Maybe he was saying that these are his friend who went to Italy with him, but were also with him in the US before going over?

It just was not common for combat troops in theater not to wear helmets, unless in a secure location in the rear, or if they were part of some special group, which usually didn't include artillery. In this case, they were way in the rear, all the way back in the US, when the pics were made.

When I called the 75mm gun "French", I didn't actually mean it was a gun from France, rather they looked like the the so-called French 75 of WWI vintage. The 75s used in WWII combat were, for the most part, if not all, Pack 75s (don't confuse with a PAK 75, which is a German gun) and looked markedly different. The Pack 75s were short barreled guns.

What Terry has said sounds very plausible and would think he is close to correct. I'd work from that angle.

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Best Regards,
JW