06 September 1945

6 September, 1945

1000

Good morning, dearest –

Well – unfortunately, I didn’t dream of you; I didn’t dream at all for that matter, but I feel like dreaming now – so that will make up for it. I’m almost through with sick-call, although there are still a few drifting in. I have a fairly free day today – no court – but another session tomorrow. Yesterday’s, by the way, was interesting. It involved murder – an open and shut case – and the man got life imprisonment. I don’t like sitting on a court – and on the whole, I’m glad I didn’t study law. To think that one of my votes helped send a man to prison for the rest of his natural life – is a little disconcerting to me – despite the fact that he was irretrievably guilty. I tried my darndest to reason an accidental killing out of the circumstances – but the facts just couldn’t be disproved. Accidental shooting, of course, would have changed the case to one of manslaughter – which carries a much less severe sentence.

Tomorrow night is Rosh Hashanah and we’ll be able to attend services right in town here – and at a Synagogue. Surprisingly – there is one left in Nancy – only partially damaged by the Germans. And there were supposed to have been about 5000 Jewish families here in Nancy before the war. I, personally, have run into no Jews.

But I plan to go to the Services. I remember a year ago, very vividly. We were at the Siegfried line in Germany – Rott, Germany – and our C.P. was in the woods. It had rained steadily for days and the streams were swollen. We had only about 15 Km. to travel to Kornelimünster – where services were being held at VII Corps Hq and it took us all morning. We got stuck in a stream – the Bridge had been blown out – and we had a heluva time getting out. We got to the services when it was just coming to a close and I was disgusted.

Rott to Kornelimünster, Germany

Things are better now, thank the Lord – and next year they’ll be better still. I’ll have you, we’ll be together – in Salem I hope – and we’ll have a lot to be thankful for. I’m going to pray for all that tomorrow, dear.

And now – so long for awhile. Love to the folks – and

All my sincerest love,

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about the Synagogue and Jews in Nancy, France


Jewish Synagogue in Nancy, France

The synagogue in Nancy, built in 1788, is located at 17 Boulevard Joffre. Its architect was Charles-Augustin Piroux (1749-1805). It was inaugurated on 11 June 1790. It was enlarged in 1841 and 1861. The present facade, the work of Alfred Thomas, was built in 1935. The facade is larger than the building, adding to its outside appearance.

Old Picture Inside the Jewish Synagogue in Nancy, France

The synagogue was built on swamp land and was reached by a back door, away from traffic areas. Due to urban sprawl, two centuries later the synagogue is in downtown. Next door is a building that houses several Jewish organizations, including the UEJF (Union of Jewish medical students in France).

The Jewish Synagogue in Nancy, France, midst urban sprawl

This synagogue is the second oldest synagogue still in service in France. On 11 July 1984, this synagogue was decreed and registered as an historical monument. Sometime in 2007-2008 it was surrounded by a fence of metal sheets, bars and grilles, at least 3 meters high, for reasons of security. The only French synagogue a bit older, in Luneville, was planned by the same architect and consecrated in 1786.

There has been a Jewish community in Nancy since the Middle Ages. In 1286 the Jews acquired a cemetery at nearby Laxou. In 1341, and later in 1455, several Jews settled in Nancy itself but were expelled from the Duchy in 1477. The Jews temporarily reappeared in Nancy in 1595. In 1707 and 1712 Duke Leopold authorized three Jewish bankers from Metz to settle in Nancy. In 1721 an edict authorized 70 Jewish families to remain in Lorraine, eight of them in Nancy and its surroundings. As mentioned, the synagogue was built in 1788. The 90 Jewish families in Nancy in 1789 (50 of whom were without authorization) included wealthy merchants and manufacturers. With the influx of refugees from Alsace and Moselle after 1870, the number of Jews in Nancy increased to some 4,000 by the end of the century. The Jewish people created emerging industries (spinning, weaving, shoe factories, embroidery, blast furnaces) in Nancy, and founded the department store on Rue Saint-Jean. The Jewish neighborhood was located near the synagogue at the site of the existing mall in San Sebastian.

Many of Nancy's pre-war Jewish population (about 3,800 in 1939) fled the city under the German occupation. Those who stayed were brutally persecuted. The Germans entered Nancy on 18 June 1940. On 22 June, an armistice was signed dividing France into zones. Nancy was then integrated into a reserved area dedicated to German living space. On 16-17 July of 1942, as part of "Operation Spring Wind", more than 13,000 Jewish men, women and children had been rounded up in Paris for deportation to death camps. The Germans had decided to purge northern France of Jews, and the first to be deported were those who were foreign or stateless, having fled from Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and Hungary.

