Please wait until you get it so the cameras will be able to pick up the audio. Being young during that time, in my studies at school when i was getting my phd we talked to a lot of wives who lost their husbands in the current wars. What did the home front what did the men and women do when a neighbor or a friend got news they lost a husband . Are you speaking to me . Anybody on the panel. Oh. I lost Three Friends in the war. One, his ship was bombed and split in half. And he was asleep on the bottom deck at that time. And the other one, jerrys plane was bombed and of course, they were all killed on the plane. And then ben worked at firestone with me. And i always felt so bad that he enlisted because he was all that his mother had. He had no reason to enlist. He wouldnt have had to but he did anyway. And he was all she had and he didnt come home. I guess i was one of the lucky ones. My fiance came home and we got to be married and had three children. Thats one. Another question for the panel . Yes. This question is for mrs. Olson and mrs. Schneider. I heard the toughest job in the army is an army wife. How do you feel about that . It was what . The toughest job in the army is an army wife. Do you feel thats true . Or a marine wife. Or a marine wife. Marine wife. What . Lets see. When he got home we were married in three weeks after he got home. The war was still going on. But he got to come home because of what he had been through. So thats why we were sent to camp lejeune. He had we lived there on base for lets see almost two years, i think. We lived on base. It was one of the most fun times of my life. I could walk down to the ocean. I could walk to the grocery store. Even though we lived in what today they call a little travel trailer and thats what all the married marines lived in. And i had to learn to cook on little camp stove that i had to pump up a little tank up on the front of it. And we had some wonderful times. I made a lot of marine friends and families. Because the whole base was family. Mostly. And we had some lifelong friends we made there. Actually it was a nice experience. I enjoyed. Now today i think North Carolina is my favorite state. My experience was not the worst time of all. That for years after my husband died in 1989 i had a recurrent dream that i was walking down a country lane to a mailbox and i would get there and there would be no letters and this dream continued throughout the years until i would say in the last ten years. Actually thats kind of what had happened. There were days to me, the lifeline was the communication and the communication when our husbands were in the army were by letter. No telephones. No eye pads. No cell phones. No pictures. Nothing and these letters. At least maybe go down to the mailbox for two, three, days in a row or five days and there would be no letters and the next day there would be one. When he was sent overseas, he didnt know where he was headed. I didnt know where he was headed because they zigzagged across the pacific because of the japanese subs and it took about six weeks. He left the first part of june and didnt get there until the last of july. And then it was another six weeks before i heard from him. So to me, communication was the hardest part. And those were long, long months. Of course, i had a baby girl and i was busy. But still, it was hard. Very hard. And i know thats why i continue to have a dream thats referred to that time in my life. Were your letters all cut up . Mine were so sensored it was usually just dear, doris or a sal tags at the end. Chopped up. I cant understand why the censors had to be so rough because my husband wasnt crazy enough to tell me where he was to the enemy. Why did they chop them all up like that . I think they enjoyed it. No. In answer to your question, mine werent cut up. They werent . But my husband never wrote very much about what was going on except the discomfort of the rain and the mud that he was living in. But after he was dead, probably about at least ten years, i was going through his things and the first part of the diary showed nothing. So i was ready to toss it. Flipping back through, i came to the middle of the diary. He had started it when he left. Not in the front of the diary. And in this diary, i learned about the snipers, the booby trap that he barely escaped. Of his home sickness, of the 170 mile typhoon and all those things that he didnt write because he didnt want me to be upset. What a treasure. Mrs. Reeves, you mentioned that the war was something that everyone felt, was involved in, and being a spouse from the war today where its 1 or 2 of the population that fills the cost of the last war, how do you have any suggestions on how we can help civilians understand that theres still that cost . Actually there are a group of ladies at our church who have this kind of thing, i think, keeps its foremost in your mind. We have made greeting cards to send to the military so that they would have cards to send home to people. And it is something that when you work on it. And you talk about it, you become very aware that these things are still going on. There are Lonely People out there and it also encourages them beyond i know the email and all that stuff. But you know those letters that you have in your hand that i still have from my brothers in the 40s mean a lot. And i think generally talking about it and encouraging that kind of involvement, because it does it means a tremendous amount. And it did it was mentioned early. When you live in a little town, you do lose people that you know very well. I think everybody kind of huddles together. You try to support each other and youre aware of everything thats going on in the lives. You have to put yourself there. Another question . I want to say that i was in the army and when it was mail time, it was a big deal. I think that email and all that stuff is detrimental to the military because just think of all the times that you could write a letter and those soldiers would get that letter and be really thrilled. I think that there needs to be a campaign of writing letters instead of all these emails because they can keep those letters instead they cant keep the emails. Theyre in space. Letters are tangible. And reread them. Thats the wonderful part. And years and years from now those soldiers can read them and think back. It is very necessary for people to write letters. 