18 August, 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

18 August, 1944      0930

My dearest, sweetest fiancée–

I feel pretty well this morning but a couple of the fellows don’t. It all started with the gin, darling. The trouble is that although we get a full bottle of Scotch each – we have to divide a bottle of gin between two of us. Well – last night the dentist and I brought out our bottle and decided to kill it at a game of cards. There were six of us playing and a bottle doesn’t last long among six growing boys, dear. We had plenty of grapefruit juice from the kitchen rations. Another pair of officers got their bottle etc. and we ended up feeling pretty high – the first time in a long while. We felt like singing, but couldn’t – because of security conditions. It was dark – but no one felt like going to bed. So we sat around and told old stories, admidst ”ssh’s” from the other fellows who were listening – whenever we got too loud. I slept well – and this morning I’m right on the ball.

The fact that the news is so good doesn’t dampen our spirits one bit – either, sweetheart. You can’t imagine the drive and spirit that this American army has. It has confidence – knowing its superiority in numbers, equipment, and air power – and it’s really a pleasure to see them push on. Naturally – I’m getting to see a great deal of France – because after all – I started way back on the beach and we’ve come a long way since. As we expected – the people we’re meeting now are the French who really hated the Germans and their joy is understandable. American flags – almost invariably home-made and almost always with the wrong number of stars – are out in every small town we pass through – and I think I’ve already told you about the flowers. They just love to make little bouquets and hurl them at us when we slow down going thru a town. They line the streets – men and women – holding jugs of cider or wine, with glasses – pouring out drinks – and all in all, dear, I think the American effort is being appreciated.

Postcard of a church in Pré-en-Pail, enclosed in a letter to Wilma

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

and how it can be seen at the end of a street today:



Postcard of "La Mairie" in Pré-en-Pail enclosed in a letter to Wilma:

and how it looks today:

Just when we’ll get a chance to see Paris – I don’t know. At this writing we haven’t taken it – but take it – we will. I do hope I get a chance to see it – but this Army is getting so big in France – there’s no telling where the various outfits will head for. Time enough to think of that.

What I want more than anything is to by-pass a good many spots and head for home, darling. There’s a lot of talk about occupation, Japan, Pacific – and all that. I don’t care where they send me – as long as this damned thing gets over with soon. When it folds – it will do so quickly – I think, and I don’t see why my outfit won’t be disbanded as quickly as anyone else’s. Everything is in a state of soon being unfolded, though, sweetheart – and I know you’ll have the patience to wait for me. I think it will be sooner than either of us hoped for – and the thought certainly thrills me darling; that’s the only word for it – because the very thought of actually getting home and doing what we’ve planned for so long – causes me no end of mental stimulation.

Darling I’ll have to stop now. There’s something doing over at the medical truck and I’d better get over and see what’s up. It sure is swell to think about the future, sweetheart, particularly when that future seems less elusive with each passing day.

Love to the folks, darling and

All my everlasting love

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Tom Treanor, War Correspondent

Most of the following information comes from Katheleen Pavion's blog, Fallen Journalists:

Tom Treanor was born in Los Angeles on November 8, 1908. He attended Stanford University for two years, then transferred to and graduated from the University of California, Berkley. He began his newspaper career as a reporter for The Los Angeles Evening Press in 1930. He then moved to report for the Oakland Post-Enquirer, The Wisconsin News and The Los Angeles Examiner, before working for The Los Angeles Times starting in 1934. Treanor created a column titled, “The Home Front,” before he went abroad as a war correspondent. The column was devoted to his visits to war plants and war activities, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In his career Treanor covered the battlefields of Egypt, India, Africa and Italy, before reporting on D-Day, the conquest of Normandy and the push towards Paris in the Battle of France. Treanor also wrote several magazine articles and a book, One Damn Thing After Another, published in 1944. His fellow reporters respected him as one of the best WWII correspondents and admired him for his daring ability to get the story for his readers.

Tom Treanor was injured on 18 August 1944, on his way to the Seine River front, when the Army jeep he and two other correspondents were riding in collided with an American tank on a dusty road outside a French village that had just been liberated from the Nazis, east of Chartres, France. Despite emergency medical treatment by U. S. Army personnel, Treanor died early the next day. According to Robert C. Miller, a United Press correspondent, Treanor suffered a crushed leg, internal injuries and head wounds. Miller was the first to deliver the news of Treanor’s accident to The Los Angeles Times, saying that Treanor regained consciousness for a while in the hospital before dying. He lived long enough to learn that the doctor attending his wounds was from Los Angeles and told him he was sorry he wouldn't be able to cover the liberation of Paris.

