Mark,
Okay, I pulled out some of my papers on the 5th Army Rest Center. The brochure for it has this printed at the bottom: Special Service Hq. 5th Army. The intro paragraph states:
Welcome to the Fifth Army Rest Center! To help you become acquainted with the varied activities at the camp and thereby enjoy your stay to the fullest, the 21st Special Service Company, under the direction of the Fifth Army Special Service Officer, has published this guide. Use it and enjoy yourself.
So I was wrong. The 5th Army Special Service was part of the 5th Army. You just never know about these things.
Now, regarding the Military Theater-Santa Maria. It seems like the name of a theater set up for the soldiers. This could be at the 5th Army Rest Center. The same brochure lists the following:
3. Entertainment--- In the north wing of the Recreation Building are two theaters, a large one on the first floor, and a small one in the basement. Movies, U.S.O. shows, G.I. shows, concerts, and events of special interest will be held in these theaters daily. Movies are scheduled at 1400, 1800, and 2000 hours regularly. Shows, concerts, etc., will be announced as they are scheduled.
I also have a booklet entitled "A Soldier's Guide to Naples" and it lists 8 theaters in the city. All of them have Italian names, except one which is labeled the Red Cross Theater. Naples remained a poplar place for soldiers to visit. I thought the Santa Maria theater might be there.
The name Santa Maria is a religious name. I find it kind of odd to name a secular theater after a saint. Names like this are quite common in Italy, so there could be dozen towns with variations of the name. For example, Santa Maria Infante was a town just north of Minturno, that was site of fighting along the Cassino front in May 1944.
I also have 2 pages of the June 6, 1944 Stars and Stripes that describe Rome and its sites. It doesn't mention any theaters.
I'm really interested in the 5th Army Rest Center at Foro Mussolini and the Montecatini rest center near Florence. I hope to put together enough history to make a webpage about it.
I'll keep looking. Maybe it is referenced in one of my books of a Veteran's story.
Steve
Quote from the Operational Report of 328FA.
On Thursday, 23 November 1944, Charlie Battery went to the new Fifth Army Rest Center at Montecatini to enjoy a well earned rest. They returned to the Battalion bivouac area on the 28th. On the same day Baker Battery left for Montecatini, followed by Able, Service and Headquarters on the 29th. The new style Rest Center was a famous "Spa", patronized by wealthy Italians and tourists before the war. The men were quartered in hotels, and except for a hike each morning, and two hours of section training each afternoon, they had free run of the town from three in the afternoon until ten o'clock at night. There were bars, movies, USO shows, and baths - both of the G.I. and civilian variety, and the Battalion made the most of its opportunities. The end of November found the 328th still in the rest areas, and enjoying a very high morale.