Letter 227- August 12, 1945

August 12, 1945
(Derdinger, Ger.)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

Is it peace or ain’t it? Am I coming home soon or ain’t I? These are the questions of the moment. Unless something goes haywire now I’ll probably be home during the first week of Sept. Actually it won’t be definite until next week but they’re moving heaven and hell to take the Division out of Europe this month. Six weeks from today I could be in Los Angeles. But? And it’s a big but, things could be changed at any minute. If the folks at home continue to oppose peacetime conscription we may be stuck in the A. of O. category. The army would have no choice. Combat outfits should get to go home but if no one is here to replace us I’m afraid that we will be unable to do much else. Sometimes I don’t think people can think beyond the end of their noses. We’ve done our part. Others haven’t, yet we’re expected to do more while those who’ve never served don’t have to do even a little bit.

At any rate we’re supposed to be in Le Havre by the 27th of this month. Our battalion is supposed to leave the 1st due to its honors. The bn. is one of New York’s own and will probably parade there.

One rumor has it that we’re going to Camp Roberts, California. I hope so.

At Le Havre things will be confused I suppose, so don’t write anymore ‘til I write again.


Best Love,
Bill

Letter 224- August 6, 1945

August 6, 1945
(Derdingen, Ger.)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

To be perfectly frank I don’t feel like writing tonight but I owe you a letter and so here it is. There is really quite a bit to write about but it’s so hazy and indefinite that I just don’t. Sometime this week we are supposed to be alerted. That simply means that we’ll be told where and when we’ll be leaving. Semi-official rumor has it that we’ll leave France for home in late October and will be in the Pacific by late January. However the latter part of that is merely supposition. I know because everyone here from his own experience knows troops can’t be moved that quickly. Ships don’t go that fast. However the first part of the report is probably true. This, of course is way ahead of schedule but events in the Pacific are moving so fast that it is inevitable. My only fear is that Japan will begin to go to pieces so rapidly that we will be sent direct. There’s not much chance of it but it’s always a possibility. However, there’s a good chance that I’ll be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Let’s just pray that Japan folds before I even get home from here.

I feel sorry for the Japs even if they do act so brutal. I’ve seen what total war is on this side and it’s only a taste of what Japan is blindly walking into. The feeling here rightly or wrongly is that Russia has something up her sleeve. Russians in this area are out and out in declaring that Russia will jump all over the DESPISED JAPS at the right time. The Germans claim Japan is insane for not accepting our generous offer and say Germany would have surrendered in ’43 to such terms.

Next Saturday we’re going to some little town about 60 miles away and fire weapons and have a general review of basic training insofar as weapons and marksmanship is concerned. By the way, I’m burned up because they say here they have no verification of my being an Expert Rifleman.

That’s about all. I hope my mail is coming through better now.

Best Love,
Bill

Letter 219- July 23, 1945

July 23, 1945
(Derdingen, Germany)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

Am I disgusted. This life is sure getting me down. I’m so bored that it hurts. We don’t do anything but guard etc. but there’s nothing to keep a man occupied. August 1 we begin classes and then things should be better but now I’m in a blue funk. Of course it’s better than going to the Pacific, but for a young man just to sit day in and day out is no good. Training certainly isn’t very interesting yet we must do something. I don’t know but in some ways I feel sorry for the army of occupation. The Germans behave themselves well but are “joost” too friendly. They’ll really play up to you as long as you’ve got the guns. We’re too easy on ‘em. I guess we just can’t help it.

The mail situation still stinks but I’m trying to write as much as I can anyway.

It’s now 9:25 in the evening but the sun has only just gone down. At 11:00 I’ve got to go on guard. Two hours just hiking around. During the day we have clothing check and such nonsense and during the last two days we’re been raiding towns for contraband, arms, S.S. men, Gestapo, and so forth. It’s a pain in the neck.

The rumor was rampant today that Russia declared war on Japan. I didn’t think so. The radio said nothing.

Not much else of interest so I’ll close.


Best Love,

Bill

Letter 156- November 29, 1944

November 29, 1944
(France V-Mail)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

Still a movin’ around and I haven’t the slightest idea where I’m going. It’s sure swell to be with an outfit, however. I was getting awfully tired of being a replacement.