Treanor was buried at the Army cemetery near Le Mans, about 50 miles from the accident site and about 100 miles from Paris. He was 35 years old when he died. He was honored at Ft. MacArthur, where his widow was presented with the War Department Certificate of Appreciation and European and Pacific Theater of Operations ribbons.

At the news of his death, The Los Angeles Times reported an influx of phone calls that “jammed the switchboards” from friends, readers and acquaintances. The Times said, “Where (ever) Treanor went, there was always action - front line action always vividly, accurately described…”. According to John MacVane, an NBC broadcaster who also covered the battle for France, "Tom was where he wanted to be - at the very tip of the units of the American 3rd Army pushing towards Paris.”

From a previous LA times blog by Larry Harnisch comes this last story written by Tom Treanor:

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

17 August, 1944

V-MAIL

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

17 August, 1944      1430

Dearest darling –

A “shortie” today, due to the exigencies of war. Ahem – that sounds important. It really isn’t though. I spent the morning visiting 3 of the batteries, dear, chiefly to determine whether I would award any Purple Hearts – or not. In case you don’t know it, sweetheart, I am authorized to make such an award and keep a stock of them on hand. I’m sorry to say that I’ve had occasion to give them out in several cases.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE


Greg did not name this town which he may have
driven through on his way to visit 3 batteries.

No mail for a couple of days, darling, but it’s really a wonder we ever get any these days – we jump around so much – but I haven’t heard one complaint. We all feel we’re going in the right direction and that compensates for a great deal.

I missed you a lot last night, darling. We had had a chance to dig in early and things were quiet. I caught myself dreaming of myself back home with you, and then, sweetheart, I missed you more than ever. Gosh, dear, I do love you more and more and want you as my wife more than I can tell you. So hold tight! Love to the family and

All my deepest love -

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Taking Falaise

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On 15 August the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions, with the support of the 2nd Canadian (Armored) Brigade, renewed their drive south, but progress remained slow. After harsh fighting and having weathered several German counter-attacks, the 4th Armored Division captured Soulangy, although strong German resistance prevented an outright breakthrough to Trun and the day's gains were minimal. On 16 August the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division broke into Falaise itself, encountering minor opposition from Waffen SS units and scattered pockets of German infantry, and by 17 August had secured the town.

As Falaise burns, a Canadian MP directs traffic
at Place Saint Gervais on 17 August 1944
This photo belongs to PhotosNormandie's Flickr Photostream


A Canadian truck in Falaise passes St. Gervais
Church on Rue de Cain on 17 August 1944.
Cafe du Commerce is now Pizzeria La Place.
This photo belongs to PhotosNormandie's Flickr Photostream.

Same Intersection today.

16 August, 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

16 August, 1944       0930

My dearest girl –

There was a time in France that when we moved, we stayed ‘put’ for awhile and took care of details etc. For the past 10 days it has not been so, and despite the wear and tear of digging, pitching and striking tents, falling behind in cleanliness, losing out on daily mail and not getting a chance to write much – no one is kicking, dear, because we’re going in the right direction and rapidly. We’re really chewing up the miles these days – and it’s wonderful. We’re bound to meet some opposition soon, I suppose – but right now – there’s no doubt as to which side has the decisive hand. I can well imagine how the news is being received at home. I’m sure everyone must feel the war can only last a few weeks more. I personally think it will last longer – chiefly because I don’t think there’s a mechanism in Germany set up as yet to make or sue for peace. But it will come darling, and with it my early return home to you. I’ve never wanted anything ever – as much as I want to get home and marry you, sweetheart. That it will come – I don’t doubt at all. It’s only a question of time.

This morning (we rarely get mail in the a.m.) I got 2 letters – one from your mother – very sweet, and one from you of August 2nd, dear. I was tickled to read about Mr. Anderson’s offer to you – not because it might mean a paid job – but because it showed he must like your work and have confidence in you. If so – it must mean you have ability – and since I think that anyway, I like to feel that others feel the same way. At any rate – I think you did the right thing when you went to work with the ARC – and paid or not paid – your contacts and experience with them are well worth having.

I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing you dressed up in your Mother’s wedding gown, darling, but I got a good laugh out of it anyway. You remind me of a little girl trying on her mother’s high shoes etc. – and the funny part of it is dear – that’s what you are in fact!