5 00 a booth will open over by the statue where you can make a card to send a current soldiers. One more question . One more. Thank you. What effect or what memories do you have from the rationing that went on during world war ii . I know my mother talked about it briefly but doesnt talk very much about those memories. As kids, we didnt notice it so much excepts12c for a shortf bubble gum. And word passed quickly if some store got it. Because we did have a farm and access to other farms, we were able to get things that probably were limited to others. But such things as butter and meat]gcwc and gasoline among ot things were all ragstioned. I used a coin that told how much you got. And a lot was it affected every aspect of life. Most noe tisable was the inability to travel. Were accustomed to hopping in a car and driving. But with five gallons of gasoline a month that simply didnt happen. We gave up putting sugar in our tea so that mother could bake sweet things. You know, you made adjustments. Would rather eat it i guess than drink it. Effect of bootlegging, too, by the way. Thats another panel. Yes. When we were living at midwest city, we were there was a commissary. Least the air force, they were pretty well set because i dont remember that we couldnt get probably some of the best food there. The only drawback i ran into was when i was pregnant with my daughter and i creamed cherries. My sister back home, they ran a grocery store. She sent me a whole case of cherries. I dont remember having any trouble getting gas. My dad had gotten me a little ford coupe. Of course a used one. When i started working at firestone. All i could remember is i think we had a little booklet of green stamps and i had to use those stamps to get but i never had any trouble getting gas and i certainly didnt have to pay almost 4 a gallon for it. Well, thats about all of our time for our home front panel. I would like to thank all of you for attending. Were going to take a 15 minute break and be back with our panel with life on the battle field. Thank you very much. Our look at American History tv programs normally seen weekends here on cspan3 wraps up shortly on the significance of the allied invasion on sicily and the Italian Campaign to the liberation of europe during world war ii and turning to book tv programs starting with a discussion on feminism from there years los angeles festival of books followed by a debate between authors from the las vegas freedom fest. Tonight on American History tv programs on sports and culture starting at 8 00 p. M. A history of the kansas city mon arcs discussing the history of the team and the longest running running franchise. And the rule of africanamericans in college and professional sports today. At 10 00 talking about the book pedestrianism. And how competitive walking became the most popular sport in many major eastern cities including new york and philadelphia in the 1870s and 1880s. Heres some of the highlights for this weekend on cspan. At 8 00 a history tour. Saturday at 6 30. The communicators. Sunday on q and a political commentator pat buchanan and cspan2 tonight 8 00 books on Hillary Clinton barack obama and henry snowden. Sunday morning at 10 30 we tour the literary sights. And cspan3 the kansas city mon arcs. And sunday on real america at 4 00 p. M. An interview with president herbert hoover. Let us know what you think about the programs youre watching. Call us at 2026263400 or email us at cspan. Org. Join the conversation. Like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. Now, pull liters prize author Rick Atkinson talking about the invasion of sicily. He details what led up to the military campaign and the rise of prominent commanders including Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton part of the historical societys lecture series. Thanks so much for inviting me to be with you and for joining me on this gorgeous new york morning. This is the third presentation i have given in this fantastic auditorium at the New York Historical society in just over a year. All i can say is you folks are glut tons for punishment. Were going to talk about the Second World War this moorning. I was in normandy for the 70th anniversary of dday and that campaign has taken center stage this spring just as it has in our National Narrative about the liberation of europe since june 6th, 1944 when it permanently eclipsed the controversile struggle in italy. Well try and bring that italian war back into focus. I have two confessions. First of all, i have not seen the movie pizon. Some of you saw it. If you have questions, im not your man. Second, im going to talk mostly about the campaign in italy up through the fall of rome which was june 4th, 1944. The war goes on and ill talk about it a bit. I dont know that much about it. It becomes a sad campaign of that last year of the war in europe. Were going to talk about the first stages of italy. So the allied campaign to liberate italy first from itself and then from the germans lasted 608 days, cost 312,000 allied casualties. 40 of the casualties incurred in the campaign in northwest europe. It dragged what churchhill called the hot rake of war up the entire 1,000 mile length of the boot of italy. 