It’s another of those sloppy, dark, rainy days so typical over here. Fortunately I’m inside a warm building so I don’t give a hoot and holler.

I’m all out of touch with the news again and as always when soldiers can’t get news rumor runs rampant. Entire German armies have surrendered. The Wehrmacht is supposed to give up to a man on Dec. 1 etc., etc.

No mail yet. It’s better than a month now. I should start getting it before long. Sure am lonesome for a letter. As soon as I get one or two I’ll be able to write a decent letter.
I am feeling fine. I’ll write as often as possible.

Best Love,
Bill

Letter 117- August 20, 1944

August 20, 1944
(England)

Dear Mother and Dad,

It’s been a week now since I’ve written to you and I apologize but not until yesterday did I receive any mail from you for this week. I don’t know but over here it’s hard to write when I don’t get word from you. However, yesterday I received letters dating from August first to seventh including the birthday card.¹ They sure pepped me up a lot.

The weather here has been miserable or better “mizzuble”. I’ll be damned if I can see why anyone wants to live here. Here it is the middle of August and it’s as cold and damp as hell. It’s a wonder I don’t have a worse cold.

I’m sorry your special hocus-pocus couldn’t get my letters through to you but you know how the mail goes.

You just about kill me everyday or should I say when I get mail with your vivid descriptions of ice-cream, cakes, etc. They don’t know what those things are over here.

Everybody’s chewing the fat around me right now—I keep forgetting what I want to write.

I thought the rumor situation was bad over in the states but here….God! The war’s over every five minutes over here. Newspapers are a valuable possession.

Oh Hell, everything I want to write I can’t.

Best Love,
Bill

1. ed. note: Bill turned 19 years of age on August 15, 1944.

Letter 96- May 1, 1944

May 1, 1944
(Camp Crowder, Missouri)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

This has been some Mayday, rainy and windy as hell. I guess there’s not a “hellova” lot to write again tonight. I certainly haven’t been doing anything outstanding so I might as well not try to write much along that line.

I’m still in radio school. I’m very much mystified to say and this is the last week. After that unless they “remove” me we go out on C.P.X. That’s a Boy Scout Signal Corps version of bivouac. There’s only 2 things I don’t like about it. We don’t come in over the weekends and “wood ticks”. There’s no use saying anything about this either since nothing is definite yet.

Murphy, who was to get clerk schooling here went to Ft. Leonard Wood and from what he writes it’s pretty nice. They told him he’d get a furlough as soon as he finds out where he goes next.

Speculation is running high here over when the invasion will come. I hope it’s soon. I don’t like this lousy war. I heard an announcer predict that it’ll come between May 2nd & 17th. Who knows—not me.

What’ll I write now? I haven’t got any good ideas at all. This business of letter writing at night ain’t so hot. I’m always too sleepy to really tell you anything interesting.

I hope I get a furlough pretty soon. I’d like to get home before you forget what I look like.

How’s the bloomin’ lawsuit coming along??

Love,
Bill

Letter 95- April 28, 1944

April 28, 1944
(Camp Crowder, Missouri)


Dear Mudder and Dad,

Here I am again, way behind in my writing, Tuesday Guard Duty, Wednesday night hike 22 miles, Thurs. went to show, tonight “G.I. Party” so I’m still behind. I'm a bum.

I’m still in radio—just as dumb at code as ever but still in radio. The course is good as over so even if I do get kicked out I’ve had a course in radio. However, they’re beginning to hint around that somebody’s going to be dropped, but they’re nice about it anyway. They just say some fellows just aren’t cut out to be radio operators.

There’s a lot of rumors humming around here and most of them are about the invasion. There’s a fellow named Dalsin in our company who served for over a year in the British Eighth Army. He’s quite a character. One of those screwballs who probably get a commission but who’d rather be a private. He’s obviously very well educated and a very interesting talker. He’s spent some 5 or 6 years travelling in Europe and the Near East and can tell and show a person many interesting things. Anyhow—this Dalkin predicted this afternoon that the Invasion would take place in 10 days or less. He admitted it was quite a bold prediction yet who knows? This afternoon the Germans announced that the Allies are massing shipping in England.