It’s funny – I meant to mention the news of the new landings on the South coast of France – and forgot all about it – up to this point. I can say truthfully – that for some time – we small time strategists have figured there’d be a landing in that region. The Germans have been withdrawing from that sector of France for some time and day after day we could see the Forts flying in that direction. This new drive is bound to divert even more of Hitler’s thinning troops – and the picture is unfolding very nicely. I suppose it came as an even bigger surprise to the United States – but this war seems full of them.

I was surprised to read about Earl being with the 7th Army in Italy. We thought the 7th was in Corsica – but Armies do get around these days. Betty’s remarks about Stan were interesting. And I do wish you’d do something about a vacation. Now that Bea is back – your chances of going to Old Orchard seem gone – so why don’t you at least go to Hartford – just for a change of scenery? I’d wait until September and some cooler weather, though. Hartford can be an awfully hot spot in the summer. I worked there a few weeks for two summers and boy – it was broiling. I always liked that city, though.

Well, darling, I’ve sort of rambled on today without expressing clearly enough the fact that I love you and wish I could be together with you – discussing in person – all these little things. I guess we won’t do much talking though for awhile after I get back – except perhaps to yell “Time!” – occasionally. Boy! Wouldn’t I like to be winded – from kissing! I am developing my wind, though, – but from digging, and I think I’ll be able to reapply it without difficulty.

It’s time to stop now, dear and get some things done. I do hope you’re taking care of yourself – and that everyone is fine at home. My love to the folks, dear, and for now –

My deepest love –

Greg.

Route of the Question Mark


[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

(A) Milly to (B) Lignières-la-Doucelle (64 Miles)
11 to 16 August 1944

August 16... Lignieres la Doucelle. Pfc GORDON was burned by flaming gasoline. S/Sgt BARHAM captured our first two prisoners, the ones that S/Sgt BOGARDUS and T/4 LANG fired at the night before. Lt Col LANE attacked the yellow-jackets at the Officers' table with fire and smudges, and it was impossible to keep them out of our jam cans. The motor section acquired its first motorcycle, and we got a 0100 march order. Capt RENKIN lost all his clothes and the S-4 section caught H E L L.

* TIDBIT *

about "A Picture Speaks 1,000 Words"

CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE


Hearse in front of Notre Dame Church
at La Ferté-Macé


Notre Dame at La Ferté-Macé today

15 August, 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

15 August, 1944         0830

Dearest sweetheart –

We’re gypsying again and I’m getting an early start, dear. The Germans always spoke of the “drang nach Osten” – and that’s just where we’re going. The Lord has favored us with some excellent weather since this push started a few weeks ago – and I think we’ve taken advantage of it.

Speaking of weather – yesterday was another ideal summer day and a few of us took time out to grab another swim in a little swimming hole not far from here. We had gone there the day before also. The water was cool and reasonably clean.

Another new announcement came out yesterday. In England you remember, dear, we were given the opportunity of getting a bottle of Scotch about every month – for the price of 25 shillings (about $5.00) It seems that the British Army still makes liquor available to its officers (and remind me to tell you my impression of British officers – after the war, dear); because in some sectors we are fighting side by side with the British – I guess they decided to make liquor available to us too. At any rate every officer can now receive a ration of a fifth of Scotch and 1 pint of gin per month. The amazing thing is that the Scotch costs us only 76 francs – or $1.52 – which is cost price, I guess – minus tax etc. Just tell your Dad he’s overpaying. About the most important result will be that some of the boys will now stop drinking Cognac or Calvados – the latter being as explosive as TNT and just about as dangerous. We’re gradually leaving the Cognac country behind and reaching the wine country – so we’ll see –

Sweetheart – I’m sorry I worried you about the thought of an Army occupation. It’s certainly nothing to worry about now – in view of the fact that we haven’t ended the war as yet. But some one will have to police the conquered Germans and the Americans will do part of it – I’m sure. I’m not worrying about that fact one bit, though, dear. What we want is victory – first.

I remember Lena’s well and the Bella Vista, too. Those were happy days, darling and we certainly took them in stride – I remember how I used to connive and contrive – starting about Tuesday – just so I could be off on the week-end. And I managed very well, as I remember it. We packed a lot of fun in those few months. I think of every incident, over and over again; it’s interesting to study how I grew to love you – and satisfying too. I know, darling, that when I get back – we’ll just start off where we left off – except that out love will be much deeper than when I last said ‘so long’. And I can remember ‘sweating out’ a phone call from the Roosevelt or the Pennsylvania in N.Y. – the last time I heard your voice – darling. It doesn’t really seem so long. That’s because our letters have kept us in touch, sweetheart. They certainly are a blessing – yours are.

