The devastation was terrific…
From diary of Dr. Dr. Leander K. Powers. “March 22, 1944 - Thursday morning, we rode down beyond Pompeii. The cinders were so deep that traffic was stopped. Along about noon, the wind changed and the cinders began falling on Torre Annunziata. Everything had a coat of black, just like light snow. We rode up toward the Naples side on the Autostrade, and, as the wind was blowing toward town, I got a wonderful view of the boiling inferno. Yesterday, I rode into the town that was destroyed by the flowing lava and apparently the flow was coming to a stop, but the devastation was terrific. Tonight there is a lot of lightning coming from the crater and infrequent blasts. I learned from an Allied Military Government officer that 78 planes (B-25) were destroyed on the Pompeii airfield (Terzigno Airfield) during the past few days by the lava and cinders”. Victor Sierra
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/us-army-air-force/43079/the-devastation-was-terrific...