Gen. Keys, II Corps Commander, wanted to clinch some honors for him and his Special Force, 3rd Div., 85th and 88th Divisions, as well as his support troops. He probably had the best solution when he assembled several jeeps and after loading them with representation from each of his units, launched them on an expedition to Rome.
Under the leadership of Capt. Taylor Radcliffe, 1st Special Service Force, a sixty man task force set out on a wild ride past, through and beyond armored vehicles spearheading the attack. According to Dan Kurzman's book, "the Race for Rome", Capt. Radcliffe and his composite Task Force from II Corps. accompanied by a jeepload of correspondents, purportedly entered Rome at 6:00 am June 4th, Kurzman's writings futher indicte a Capt. Pierre Planes, when his tank destryoers became entangled in a column on the highway, moved his armored behicles off the main road and paked them, then proceeded down unimporved roads in jeeps at 9:00 am his contingent, according to Kurzman, became the first Allied unit to reach the center of Rome.
...taken from "Dogfaces Who SMiled Through Tears" by Homer Ankrum, page 530.