Armando Uva

February 25, 1924 - May 20, 2018

Born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Armando was the fifth child (of 9) born to Parida and Elisa Uva, who were first generation immigrants from Teano, Naples, Italy.

Armando withdrew from high school after his freshman year to help support to his family. In the pre-WWII years he held a variety of jobs at at least three different companies in Providence's booming textile industry. [1]

Armando enlisted in the Army on April 22, 1943.  His induction took place at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, whereafter he was assigned to Rifle Co. A of the 9th Training  Battalion at Camp Wheeler, Georgia.  He spent several months there before completing his training at Ft. George Meade, MD.  In November of 1943, Armando was reassigned to Battery A, 18th Battalion, of the 5th Replacement Regiment.  Finally, he and was assigned to the 60th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division and shipped off to England in the last days of November, 1943. His unit was stationed at Winchester, where they trained for the the Normandy invasion of France.

Armando knew that things were about to get underway when his unit was sent to the marshalling areas at Southampton, England, on May 27, 1944.  Sure enough, he was part of the "D plus 4" (June 10) landings at Utah Beach, after which his unit helped secure the Cotentin Peninsula and took part in the drive on Cherbourg Harbor.  In July and August of 1944, he was involved in the St. Lo break-through. Then his unit participated in the fight to close the Falaise Gap, intended to keep the German forces from escaping entrapment.  It was at this time that he was captured.  The circumstances of his capture are still unknown. [2]

Armando was sent by train to the POW camp near Moosburg, Germany. After several months, he signed up for farm duty outside of Stalag 7-A, ending up at POW Kommando Camp 4055 in Parsdorf (Kreis Ebersberg).  Potato farming was hard work but the extra food and better living conditions were an upgrade. From October 2, 1944 to November 3, 1944, he worked side by side with local German farming families whose fathers, husbands, and sons were at the front, KIA, or wounded so severely they were incapable of working. Though there were a dozen guards for 40-50 US POWs,  this small camp was comparatively relaxed and friendly.  

Unfortunately, Armando was forced to return to Stalag 7-A for the coldest winter and sparsest food of his lifetime. So, at the next opportunity for farming camp detail, he volunteered.  He also signed up his buddies, Frank Hickey and Robert Whealon, who had been with him at Parsdorf. On Friday, March 16, 1945, he and 19 other American POWs boarded a train for Munich and beyond. [3] At the whistle stop in Brannenberg, they were ordered to get out and line up. Two local armed guards relieved the guards accompanying the train from Moosburg, and then marched the POWs across the river and up the road to the charming farming village of Nussdorf am Inn.  

Nussdorf

Their first weekend in Nussdorf was spent resting.  They were thrilled to find a few American Red Cross parcels awaited them. A friendly guard supervised them on Saturday and Sunday but didn't do much talking. He had been wounded on the Russian front; his nose was red and inflamed, earning him the nickname "Cherry Nose." The camp was surrounded by a barbed wire fencing but the gate was only locked after dinner. 

Early Monday morning, the Mayor of Nussdorf arrived, accompanied by two guards.  Mayor Auer assigned most of the men to farming families, whereas Armando was assigned to do road work for the first couple weeks, along with fellow POWs Jeff Banks, Leonard Oviedo, and Sam Genovese. These four men dug drainage ditches, cleared roadside brush, and put down crushed stone. An unnamed local Nussdorfer's horse-drawn wagon was used to transport the  stone  that they would load, unload, and spread with shovels and rakes. This work was supervised by "an old, retired, German Navy Captain who spoke a little English".  [4]

Homeward Bound

His parents were notified by the Office of War Information on May 19. 1945, that Armando was on his way home aboard the troop transport ship, USS Monticello. which embarked from Southampton, England, and arrived in New York City on June 3, 1945.  He spent some time in the Big Apple on leave with his fellow Nussdorf POW buddy, Ralph Schaubel, before being sent to a decommissioning camp in Delaware. [5]

The Post-War Years

After the war Armando first worked as drug warehouse stock clerk, then a mechanic. In the 1950s he held a long list of odd jobs until settling into a career as a foreman for the City of Providence Highway Department. Armando didn't meet the love of his life, Virginia Estelle Sprague, until many years after the war. Virginia was a divorcee whose first husband had abandoned her and his two children.  Armando married Virginia and raised two step-daughters. 

Armando passed away at age 94 at Hebert Nursing Home in Smithfield, Rhode Island.  Pvt. Armando Uva was buried with military honors at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. [6]

[1]  1920, 1930 & 1940  Federal Census  records for Providence, RI. Accessed via Ancestry.com
[2] NARA: US, WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946: Film Reel 3.144: Box Number 0422: Service Number: 31293171 (Several "Morning Reports" at Camp Wheeler and Fr. Meade were used to account for Armando's state-side training).

[3] Arolsen Archive: Signatur: DE ITS 2.1.1.1 BY 033 AME ZM, Anzahl Dokumente: 29; Note: Whealon and Hickey's names are misspelled on the documents, as "Robert Wehalon" and "Frank Hicken".

[4] Note: This is according to Jeff Banks.  Armando never mentioned working on a road crew.

[5]  New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957: USS Monticello:  Movement Orders RO Group E-1026-1 "Liberated Prisoners of War, Escapees, or Evaders" (May 19, 1945).

[6]  Online obituary of Armando Uva - https://www.nardolillofh.com/obituary/Armando-Uva