A similar roundup of Jews was planned for Nancy after the great roundup in Paris. The "foreign section" of the Nancy police station learned about the impending roundup, when Vigneron was told that he and his staff had to round up all alien Jews in the town on 19 July at dawn. On 18 July, he summoned his deputy and another five policemen under his command and ordered them to forewarn all 400 Jews scheduled for deportation the next day. The policemen went from house to house; those few alien Jews who did not take the warning seriously were arrested and deported, never to return. On the morning of 19 July, nearly 350 Jews were not at home and thus survived. Vigneron saved many families with forged identity cards bearing an authentic French stamp without the added word “Jew,” with which they could reach the Unoccupied "Free" Zone.

The failure of the roundup in Nancy aroused suspicion that Vigneron had tipped off the Jewish community. He was arrested on 19 August 1942, exactly one month after the roundup, and was imprisoned in Nancy for three months. About six months later, he was arrested again, this time on charges of having issued forged papers to a French spy. Again he was imprisoned for three months, this time in Paris. After the war, Vigneron returned to the police force and his name was cleared. In 1951, the French government awarded him the citation of the Legion of Honor. “His” Jews, who returned after the war to Nancy, did not forget him, and he remained a friend and a guest of honor at all festivities of the next generation, who had not experienced the occupation. On 3 May 1982, Edward Vigneron, his assistant Pierre Marie, and three fellow officers received the Medal of Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem, the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust.

In spite of their efforts, a total of 130 Jews of foreign origin were arrested and deported between 1942 and 1943, while over 400 others who had fled to the "free" zone in the south were arrested and deported after it was overrun by the Germans. Only 22 survivors returned. Among the old French Jewish families, 250 victims were deported, of whom only two survived. The majority were arrested on 2 March 1944, along with 72-year-old Chief Rabbi Haguenauer, who despite his being forewarned, refused to desert the members of his community. A street in post-war Nancy bears his name.

The synagogue, as well as other buildings belonging to the Jews, were plundered by the Nazis. The synagogue interior was destroyed, while the holy books were sold to a rag collector. Several of the art works and books in the local Musée Historique Lorrain and departmental archives were saved. After the war, the Jewish community of Nancy rapidly recovered. By 1969 it had about 3,000 members with a full range of Jewish communal institutions. Today, the Jewish community in Nancy is said to number 4,000 - about the same number living in Nancy in 1900.

05 September 1945 (2nd letter)

5 September, 1945

Nancy 2130

My dearest sweetheart –

Excuse the paper – but I’m up at quarters now and my stationery – such as it is – is down at the Kaserne. I’ve just come back from the movies – and I just felt like telling you that I love you so very very much, sweetheart. If it’s possible – I think love for someone is enhanced at night. Did you ever find it so? Anyway – as might be expected, I miss you most at night, darling – although the Lord knows I miss you all of the time – and I have ever since I left you. But then – even when I’m back home, dear, I’ll miss you every moment that I’m not actually with you – so you’ll just have to stick close by –

The movie was poor although interesting in part. It was a Classic – “Bewitched” – and I don’t know who the actors were. I don’t know whether you might have seen it or not – it was a psychiatric subject rather than just psychological and fairly well developed until the end when the reasons given for certain things were hardly accurate. We got out about 8:40 and went over to the Red Cross Club and had a coke. Its’ a sort of cloudy, showery night – nice to hang around in.

The big excitement of the day was the shipping out of 50 enlisted men in one fell swoop. That’s the largest single group so far and cleans out all our high pointers down to and including the 90’s. I didn’t lose any more medics. My next high point man has 88. There were no officers included in the quota and the score is still 103.  All consensus here is that things are going to speed up considerably in the next couple of months – and if today is any criterion – it certainly seems as if it will actually be so.

There’s a lot of talk and noise going on around here now, sweetheart – so I think I’ll stop before I become confused. I’ll continue in the a.m. In the meantime, dear, all my love – and I hope I dream of you. Good nite, darling –

Greg.

05 September 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 513 % Postmaster, N.Y.

5 September, 1945

Nancy

My dearest sweetheart –

It’s now 0905 and I have a Court again at 1000. If I can be uninterrupted for 35 minutes or so – maybe I can finish it. The last court we had lasted all day and evening. This one, by the way, is supposed to be a murder case and ought to be interesting.

