“Hell was a poppin in Salerno”
“Hell was a Popping in Salerno”
Sgt. Walter W. Stephens
Location: Italy
Date: March 22nd, 1944
Unit: Battery B409 AAA
Italy.
Dear Les & Pauline,
Received your nice letter and of course was very glad to hear from you. So far I am well and OK. The censor has relented somewhat so I can tell you a few things. We landed on the beach near Salerno, and all Hell was a popping for a few days. You probably read all about it in the papers. Later I was at Volturio, and that was no picnic either. Don't ask if I was scared, but I guess one can get used to anything. If ever I get back to dear old Lancaster County I doubt I will ever leave it. No one knows what they have until they see the other fellows place.
Write again soon,
Soldiers like lots of mail and news from home.
As Ever,
Steve
Biography:
Walter W. Stephens was born October 8th, 1902 to Martha and Robert Stephens in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Walter’s father was an engineering teacher at Steven’s Institute and mother took care of the home, he also had 1 sister which was a couple of older than him. Unfortunately on January 19th, 1910 Walter’s father passed away from heart disease when Walter was just 8 years old. Later Martha remarried and Walter gained two step brothers and finished his highschool degree. When Walter left home he married Irma E. Stephen’s and got a job with as a mail clerk. He and his wife had two children; Elizabeth and Richard Stephens.
When World War 2 broke out Walter had a full family, a wife and two kids, that depended on him and looked up to him. He enlisted on September 22nd, 1942. This had to be a tough decision to make with family at home, but he had decided this was best and he enlisted as a Pvt. In the 409th AAA Gun Battalion (Semi-Mobile).
The 409th AAA Gun Battalion (Semi-Mobile) was attached to the 45th Coast Artillery Brigade (Anti-Aircraft) on 26 April 1942 and activated 1 June 1942, the 45th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is credited with participation in three campaigns in Italy during World War II (Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, North Apennines) and was inactivated on 13 February 1945. Walter survived the war and went back home to live a long life with his family and continued his job as a postal clerk until his death in 1986.