Haven’t much else to write—Sorry. Guess I’m just getting sleepy.

FOREMOST THOUGHTS: FEELING FINE!
HOMESICK!
WANNA COME HOME!

Best Love,
Bill

P.S. Could use some stamps.

Letter 49- December 22, 1943

December 22, 1943
(Camp Abbot, Oregon)

Dear Mudder & Dad,

I’m writing this letter just after lunch. I’m barracks orderly again and therefore have the time to write a good letter. I probably won’t get this off until tonight, however, since I won’t have any airmail Special Delivery stamps until then.

Things are pretty much the same around here. The heavy snows are still holding off and the weather has been at least bearable. Work has been getting progressively easier, and in general things are pretty good.

As far as moving out of here is concerned, I guess I’ll be finishing my basic right here. Some of the newer outfits may move out but nearly everything we do from now on can, if necessary, be done indoors. That’s why I’d like to have those language books. Up until about a week ago it looked as if we might move out at any time, but they’ll keep putting it off until the winter is over. I wouldn’t doubt it a bit, however, that we have our 3 week problem somewhere else, but that’s a long way away.

Well, it’s almost Christmas and I can hardly wait to get my hooks into those Christmas packages. Oh boy! I think that every building in the Camp must have its own Christmas tree. There’s a huge one growing on Group Ave., the main street, and it’s beautifully lit up at night. It really makes me homesick. I guess you’ll have the lights out this year, huh? Nobody here is going to get passes on Christmas. It makes no difference to me but some of the fellows are sure broken up about it. As far as I can see there’s more fun to be had right here in camp than anywhere else except home. I don’t think, however, that any shows or such will get up here. The camp’s too small. I’ve only one fear and that’s that I might get K.P. over Christmas. It’s getting pretty close to my turn.

I received 3 letters from you yesterday which was pretty good. When I get mail like that I feel as if it were my birthday, er sumpin’!

Someone brought in a Portland paper this morning and I see by it that we’re pounding the hell out of Germany again. Four thousand tons in 24 hours. That’s really der stuff, ain’t it. I really don’t see how Germany can keep it up much longer. If they do the Germans must be even dumber than I thought. I guess the big battle in Russia that is going on right now will be over by the time you get this letter. Tank battles hardly ever last very long.

We had a lecture given under War Dept. auspices yesterday on the progress of the war. Of course most of it was designed for the stupid GI “Sad Sack” and was almost insulting to the average person with any intelligence but, nevertheless, some of it was very informative. For one thing it was very optimistic as far as the European situation is concerned. That’s unusual for anything put out by the war dept. Most of their movies and such are as gloomy as hell- predicting a long war and all that, but this was different. According to the lecturer Germany has suffered 3,000,000 casualties in Russia since last July and that 700,000 more are menaced at the present time. It seems that Russia’s grand strategy is to cut the German front in two driving part of the German armies back into the Balkans where supposedly they would collapse. According to intelligence reports Germany is having a “hellova” time of it. In fact, he talked as if we’d never see any action in Europe for sure. “Germany may make a go of it with a few last desperate haymakers but they won’t do her any good.”

Another thing he touched on was the “new Burma Road”. It’s that bloomin’ “highway” the engineers are building up through Northern Burma and Tibet. He said “This road is especially important to you engineers.” I don’t like the way he said that. Maybe I’m just imagining things ---I hope.

Yesterday I fired the .30 cal. machine gun. Wow! When you get behind one of those babies you feel like you control the world. While firing at the target I cut down a tree in the background.

Best Love
and
Merry Christmas
Bill


P.S. The Merry Christmas is just in case the mail’s fast.
Love,
Bill

Letter 39- December 6, 1943

December 6, 1943
(Camp Abbot, Oregon)


Dear Folks,

I’m really becoming concerned over your not receiving my mail. I haven’t been as regular with it as I should, but I’ve been doing better than you letters seem to indicate. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the fault may be found right here in Camp Abbot. I certainly hope that by now you are receiving my letters regularly. I haven’t been getting mail from you the way I should but I rarely go more than 3 days without getting any and then I usually get a pile.

