Memoirs of Foggia: Book 2 Stateside & North Africa1942-1943

Memoirs of Foggia: Book 2 Stateside & North Africa1942-1943

This book is based on the memoirs of the World War II experiences of Roy C. Parris (1916-1994) and Robert A. Duffy (1961-2015). The book is broken into five parts and will likely be published in four sections. Book 1 covers the pre-war history of these men and the airplane (B-17) that brought them together. Book 2 addressed the stateside preparation for war and the North African campaign. Bob Duffy had already been in the Army Air Corps for several years with overseas duty. When war broke-out he was immediately sent to officer school and served as a second lieutenant during this campaign. He was with the first American troops in North Africa and came very close to being swept up in the Kasserine battle. Roy Parris enlisted after the attack on Pearl Harbor and went into training as an airplane mechanic. He did not arrive in North Africa until after the ground fighting was completed. Ultimately, both men were drawn to Bizerte, Tunisia and then to Foggia, Italy. This book covers that period through the first few days in Italy. Book 3 will focus on 1944 and Book 4 will consolidate 1945 through VE and VJ day. Both men have romantic relationships and fortunately many of the letters that Roy Parris sent home are available and are faithfully reported here where they amplify the story. There are places in the books where I have constructed dialog to tell the story. These segments are generally marked clearly in the text. This book (these books1-4) is as factually accurate as I can make it. In particular, this is not a typical war story of heroic action and constant carnage. I focus on the technical, political and strategic elements of the conflict that ultimately comes to rest with the U.S. 15th Army Air Force.