There was no mail again yesterday, sweetheart, and I couldn’t read that you love me – but I know you do – and I’m happy. That I love you – I hope you know and feel by now – but just in case there’s even a shadow of a doubt, dear, I’ll tell you again and again. I love you so very much – and only you.

Yesterday was uneventful and productive of very little new news. According to all reports – I should now have 8 more points – for 4 months’ time since VE day and that gives me 90. That’s a respectable total – but here I still sit. There are supposed to be thousands and thousands of troops leaving the continent daily – but when in hell are they coming to us? I guess it’s a little early yet.

Last night I went to the French movie. “Tempête” – was the picture and it was rather well done. It was one of the last pictures done in France before the war and rather modern for this part of the world. Erich von Stroheim was in it and as usual – he played his part very well. In some pictures I can get about 85% of the dialogue.

Tempête theater card and Erich von Stroheim

Say I read “Imperial Palace” – but it was years ago – in college, Freshman English, I believe, dear, and I’ll be damned if I can think of the ending – or the plot, for that matter. But I know you must have been angry to find the very end of it missing. Nevertheless, I can not condone the practice of reading the end first. Gee – that spoils everything for me.

I was glad you did get down to see my folks. It seemed as if something was always turning up to interfere with the trip. And of course they’re proud of you, sweetheart. And why not! And I was pleased to read that those women were trying to “fix” things up with their sons. Of course – you told them you were ‘reserved’ for another guy. And a soldier tried to pick you up, did he? I can readily see, sweetheart, that you need someone to look after you – and that I’m just the fellow to do it, too. And I’ll do the best job possible. You’re going to have trouble shaking me loose – wait and see. The fact is, darling, it’s driving me crazy – staying here month after month when I should be with you, loving you and starting my life with you. And yet – I won’t permit myself to call this all wasted. It can’t be – for I have gotten to know you so very well through your letters and there’s no doubt at all that I love you now more than I did when I left. Sweetheart – we belong to each other and soon we’ll have each other.

I must stop now and get going. Love to the folks – and

All my love is yours alone,

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Igor Gouzenko and The Start of the Cold War


Igor Sergeivich Gouzenko

According to Ontario, Canada's Camp X Historical Society's web site, Igor Sergeievich Gouzenko, born 13 January 1919 at Rogachov, Russia, became a member of Komsomol (Youth Communist League) at the age of sixteen. He attended the Moscow Engineering Academy and the Moscow Architectural Institute. In 1941 he was sent to the Red Army military intelligence school in Moscow after which he was posted to the Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie (GRU).  The GRU, the intelligence arm of the Red Army, was primarily responsible for the collection of foreign military and scientific intelligence. Gouzenko soon entered the war where he fought against the Nazis, earning a commission in the Red Army. Upon his return from the war, he received specialized training in coding and cypher work, and in June 1943 he was posted to Ottawa as part of the Soviet Embassy. Gouzenko’s wife Svetlana, pregnant with their first child, arrived soon after.

At the Soviet Embassy, Gouzenko worked under the supervision of Colonel Nikolai Zabotin. Zabotin’s office was fully equipped with state-of-the-art photographic equipment installed for the purpose of copying sensitive documents for forwarding directly to Moscow.  Zabotin had an establishment of 14 GRU officers involved in espionage operations under his command. The main task of this unit was to find out as much as possible about Canadian research on the atomic bomb.

The Gouzenkos came to enjoy their life in the West. However, in September 1944, a telegram was received by Colonel Zabotin ordering the Gouzenkos back to Moscow. Zabotin was able to intervene on Gouzenko’s behalf, but in August 1945 a second telegram arrived from Moscow instructing Gouzenko and his family to return to Russia immediately. Gouzenko struggled with the notion of remaining in the West rather than returning to Russia.

From the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum comes more of the story.

On the evening of 5 September 1945, Igor Gouzenko, walked out of the Soviet embassy in Ottawa. Under his coat, he carried several documents relating to Soviet espionage activities in Canada and the United States. With these and more he had already stashed at home, he strode into the offices of the Ottawa Journal newspaper, but the senior editor politely turned him away. Gouzenko then went to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and asked to see the Minister of Justice. He was told to return next morning, which he did, only to be informed that the Minister was unavailable.