Well, the camp rumor mill is grinding away at full speed. According to the latest from the front, we’re moving out of Camp Abbot sometime within the next 4 weeks and packing off lock, stock, and barrel for no place less than Needles, Calif.
Boy! That would be a gift straight from heaven. Cripes! I could get 3 day passes and spend a day at home. No, I mustn’t even think about it. It’s just too good to be possible. However, even if we were sent to some place like Texas or New Mexico I’d feel a “hellova” lot better. No matter what anyone says about this climate, there’s one thing that’s a certainty. From now on our training is going to be darned limited if we stay here. In zero weather a man’s capable of just so much and no more.

Today we worked with anti-personel mines and booby traps. Of course, instead of having T.N.T attached to them there are only firecrackers but you could give yourself a nice burn with one of them. The mine that I made was so fiendishly conceived that the fellow who was supposed to put it out of action, theoretically was blown up. I put one out of action with no trouble.

Well, have to close now. I’ve got K.P. tomorrow and that means I’ve got to get to sleep early. By getting K.P. I miss a 10 mile hike so it seems I’m getting the lesser of 2 evils.

Bestus Love,

Bill


(sketch here) Me putting booby trap out of action.

Letter 26- November 15, 1943

November 15, 1943
(Camp Abbot, Oregon)

Dear Folks,

Well, I haven’t got anything to do tonight so I can get off a pretty good letter. Everybody else has guard duty tomorrow, but I’ve got K.P. Kitchen Police sounds bad, but around here nobody minds it because it’s easier than training. Today was pretty soft, however, because we went to the show about 4 times for training and orientation films (orientation is another word for propaganda). The Lieutenant asked who could carry a guidon today and I said I could although I had my doubts. I came out all right though because I could remember enough of what my guidon carrier at Harvard did to get by. This morning with a smirk on his face the Sgt. called me out to lead the exercises. This is considered one of the toughest ways of drilling an outfit, but it was just my meat. I think the impression I made on the Lt. & Sgt. was pretty damn good. We had boxing but I wouldn’t do it because of my broken snozzle. That’s why I got the phys. Tr. But it was good to give a few commands instead of taking them-and with the officers present-well.

Today I walked around the corner, and ran “smack dab” into a private in the German Army—gray-green uniform—coal scuttle helmet and the whole outfit including a Mauser rifle. For a moment I was stunned and I almost beat him over the head with my Garand. Then I realized that he was one of my corporals. There were several of them wandering around the camp to show the soldiers what a German uniform looks like and to find out what the reaction of the troops would be. The corporal said that 99% of them thought the uniform was British (what jerks.)

I don’t know if it means anything or not but the rumor that the war in Europe is almost over continues to gain momentum around here. One fellow in our barracks got a letter from his brother in Italy saying that he would be very surprised if the war lasted until the 1st.of the year. I saw the letter myself. I’m sending you a clipping from a San Francisco paper. Has the news been along this line generally, lately? (bad English)

We’re learning “Judo” up here right now. I already know how to kill a guy in 50 different ways (all dirty) and can throw a man over my head with a flick of the wrist. (pleasant, huh?)

According to weather reports a cold wave is going to hit this region tonight sometime. The weather’s been beautiful for over a week and I was afraid it couldn’t last. Even with the nice weather colds have been terrible. The hospital is full of pneumonia, flu, and cold cases and now the mess halls are handing out hot lemonade every night. I’ll bet this camp folds up the by the first of the year. One thing that makes us think the war is almost over is the number of medical discharges that are coming through now. Men are getting CDD’s without having a hell of a lot wrong with them. Of course, that doesn’t mean a hell of a lot.

I haven’t heard anything about the A.S.T.P., but I’m going to get an interview with Capt. O’Grady about it as soon as I’ve made a good enough impression.

I’m sure glad my cold’s breaking up now. The ambulance is down at number one barracks right now dragging off a flu or pneumonia case. It’s the regular guidon bearer. Looks as if I may have his job for quite some time now. What a “jernt”. If this keeps up, there’ll be so few in the Company they’ll have to make me a non-com.


Best Love to the
Best folks in the World,
Bill


(sketch here)