3 4 of american soldiers fought in italy and 23,501 were killed in action. From an american perspective, the lib rags in europe is three connected panels that form a coherent narrative hole. The first panel is north africa. Because thats where the liberation of europe begins. Its in north africa. And the second panel is sicily and italy. And the third panel is northwest europe on that final decisive campaign. The mediterranean is a proving ground for that final device i campaign in northwest europe. Its a proving ground for tactics and equipment, various kinds of Amphibious Landing craft first tried out in the mediterranean and being tried out at the same time in the pacific. And its a proving ground for leaders. Who can do it . Who cant do it . Who can lead . Who cannot lead . The senior generals and admirals who commanded in the mediterranean are for the most part the same bunch who will command in northwest europe. Eisenhow eisenhower, montgomery. George patton, alan kirk. Its a very long list. Britain preparing for normandy, they called themselves the mediterraneanites. Eisenhower speaks for them when he say that is the mediterranean theater will always be in my blood. This is eisenhower on the eve of normandy, june 6th, 1944 with his senior subordinate commanders and every one of them except for the man standing behind him has come with his from the mediterranean. The guy behind him, air marshal Lee Trafford Mallory is not a mediterraneanite and its a problem for him. So calling world war ii the 20th centurys century myth. A tail of troy whose angles are infin knit and central figures never ceases to amaze us with their size. Theres theatricality. And the ep graph to the day of ba battle. It goes like this. Launch your song. What kings were fired for war. What armys at their orders tlong the planes. Even in those days long ago in italys livegiving land. How did we end up in italys lifegiving land . Why were we in italy . Operation husky had in fact been decided seven months earlier. The operation takes place on july 10th, 1943. But it had been decided seven months earlier during the conference convened at casa blank ka in 1943 by president roos velt and the military brain trusts. The guys in the chairs are roosevelt and churchhill. Sicily is the largest island, about 100 mile from the north african coast but two miles from the toe of the italian boot and seizing the island would safeguard mediterraneans shipping through the suez canal to help supply the russians and provide, sicily would, air bases for bombing italy and Central Europe. But what to do beyond sicily is hotly disputed. And at Casa Blane Ka they couldnt decide what to do after usually. The british advocate carrying the war on to main land italy to knock italy out of the alliance. Churchhill insists this would cause a chill of loneliness over the german people and might be the beginning of their doom. The americans are skeptical. They look skeptical, dont they . They suspect that britains fixation on the mediterranean which is why we have invaded north africa by landing in ma rocco and algeria that this fixation reflects British Imperial ambitions. The british had dominated for 200 years and not ready to give up the dominance. The war will be won the americans contend. This argument is happening on this day that the photo is taken. The war will be won in Central Europe and the shortest surest path to the heart of Central Europe is to cross the English Channel and drive for berlin. The british legitimately argue that the soviet union which is shouldering the heaviest combat burden by far on behalf of the allied powers, that and the soviets will suffer 26 million dead in the war, that the soviets will hardly the western allies sitting on their hands for nearly a year between the con quest of sicily in the summer of 1943 and any cross channel invasion which they know cannot be mounted before late spring, 1944. The u. S. Army at this point, were talking about the spring of 1943, has six million soldiers. Grown to 8. 3 million. There are 343,000 lieutenants alone in the u. S. Army. They have to do something. Well, the british also make extravagant claims to overcome this yankee skepticism. They overegg the pudding as one critic says. They assert that germany was unlikely to fight hard for italy. That the allied commitment in italy would be modest and require no substantial occupation and that a successful fight in the mediterranean could end the war in 1944. None of these prophecies is true. What emerges as is so often the case in Coalition Warfare is a compromise forged after bitter debate. The sicily invasion will go forward in july 1943. And until then and after then in the cross channel invasion of france will also be launched in the late spring of 1944, they agree on this. Sicily and then what will become normandy. Until then, general eisenhower is to come up with a plan for operations after the campaign ends. These are eisenhowers marching orders. Operations best calculated to to contain the maximum number of German Forces. Why is he smiling . In other words, the combined chiefs of staff which are the senior bosses in london and washington. And their superiors, the Prime Minister and the president , cannot figure out what to do and they say over to you, you figure it out. Well, what happens . First, the sevenmonth effort to eject germany and italy from northwest africa finally succeeds. It has not been easy fighting through the Atlas Mountains in western tenesia in the winter of 1942 43. A war that begins as a smallscale fight between companies, a few hundred brawling men. Quickly me as the the sizes in africa into a clash of army groups. An army group is two or more armys and eventually by the spring of 1943 there are four armys in a country the size of the state of georgia. Two allied armys. Two axis armys. Suffering a severe setback when the german commanders in africa, one guy named romal and another one named farn arnan, drive the americans back 85 miles in western tenesia. In terms of yardage lost its the greatest defeat for the American Army in world war ii. More than 6,000 casualties. And that gives you some sense of the terrain around. But axis forces really lack the strength to exploit their winnings and the battle soon tilts against them as allied air and naval power sweep the italian navy from the see, from the mediterranean and the german from the sky. Hitler refuses to permit the evacuation from tenesia except for a few specialized units and german and italian units are trapped and annihilated or forced to surrender. About a quarter million axis prisoners are bagged and the victory parade snakes through in mid may 1943. We have won the first major battle in the liberation of europe and it occurs in africa. So