Igor Gouzenko then went to the Crown Attorney's office, then another newspaper. Finally, he approached his neighbor, a Royal Canadian Air Force sergeant, and told him about the more than 100 documents. The neighbor convinced the Ottawa police to investigate, and, later that night, four Soviet agents were arrested as they broke into Gouzenko's apartment. This convinced the RCMP that Igor Gouzenko was telling the truth, and they placed him and his wife into protective custody.

The Gouzenko documents revealed that Soviet agents had infiltrated the Canadian military, the National Research Council, the External Affairs Department, the Munitions Department, the British High Commission, and the Atomic Energy Research Program. These documents also contained a considerable amount of information regarding Soviet espionage in the United States.

Gouzenko's information clearly revealed that, as early as 1942, the Soviet government had regarded the Western allies as potential enemies. The documents also indicated that Soviets had infiltrated the Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb research and development program) as early as 1942 and that the Soviet Union was developing its own atomic weapons. The Gouzenko affair has been heralded as the beginning of the "Cold War."

According to former article in the CBC Digital Archives,

Igor Gouzenko lived the remainder of his life with his family in their home near Toronto, living under new identities. He and his wife Svetlana said they were profoundly moved by the quality of life they enjoyed in Canada. However, Svetlana Gouzenko said her family always lived in fear. She believed her relatives in Russia ended up either in the Gulag or in front of a firing squad, and claimed that there were several attempts on Igor Gouzenko's life in Canada.

Igor Gouzenko was diabetic, and went blind five years before he died of a heart attack in June 1982. He was 63. Gouzenko was buried quickly in an unmarked grave north of Toronto. Apart from his wife and children, only the family lawyer and a journalist were present. His eight children continued living under assumed names. Svetlana Gouzenko died in September 2001. A year after her death, the family erected a headstone that made their history public.

Here is Gouzenko's statement which was issued on 10 October 1945. The claim that his revelations reverberated throughout the world and helped to ignite the Cold War is easily justified by what he had to say.

Having arrived in Canada two years ago, I was surprised during the first days by the complete freedom of the individual which exists in Canada but does not exists in Russia. The false representations about the democratic countries which are increasingly propagated in Russia were dissipated daily, as no lying propaganda can stand up against facts.

During two years of life in Canada, I saw the evidence of what a free people can do. What the Canadian people have accomplished and are accomplishing here under conditions of complete freedom - the Russian people, under the conditions of the Soviet regime of violence and suppression of all freedom, cannot accomplish even at the cost of tremendous sacrifices, blood and tears.

The last elections which took place recently in Canada especially surprised me. In comparison with them the system of elections in Russian appear as a mockery of the conception of free elections. For example, the fact that in elections in the Soviet Union one candidate is put forward, so that the possibilities of choice are eliminated, speaks for itself.

While creating a false picture of the conditions of life in these countries, the Soviet Government at the same time is taking all measures to prevent the peoples of democratic countries from knowing about the conditions of life in Russia. The facts about the brutal suppression of the freedom of speech, the mockery of the real religious feelings of the people, cannot penetrate into the democratic countries.

Having imposed its communist regime on the people, the Government of the Soviet Union asserts that the Russian people have, as it were, their own particular understanding of freedom and democracy, different from that which prevails among the peoples of the western democracies. This is a lie. The Russian people have the same understanding of freedom as all the peoples of the world. However, the Russian people cannot realize their dream of freedom and a democratic government on account of cruel terror and persecution.

Holding forth at international conferences with voluble statements about peace and security, the Soviet Government is simultaneously preparing secretly for the third world war. To meet this war, the Soviet Government is creating in democratic countries, including Canada, a fifth column, in the organization of which even diplomatic representatives of the Soviet Government take part.

The announcement of the dissolution of the Comintern was, probably, the greatest farce of the Communists in recent years. Only the name was liquidated, with the object of reassuring public opinion in the democratic countries. Actually, the Comintern exists and continues its work, because the Soviet leaders have never relinquished the idea of establishing a Communist dictatorship throughout the world. Taking account least of all that this adventurous idea will cost millions of Russian lives, the Communists are engendering hatred in Russian people towards everything foreign.

To many Soviet people here abroad, it is clear that the Communist Party in democratic countries have changed long ago from a political party into an agency net of the Soviet Government, into a fifth column in these countries to meet a war, into an instrument in the hands of the Soviet Government for creating artificial unrest, provocation, etc., etc.

Through numerous party agitators the Soviet Government stirs up the Russian people in every possible way against the peoples of the democratic countries, preparing the ground for the third world war.

