2379 - Genoa, Liguria, Italy

Erika sent me a card from Vernazza, a beautiful coast city on the Italian Riviera. It has no car traffic and claims to be one of the "truest fishing villages" on the Riviera.

The postage stamp is what interested me the most. It commemoratesthe 75th anniversary of Operation Shingle - the codename for the invasion of Italy by American, British, and Canadian soldiers at Anzio. It was led by American Major-General John P Lucas of the US Fifth Division.

German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring was prepared for the invasion and put everything into a defensive ring that hemmed in the allies for a month. General Lucas was then replaced by Major-General Lucian Truscott. The new goal was to go straight to Rome once they broke through Kesselring's defense.

The allies capture Roma on 4 June 1944. Kesselring fought his way north, making it difficult for the allies to continue. Kesselring was fighting to the Gothic Line, where he would prepare a defensive position against further allied gains.

During the campaign, 7000 allied soldiers were killed, with 36 000 wounded or missing. The German side lost 5000 men, with 30 500 wounded, and 4500 taken prisoner.

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3566 - Bakhmach, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Bakhmach is locarted in northern Ukraine. I'm taking this next paragraph straight out of Wikipedia: During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, at least 65 units of Russian military equipment moved through Bakhmach, with about a hundred more on the outskirts. Local residents tried to stop the convoy on their own by blocking tank tracks with makeshift objects and convincing Russian soldiers not to move towards Kyiv . One man attempted to climb onto a tank and block the road with his body (he was not hurt). However, the military equipment continued to move, and Russian forces fired several shots into the air. Слава Україні!

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2352 - Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Cologne is home to the twelve Romanesque churches. All are Catholic churches and all are found in Altstadt (old town). All were severely damaged during the 262 Allied air raids on Cologne. All twelves have been restored. St. Andreas was consecrated in 974. The crypt of the church as a sarcophagus that dates back to the third century and it holds the remains of St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. St. Apostein was consecrated in the 800s. St. Cecilia was built in the 800s and it the current home of the Schnutgen Museum for Medieval Art. It still holds Catholic Mass on rare occasions. St. Georg's was built near the end of 1000s. It was extensively restored after the Second World War. St. Gerion's was established in 612. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247. Cunibert, the 9th Bishop of Cologne, is buried here. St. Maria im Kapital was built between 1040-1065. It was also heavily damaged during the war and restoration was finally completed in 1984. St. Maria Lyskirchem is the ...

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