Bella Vista (today) in the North End of Boston

Gee – I’ll have to stop now. Things are bustling and I’ve got a lot of things to do. My love to the folks, dear and

All my love, darling

Greg

Route of the Question Mark


[Note from FourthChild: La Chernay cannot be found !]

August 15... La Chernay. We did nothing but buy eggs from civilians, and we were nicely complimented for the way we had handled the liquor situation, and almost immediately an epidemic of drunkeness broke out.

* TIDBIT *

about The Other D-Day

CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE

What follows was excerpted from Southern France written for the U.S. Army Center of Military History by Jeffrey J. Clarke.

Overview
The Allied invasion of southern France on 15 August 1944, an operation first code-named ANVIL and later DRAGOON, marked the beginning of one of the most successful but controversial campaigns of World War II. Because it fell both geographically and chronologically between two much larger Allied efforts in northern France and Italy, both its conduct and its contributions have been largely ignored. Yet the success of ANVIL and the ensuing capture of the great southern French ports of Toulon and Marseilles, together with the subsequent drive north up the Rhone River valley to Lyon and Dijon, were ultimately to provide critical support to the Normandy-based armies finally moving east toward the German border.

Controversy
Opponents of ANVIL, including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, have long argued that the invasion of southern France did little more than sap the strength of the main Allied campaign in the Mediterranean, the drive north up the Italian peninsula toward Austria and Hungary. This direct thrust through the so-called soft underbelly of German-dominated Europe might also, in retrospect, have altered the East-West balance of postwar Europe. In contrast, defenders of ANVIL, mainly Americans, have steadfastly maintained that even if the rugged Italian campaign could have been accelerated, the operational and logistical difficulties of rapidly crossing the Julian Alps would have been impossible to overcome. Far more significant to the Allied cause in Europe was the capture of Marseille, France's largest port, and the rapid rehabilitation of the Rhone valley rail and road network. Until the opening of Antwerp in December 1944, this supply route was to satisfy over one-third of the Allied logistical needs in northern France. In addition, the Southern France Campaign resulted in the arrival of the third Allied army group opposite the German border, without which General Dwight D. Eisenhower's army groups would have been stretched thinner and pressed harder during the German Ardennes offensive in the winter of that year. And a more grievous allied setback in December might also have had dire consequences on postwar Europe for the Western Alliance.

Preparation
With the clock running, the Allied land and naval staffs supervised the massive loading requirements of the D-day convoys, their departure from a variety of ports, and their subsequent rendezvous off Corsica during the night of 14-15 August. Together they comprised approximately 885 ships and landing vessels sailing under their own power and carrying nearly 1,375 smaller landing craft, about 151,000 troops (the bulk of the French were in follow-on convoys), and some 21,400 trucks, tanks, tank destroyers, prime movers, bulldozers, tractors, and other assorted vehicles. The campaign for southern France was about to begin.

Even as these forces assembled, Allied air attacks against the southern French coastline and the immediate interior, begun on 5 August, continued and intensified. So as not to reveal the precise landing area, targets all along the coast were struck, including many in the Genoa area to the extreme east. Also attacked were the Rhone River bridges, whose destruction would severely hamper German movements throughout the campaign. At the same time, French Resistance forays against lesser water crossings and rail and communication sites further paralyzed German movement behind the battle area and seriously degraded internal communications capabilities. Deception efforts on the night before the ANVIL landings included dummy paratrooper drops and visits by small fleets of patrol craft, one led by cinema star, Lt. Comdr. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (USNR), to other potential landing sites to simulate an invasion force.

Like the Normandy invasion, a secret message from London, “the chief is starving,” launched the attack. Before the landings, French resistance fighters cleared German forces from the three beaches. Just after midnight on August 15, Allied forces pummeled the Hyeres island batteries. The African soldiers landed and later took Cap Nègre. More troops negotiated a minefield at le Trayas. Coming by sea, Allied troops landed on the three beaches, backed by troops arriving at Sainte-Maxime a few hours later. Meanwhile, Allied paratroopers attacked from the air, landing by parachute in the Le Muy-Le Luc area, with combat gliders bringing reinforcements. By 0400, some 5,000 Allied paratroopers had dropped from Provence skies into the valley of l'Argens; 10,000 paratroopers had landed by the end of the day.

U.S. Douglas C-47 Skytrains
carrying paratroopers to the invasion.

