracked like a splitting rock and
the telltale spray glinting in the sun confirmed another casualty. Oddly,
though, it had no color as if the light stole it away.
Schmidt called in the coordinates at that edge of the town. Da
Silva quickly withdrew under cover knowing artillery would soon obliterate his
position. StGefr Hinkel picked up the
canteens and crawled back.
When he reached their position Hinkel held up the canteens
and over the roar of exploding artillery exclaimed, “Heir Oberleutnant! Your canteen is kaput!”
