One of the interesting observations drawn from WWII was the need for the service personnel to participate in activities representing life at home during long periods of combat. The diversions were important to maintain the high levels of morale necessary to sustain the war effort. At Anzio, for example:

Springtime saw the Americans seeking relaxation in the time-honored fashion, as far as the congested area, limitations of duty, ingenuity, and enemy activity permitted. Baseball and soft ball were favorites, and it was not unusual to see soft ball games in progress with German artillery shells landing within five or six hundred yards. The were devotees of volleyball and badminton, and bridge and poker were played a great deal. Swimming in the blue Tyrrhenian Sea was increasingly popular as weather became warmer and the engineers cleared mines from the better beaches. p362