Here is what one paratrooper, Captain Jud Chalkey, had to say:

“I was jumpmaster of our stick. It consisted mostly of mortar and bazooka men from Battalion HQ. The panorama of the invasion as we flew over the beachhead was a magnificent sight. You could see the assault boats going in and the guys crawling on the beaches. The battleships were firing and the battle was in full swing. We were flying at about 2000 feet but you could smell the cordite. We had just six minutes from the time we got to the shoreline until we were to jump. We got the red light, the plane dropped down some, and then lifted as we came in for the drop. So when the green light came on, the deck was sloping upward and the men had to climb a bit to get to the door. The pilot had to rev up his engines because of the upward slant of the terrain below. We were probably going 120 when we went out the door. That's when just about everything you were carrying that weighed anything tore loose and went flying. Panels blew; men lost their equipment. It was a very hard opening shock.”

U.S. 551st Parachute Infantry Regiment
invading Southern France on 15 August 1944

The 1st Special Service Force successfully assaulted the islands of Levant and Port Cros shortly after midnight, surprising the German garrisons but finding only dummy artillery positions. Simultaneously, the French commandos struck along the coast, with the southern group establishing blocking positions around Cape Negre, but the northern group suffering severe casualties while trapped in a defended German minefield until dawn. Inland the echeloned paratrooper and glider landings were characterized by confusion. Always a difficult proposition by night, the airborne attack was bedeviled by a low cloud cover that obscured drop zones for pathfinder teams and pilots alike. Although most landed within a ten-mile radius of Le Muy, daylight found some as far south as the Gulf of St. Tropez while others were located as far east as the Cannes region. But, as in the Normandy invasion, the confusion that the scattered landings caused within the German interior lines may have more than made up for the almost inevitable pilot errors.

D-Day
Daybreak on 15 August revealed a clear Mediterranean morning with the autumn storms, the French mistral, still weeks away. As planned, the main landings began promptly at 0800, after the haze and smoke from the final air and naval bombardments had dissipated - the experienced Allied commanders considered the visibility a worthwhile trade-off when assaulting an unfamiliar shore en mass. Striking the crease, or boundary between the German LXII Corps' 242d and 148th Infantry Divisions, Major General John W. "Iron Mike" O'Daniel's 3d Division put ashore on the target area's southernmost beaches on the St. Tropez peninsula; Major General John E. Dahlquist's 36th Division headed for those in the Frejus Gulf on the right, or eastern, portion of the landing area; and Major General William W. Eagles' 45th Division employed a series of small strands in between, near the town of Ste. Maxime. Initial resistance proved light, with the two defending grenadier (infantry) regiments from two different divisions unable to coordinate their actions and with naval gunnery silencing most of the German artillery positions.

Landing at Cavalaire-sur-Mer
15 August 1944

The only exception to the desultory defense occurred at the head of the Frejus Gulf, the primary landing zone of the 36th Division. With the German fire there seemingly unaffected by the Allied bombardment and with an impressive array of beach obstacles in full view, the alert naval task group commander, Rear Adm. Spencer S. Lewis, ordered the bulk of the division to land on an adjacent beach, slightly to the north, an action that further minimized Allied casualties on D-day.

During the morning and afternoon of the 15th, the armor-supported American infantry slowly eliminated almost all resistance along the shoreline and began pushing east and west along the coastal road and north into the interior. By the following day they had secured the two hill masses overlooking the beaches, while tank destroyers from the 45th Division had penetrated due north to assist the paratroopers in a final assault against Le Muy. Only in the immediate vicinity of Frejus did the Germans put up a spirited but futile defense, while the Luftwaffe limited itself to a few radio-controlled missile attacks against Allied shipping. Thus, by the afternoon of 16 August VI Corp's Major General Lucien Truscott found his forces in full possession of the planned beachhead with little evidence of any coordinated German response.

Confusion reigned at the various German headquarters. The LXII Corps at Draguignan, a few miles northwest of Le Muy, found itself isolated by roving bands of paratroopers. Reports of the landings arriving at the headquarters of the Nineteenth Army and Army Group G were fragmentary and confused, with most of General Johannes Blaskowitz's information coming from naval sources and relayed to his command post at Toulouse through Paris. From Avignon, General Friedrich Wiese did what he could. He gave General Richard von Schwerin, whose 189th Infantry Division was currently attempting to cross east over the Rhone, a few units from two other divisions. He sent von Schwerin down the Argens valley the morning of the 15th to clear the paratroopers from Le Muy and relieve the LXII Corps headquarters. But von Schwerin's "counterattack" that afternoon and a similar one from Cannes by elements of the 148th Division were small ad hoc affairs based on only sketchy intelligence. Both were easily dispersed by the Americans, who hardly noticed them, and swallowed up by the rapid ANVIL advance. More would be necessary if the Germans were to mount an effective defense, but Blaskowitz and Wiese could do little until more of their combat forces crossed the Rhone, especially the 11th Panzers.

