438th AAA AW BN
APO 230 % Postmaster, N.Y.
1 April, 1945 &nbso; 0940
Germany
My dearest fiancée –
Happy Easter! And I hope you have a nice day. The weather here is chilly – but it’s an excellent day for me – and I’ll tell you why. I got a swell batch of mail last night at midnight, and because of poor black-out conditions, I couldn’t read my letters until this morning; I’ve just finished and I’m in excellent spirits. To be exact, I got 2 V-mails, 16 and 20 March; and 6 airmails – ranging from 16 to 23 March. How’s that! In addition, I had a letter from Lawrence, one from Carolyn Gardner (I’ll let you read it after I’ve answered it), one from Dave Becker in Salem (he runs Kay Jewelry there) and one from Barbara Tucker. That’s a pretty good haul, but then – we hadn’t received mail in several days due to conditions.
I don’t remember exactly what I wrote you yesterday, darling, but I hope I told you how much I love you. I’ll repeat that today – but remember that love is one day fuller, one day richer – and one day nearer to being satisfied. When I write I don’t recall yesterday’s letter, darling, I’m serious. These are confusing, exacting days – and things are happening – and I’m seeing them happen – that I’ll remember as long as I live. I know history is being written on every piece of territory I’m traveling over – and there’s a certain satisfaction in being here to see it. Our mission, incidentally, is for the time being – changed. It seems like a good job – but we don’t know of course – how long it will last. At present we’re in the outskirts of a pretty fair-sized town. This city goes back to the middle ages, has a medical and law school here – but I had never heard of it, myself. The people still don’t seem to know what the score is and we’re still finding dead families in different parts of the city – cases of mass suicide – by people who believed the Nazi propaganda that the Americans would torture, rape etc. Concerning the latter – there’s a lot to be said that I can’t say in a letter, by the way.
Well, sweetheart, I was taken away and I’ve just returned, a little tired and plenty dirty. It was an interesting day but I’m sorry, I can’t write about it.
In one of your V-mails you wrote you were able to save only about $25.00 per week. Hell – I think that’s excellent, dear. I had no idea you could save that much. I’m saving just about all the $200 I’m drawing each month. I get $100, and the other goes to the bank. Of the $100 I got last month, I still have $100, and I got another $100 today. I’ll send it all home. The only use I’d have for it would be for a 3 day pass to Paris – which I might get one of these days. But I could borrow the money and write a check for the amount.
I was interested in your story about Lennie Bernstein and the OWI. I wonder if he’s really coming over. And Irv must really be taking it pretty bad if what you imply is true. If so – I hope he can go along. It would make him feel as if he’s doing something.
And now before I close – let me thank you dear for your snapshot which I loved. It’s swell. I’ll have to get hold of a folder that holds several photos – I don’t know which one to leave out. I showed your picture to all the boys and they want to know when you’re coming over here to serve donuts, coffee and build up the morale. I told them all I wouldn’t dare let all these G-I’s get near you. But your uniform looks swell on you. Wrinkles or no – and I’m tickled with the snap. And send more over!! D’ya hear?
Have to go now; I’m going to try and get myself bathed. Who knows? Maybe. Will write tomorrow darling; for now – so long and all my deepest and sincerest love is yours.
Happy Easter! And I hope you have a nice day. The weather here is chilly – but it’s an excellent day for me – and I’ll tell you why. I got a swell batch of mail last night at midnight, and because of poor black-out conditions, I couldn’t read my letters until this morning; I’ve just finished and I’m in excellent spirits. To be exact, I got 2 V-mails, 16 and 20 March; and 6 airmails – ranging from 16 to 23 March. How’s that! In addition, I had a letter from Lawrence, one from Carolyn Gardner (I’ll let you read it after I’ve answered it), one from Dave Becker in Salem (he runs Kay Jewelry there) and one from Barbara Tucker. That’s a pretty good haul, but then – we hadn’t received mail in several days due to conditions.
I don’t remember exactly what I wrote you yesterday, darling, but I hope I told you how much I love you. I’ll repeat that today – but remember that love is one day fuller, one day richer – and one day nearer to being satisfied. When I write I don’t recall yesterday’s letter, darling, I’m serious. These are confusing, exacting days – and things are happening – and I’m seeing them happen – that I’ll remember as long as I live. I know history is being written on every piece of territory I’m traveling over – and there’s a certain satisfaction in being here to see it. Our mission, incidentally, is for the time being – changed. It seems like a good job – but we don’t know of course – how long it will last. At present we’re in the outskirts of a pretty fair-sized town. This city goes back to the middle ages, has a medical and law school here – but I had never heard of it, myself. The people still don’t seem to know what the score is and we’re still finding dead families in different parts of the city – cases of mass suicide – by people who believed the Nazi propaganda that the Americans would torture, rape etc. Concerning the latter – there’s a lot to be said that I can’t say in a letter, by the way.
Same day 1600
Well, sweetheart, I was taken away and I’ve just returned, a little tired and plenty dirty. It was an interesting day but I’m sorry, I can’t write about it.
In one of your V-mails you wrote you were able to save only about $25.00 per week. Hell – I think that’s excellent, dear. I had no idea you could save that much. I’m saving just about all the $200 I’m drawing each month. I get $100, and the other goes to the bank. Of the $100 I got last month, I still have $100, and I got another $100 today. I’ll send it all home. The only use I’d have for it would be for a 3 day pass to Paris – which I might get one of these days. But I could borrow the money and write a check for the amount.
I was interested in your story about Lennie Bernstein and the OWI. I wonder if he’s really coming over. And Irv must really be taking it pretty bad if what you imply is true. If so – I hope he can go along. It would make him feel as if he’s doing something.
And now before I close – let me thank you dear for your snapshot which I loved. It’s swell. I’ll have to get hold of a folder that holds several photos – I don’t know which one to leave out. I showed your picture to all the boys and they want to know when you’re coming over here to serve donuts, coffee and build up the morale. I told them all I wouldn’t dare let all these G-I’s get near you. But your uniform looks swell on you. Wrinkles or no – and I’m tickled with the snap. And send more over!! D’ya hear?
Have to go now; I’m going to try and get myself bathed. Who knows? Maybe. Will write tomorrow darling; for now – so long and all my deepest and sincerest love is yours.
Greg
P.S. Love to the folks
* TIDBIT *
about The Ruhr Industrial Valley is Cut Off
about The Ruhr Industrial Valley is Cut Off
The snapshot that follows was taken from Normandy to Victory: The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army, page 355, maintained by his aides Major William C. Sylvan and Captain Francis G. Smith Jr.; edited by John T. Greenwood, copyright 2008 by the Association of the United States Army.
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