FILLING CANS WITH GASOLINE at the Raticosa Pass on Highway 65, terminal of the pipeline from Leghorn. These cans were picked up by truck and distributed to individual units. As the front moved, the pipeline was extended to keep up with the troops. (Five-gallon gasoline cans.)] [Illustration: ITALY MEMBERS OF A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIT firing a Long Tom. This unit was stationed along Highway 64. During the winter of 1944–45 the U. S. Fifth Army roster included Brazilians, South Africans, British, and Italians as well as U. S. white and Negro troops, while the British Eighth Army along the east side of the peninsula contained New Zealanders, Canadians, Poles, Indians, Italians, and Jewish troops from Palestine in addition to United Kingdom units.] [Illustration: ITALY TRUCK WITH ROTARY SNOWPLOW clearing Highway 64 near Collina. The first snow fell in the mountains on 11 November. Snow, rain, sleet, and ice-coated curves on the roads leading to the front made the supply situation a difficult one. The constant work by snowplows and the hand labor of thousands of soldiers and Italian civilians kept the main roads open throughout the winter.] [Illustration: ITALY AMBULANCE EVACUATING WOUNDED from the front lines near Highway 65, between Loiano and Livergnano. The flow of wounded from the battlefield was carefully controlled. Evacuation hospitals were kept as free of patients as possible, thereby affording immediate facilities for the most urgent cases. It was found desirable in daylight hours to direct the main stream of casualties to hospitals located farther in the rear, while during the night most of the patients were brought to the forward hospital units in order to reduce the delay caused by blackout ambulance driving over icy roads. (¾-ton 4 x 4 ambulance.)] [Illustration: ITALY TRUCK ON HIGHWAY 65 near Loiano receives near miss, January 1945. This highway had been the main axis of advance during the October offensive in the U. S. sector and was the only good road in this area. During the winter stalemate and build-up for the spring offensive, a period of about five months, this road was under observed enemy artillery fire directed from Monte Adone, a commanding position between Highways 64 and 65.] [Illustration: ITALY MEN RESTING IN THEIR QUARTERS in an old barn after a day in foxholes at the front. During cold weather, winterization of living quarters was carried out on a large scale, although men in the extreme forward positions usually had to improvise with a raincoat and a blanket in a foxhole.] [Illustration: ITALY