Beyond the Call: Private James Henry Mills at Cisterna di Littoria, 1944

About this episode

The episode follows Private James Henry Mills during his courageous actions at Cisterna di Littoria in 1944.

Beyond the Call: Private James Henry Mills at Cisterna di Littoria, 1944 follows a young infantryman of the United States Army through his first baptism of fire in the Italian campaign of World War II, as he single-handedly clears enemy positions and then deliberately exposes himself to draw fire so his platoon can seize a critical strongpoint without casualties. Listeners hear the larger context of the Anzio breakout, the terrain and tactics that shaped the fight, and the split-second decisions that revealed Mills’s initiative, calm under pressure, and selfless courage. Beyond the Call is the Monday feature of Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, developed by Trackpads.com.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Jason Edwards

Topics covered

• World War II
• military history
• courage
• infantry tactics
• Italian campaign
• selflessness

Keywords

• Private James Henry Mills
• Cisterna di Littoria
• World War II
• U.S. Army
• Anzio breakout
• military tactics
• selfless courage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Army, Dispatch: U.S. Military History Magazine, Trackpads.com

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• Beyond the Call: Captain Francis B. Wai at Red Beach, Leyte, 1944 · May 25, 2026 · 11 min
• Beyond the Call: Sergeant Charles E. Mower at Leyte, 1944 · May 18, 2026 · 11 min
• Beyond the Call: Commander Lawson Paterson “Red” Ramage off Taiwan, 1944 · May 18, 2026 · 10 min
• Beyond the Call: Technician Fifth Grade Eric Gunnar Gibson at Isola Bella, 1944 · May 18, 2026 · 12 min