14 August, 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

14 August, 1944        0900

My darling –

Two more letters from you last nite – Aug 3 and 4th. Think of that – only 10 days. That, however, represents the best time mail has made. I also heard from Lawrence – and I got a letter from Verna. The latter apologized for Irv’s not writing. I guess he’s pretty busy with his music, tutees and extra-curricular duties. Verna took it upon herself to defend Stan’s failure to write, dear. You may or may not remember – I wrote Irv some time ago that I couldn’t understand Stan, his not writing etc. – and wondered whether he resented my engagement. Verna wrote that Stan was “terrifically” busy; he was – after all – in charge of five stores; he was working very hard and Irv and Verna were hearing from him about once in six weeks; Verna had mentioned to Stan when he was in Boston that I wondered why he hadn’t written me and Stan said he would just have to make a point of doing – and to top it all off – and here’s the paradox to his whole busy state – his social whirl was terrific; he was being rushed by this Wilcoff person (whom Verna also feels I met) and other women too. She closed her letter by saying that after all – I knew Stan better than she – and there couldn’t be an “ounce of resentment in his whole body.” If I ever read a lot of poppy-cock – that letter was it – although it was nice of Verna to write. I’ll answer her and completely ignore the Subject of Stan. The thought of him running around and having a swell time in Washington – makes me kind of see red. Someday, sweetheart, I’ll tell you what was believed to be his real diagnosis when he was paralyzed. The fact is – there are a lot of men in the army now – doing hard fighting – who are in much worse physical shape than he – and he isn’t even doing anything approaching an essential job. How did he get away with it? Goddammit – I get so mad at times, darling – I’m sorry. I just can’t help it – when I see what’s going on here – and realize what some people are “putting” up with at home. Just think – in addition to Music I and the tutees – mind you – poor Irv has the glee club and a class in Harmony. Of course – Cambridge must be very hot this time of the year.

Well, forget it – darling. After the war – we’ll be the ones who will be sitting pretty. There are so many soldiers and sailors and marines coming home – that it will be a small group of men who won’t have something to tell about in reference to the war and I’m glad I won’t be with that small group.

Hell – dear – didn’t mean to get so bitchy. It’s Monday a.m. – but not a blue one. The weather is swell and the news so good – it’s hard to believe – even from here where we can see it develop right in from of us. Yesterday – several of us went looking for a shower point – couldn’t find it and got so dirty and dusty riding the roads – that we finally found a small river with a swimming hole and went in. It was the first swim in a year and it was wonderful – We had our soap, towels, fresh underwear with us – so we went to work cleaning up. The trouble is – once you hit the road – you’re dusty again in about 2 minutes. In the evening – we played Black Jack and I won about 185 francs.

I was glad to read about Bea and her living so close to you. It will give you a bit more diversion. And speaking of that – I was glad to read you went out with the girls and ended up at the Esplanade. Getting out more often is good for you, darling. That program – by the way – sounded very good. I like particularly – Brahms’ 4th.

Yes – we see the Stars here. I guess I don’t know many of the names – but the sky is beautiful here too. Too often however it is illuminated by dropped flares – which make it very eerie and then you can’t look anyway – you have to duck out of sight – because it becomes as light as daylight.

I was sorry to hear about Les – but I felt sure that would happen if he were with the infantry. I hope he comes in this direction – although a good many of them are going towards the Pacific.

Sweetheart – I’ll stop now. Your letters have been very sweet, darling and if ever a man wanted to come back to his sweetheart so that he could marry her – dearest, that man is I. Every day that chance is getting better and soon dear I know we’ll be together and living our lives as they were meant to be lived. Just keep praying, darling. For now – so long, love to the folks and

My deepest and sincerest love is yours –

Greg

13 August, 1944

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

13 August, 1944           0945

Dearest darling Wilma –

Last nite I received your letters of July 18, 19 and 28 and they sure were nice to get, dear. Before I can possibly digress, I want to answer a few things you seem uncertain about, darling.

In the first place I think you know by now how fortunate I feel that I do have someone to come home to. Mind you, dear, it’s not the abstract idea that I feel fortunate about – but the fact that it is you I’m coming back to. You must always keep that clear. You almost accused me once of fitting you into a pattern. That is not the case. I’d much rather come home to no one than to do a thing like that. I feel lucky, darling, because everything I’ve wanted in a fiancée, in a wife – I found in you – above all personality, bearing, and background. Those things are important to me and sweetheart you have them. The fact that you are attractive and educated make me happy too – but in my mind those factors have always been secondary – because the Lord knows there are plenty of educated, good looking girls – without character. I know I don’t tell you often enough sweetheart how much I love you and what you really mean to me – although I suspect you really know the depth of my affection. Will I be affectionate when I get back? Just you wait and see. Even if a fellow weren’t – before becoming a soldier – he certainly would be after going through a war, darling – because there’s so little of it on a battlefield and you begin to realize that you want affection and want to return it also.

I know dear that there’s lots of little yet important things we never get a chance to discuss. It’s understandable, though. I think the most that letters can accomplish is to keep close contact between people and help exchange broad ideas. Intimate discussion is pretty difficult because so much time elapses between answers.

What I want from life together with you is first of all mutual love, affection and respect. I know we’ll have that. I want next to be able to provide for you and give you the things you’d like to have. That will make me happy. I want to have a family in the worst way, sweetheart – a few children anyway. I envy every couple who already have a family started. I love children and I hope we have them.

Well – what else? That’s quite a bit already, darling, and if we have that – the Lord will have been kind to us. I hope then that we can have a decent spot in our social community, that we have nice friends, that we can visit with people and have then visit with us, that we can get to Boston often enough to visit our folks, to hear concerts and see good plays. I want very much to stay as young as you are, sweetheart.

All that is quite a bit, dear, and quite rosy. It will take time. I’ll have a practice to build and a reputation to re-establish – but I’m not afraid to face that with you helping me. I have faith in your help – and I feel that if things are slow and perhaps dull in the early days of my practice – that you’ll give me the inspiration not to get blue. I know I can count on you, too.

One more thing, dear, before I change the subject. The one thing that never enters my mind as a problem is the subject of adjustment. That’s a psychiatric word that need not enter the sphere of two normal people. It’s the most natural thing in the world for a fellow and girl to become married and live together and why shouldn’t we be able to do what so many others have done before us? No – there need be no question of adjustment. I’ll come home to you, sweetheart, get to know you again in a very short time. We’ll get married as soon as possible, honeymoon somewhere and find a place for us to live in Salem. Salem, by the way, as you probably know – is from the old Hebrew “Shalom” – meaning peace – and darling – that’s where we’ll find it – and happiness too.

I guess I sort of wound myself up on that one – but I hope I’ve made myself clear, dear. If not – ask me again and we’ll discuss some other angle. I want everything to be as clear in your mind as it is in mine.

I’ll stop now, dear. It’s Sunday morning – and I have a few things to do now. I hope, darling, that from all this you can gather how much I love you. It’s a great great deal and you’ll know when I see you. Love to the folks and

My everlasting love –

Greg.

P.S. Of course a convertible!

Love

G.

* TIDBIT *

about Eisenhower's Message and
Bradley's Messy Decision

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

From the U.S. Army Center of Military History's "Command Decisions", Chapter 17 by Martin Blumenson, comes this slightly modified excerpt:

Attacking toward Argentan on the morning of 13 August, the XV Corps struck surprising resistance. The advance halted temporarily. But as the corps was preparing to make a renewed effort to get to and through Argentan, a surprising message came from the Third Army. General Bradley had forbidden further movement northward. General Patton had to order General Haislip to stop. Instead of continuing to the north to an eventual meeting with the Canadians, the XV Corps was to hold in place. Less than twenty-five miles separated Canadians and Americans - the Argentan-Falaise gap - through which the Germans tried to escape. Why Bradley did not allow Patton to let the XV Corps continue north and seal the Argentan-Falaise pocket is a question of debate.

The failure of the Canadians to reach Falaise more quickly made General Bradley's decision to halt the XV Corps appear in retrospect to many commanders, both Allied and German, to have been a tactical error, a failure to take full advantage of German vulnerability. It seemed particularly true because General Bradley himself had suggested and General Montgomery had accepted the idea of literal encirclement. So too had General Patton. If, as Patton said, the "purpose of the operation is to surround and destroy the German west of the Seine," as he understood it to be, the Germans had first to be surrounded so that their destruction would be inevitable. He envisioned pincers - the Canadians and the XV Corps on opposite sides - cutting through the German rear on relatively narrow fronts and actually encircling the enemy as a preliminary to destruction. Thus, he had given the XV Corps the task of making contact with the Canadians on the opposite Allied flank.

Long after the event, General Bradley explained that a head-on juncture of Canadians and Americans would have been a "dangerous and uncontrollable maneuver." According to General Eisenhower, it might have caused a "calamitous battle between friends." General Bradley himself later considered the failure to close the gap a mistake, and he placed the responsibility on Montgomery. He recalled that he and Patton had doubted "Monty's ability to close the gap at Argentan" from the north, and they had "waited impatiently" for word from Montgomery to authorize continuation of the XV Corps advance. While waiting, according to Bradley, he and Patton had seen the Germans reinforce the shoulders of the Argentan-Falaise gap and watched the enemy pour troops and materiel eastward to escape the unsealed pocket. It seemed to him and Patton, Bradley remembered, that Dempsey's British Second Army, driving from the northwest, accelerated German movement eastward and facilitated German escape by pushing the Germans out of the open end of the pocket like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. "If Monty's tactics mystified me," Bradley later wrote, "they dismayed Eisenhower even more. And ... a shocked Third Army looked on helplessly as its quarry fled [while] Patton raged at Montgomery's blunder."

At least in part, the failure to close the Argentan-Falaise gap can be blamed on lack of communication that resulted from growing jealousies within the coalition. In Normandy, the Montgomery-Bradley relationship had been characterized by mutual respect and deference, but friction between the two staffs had increased with Bradley's rise to army group command and the corresponding growth in stature of the American effort within the Allied command structure. Given their successes, the Americans were less willing to accept a role subordinate to a British officer, especially one they viewed as arrogant and overly cautious. Montgomery had to defer to this growing independence while continuing to exercise responsibility for coordinating Allied movements until Eisenhower formally assumed command on the Continent. To complicate matters further, the French were already showing a dismaying tendency to go their own way on matters they considered vital to their national interest. In the cases of the Falaise gap, the liberation of Paris, the long envelopment to the Seine, establishment of boundaries, and debate over the single versus broad front, it is not surprising that coalition politics hampered the efficient exercise of command. Eisenhower's political skills as supreme commander have often been taken for granted, but they were certainly tested during the campaign for northern France.

12 August, 1944

V-MAIL

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 403 % Postmaster, N.Y.

France

12 August, 1944        0950

Good morning, Sweetheart –

We almost slept in a 15th century chateau last nite – but just missed out. Maybe it’s just as well – because the walls weren’t very thick. When we make a move – a reconnaissance party precedes us and picks a site – according to our tactical needs. If there’s a farmhouse or building at the spot – they take over. Then they radio us their position – and we meet them. Something went wrong. They had the beautiful estate all picked out – but when they returned – someone else had moved in. The French persist in saying “C’est la guerre” to that – which I guess it is, darling, although I always reply with every other French saying I can think of such as “Cherchez la femme”, “On y soit qui mal y pense” and Pauline La Fouef. Anyway – we picked another spot – and it was just as noisy, dear.

The nights here – I should say evenings – are beautiful, darling, and make me miss you horribly. I have lots of time to think – in the evening and the night – and it’s always about you and us, dear – and always satisfying. That’s what I like about it. Soon, I’m sure, our love will have a chance to be translated, sweetheart, and whether literally or figuratively – I sure am looking forward to it! All for now, dear. Love to the folks – and

All my love is yours –

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about When the French Angered the Americans

On 12 August 1944 the population of Alençon awoke in the early morning in a liberated city. The capture of Alençon by the French 2nd Armored Division, which had arrived on Utah Beach on 1 August as Part of Patton's Army under French General Leclerc, had upset German General Eberbach's strategy to reorganize a front line south of the Falaise pocket. The 116th Panzer-Division had been assigned the mission to occupy the area of the Orne River. But the Germans suffered losses when they arrived at the north gate of Alençon, where the French had installed a defense.

Generals Jacques-Philippe Leclerc and Heinrich Eberbach
  

Without further ado General Leclerc launched his combat commands northward. The French armored column named "Putz" advanced toward Sées skirting east of Écouves Forest. The 5th American Armoured Division under Major General Oliver entered Le Mans from the east. American General Regnier's Combat Command A penetrated into Sées around 10 a. m. ahead of the Panzergrenadier Regiment of the 116th Panzer-Division. Without any tank or artillery support, the Germans were pushed back. One hour later the arrival of the "Putz" column caused a huge traffic jam and aroused the Americans' anger. Intervention by American General Haislip, who commanded the XVth Corps, was required to settle the disagreement.