During my residence in Canada I have seen how the Canadian people and their Government, sincerely wishing to help the Soviet people, sent supplies to the Soviet Union, collected money for the welfare of the Russian people, sacrificing the lives of their sons in the delivery of supplies across the ocean - and instead of gratitude for the help rendered, the Soviet Government is developing espionage activity in Canada, preparing to deliver a stab in the back of Canada - all this without the knowledge of the Russian people.

Convinced that such double-faced politics of the Soviet Government towards the democratic countries do not conform with the interests of the Russian people and endanger the security of civilization, I decided to break award from the Soviet regime and to announce my decision openly. I am glad that I found the strength within myself to take this step and to warn Canada and the other democratic countries of the danger which hangs over them.

04 September 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 513 % Postmaster, N.Y.

4 September, 1945

Nancy

My dearest fiancée –

In case you don’t know – I love you very very much and I’ll always be reminding you of that fact, dear. And what makes me love you? Darling – it’s your faith and understanding, your love – it’s you that makes me love you – and that’s good enough for me.

The Labor Day Weekend is over and I came closest to celebrating it this year than since I left home. I went back to Gèrardmer Sunday about noon and didn’t get back until Monday evening. All that was missing to make the weekend perfect, dear, was you. The weather was warm, the lake – calm and I just lolled around doing exactly nothing. It was just what I needed, too, because I’ve been feeling somewhat fed up with this cursed daily routine.

And I was all set to get home here – take a bath and write you a letter – but when I reached our quarters I found an embryonic party already started. I couldn’t understand the reason for it but found out soon enough. Our old Colonel Lane had dropped by on his way from Germany to Paris. He’s on his way home. He knew we were in Nancy and naturally planned to stay over with us. Well you know, darling, it was so nice and natural to see him again. He had left in a hurry back in Germany and we had never had a chance to give him a send-off. We did last night. He certainly was the right man to have taken us through combat. We realized it after he left. Anyway – we drank, sang songs, reminisced etc.

Incidentally – this business of fellows leaving and having send-off parties – is getting pretty trying. We lost two more officers over the weekend and we’re now down to 103 points for officers. I also lost two more enlisted men – they’re down to 96 points for them – and I now have only 11 men left. Things are really changing here and it’s becoming difficult to help rosters of C.Q. – for officers – as well as E.M.

Oh – about Christmas packages – dear – forget about it. I don’t know where I’ll be by then – probably right here in Nancy. But chances are just as good that I may have left for a repple depple [redeployment depot] by then. There’s no point in packing something and have it chase me all over the continent. If I am here Christmas – I’ll know you wanted to send me something – and that will be good enough thought for me.

You mentioned Lawrence – in one of your letters a week or so ago. It’s difficult to analyze whether his move was foolish or not. The fact is, though, that he is terribly point-poor and in all probability he would have had to go over anyway. But it’s comforting to realize that the fighting is over and I’m sure it must be a relief to Mother A.

With interruptions – etc – I’ve been almost two hours writing this, dear – so I’ll have to stop now. I’m waiting just as patiently as I know how, sweetheart, for that happy day when I can leave France and head for home and you. But our love for each other is a wonderful thought and it’s that thought, tenacious and binding that makes everything tolerable.

All for now, sweetheart, my love to the folks – and

All my everlasting love is yours –

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Operation Tiderace


General Seishirō Itagaki signing the terms
for the reoccupation of Singapore,
on board the heavy cruiser HMS Sussex on 4 September 1945

The following was taken from Wikipedia's coverage of Operation Tiderace.

Operation Tiderace was the codename of the British plan to retake Singapore in 1945. The liberation force was led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Command. Operation Tiderace was planned soon after the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Emergency planning was put in preparation for the rapid occupation of Singapore at an early date should Japan agree to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of 26 July.

The convoy consisted of about 90 ships, which included two battleships, HMS Nelson and the French battleship Richelieu. The heavy cruiser HMS Sussex served as the flagship. HMAS Hawkesbury was the sole Australian warship during the Japanese surrender, escorting the repatriation transport Duntroon. There were a total of seven escort carriers.

The Japanese naval fleet in Singapore consisted of the destroyer Kamikaze and two cruisers, Myōkō and Takao, both of which had been badly damaged before that. They were being used as floating anti-aircraft batteries. Two ex-German U-boats, I-501 and I-502 were also in Singapore. Both were moored at Singapore Naval Base. Air strength in both Malaya and Sumatra was estimated to be a little more than 170 aircraft.

Operation Tiderace commenced when Mountbatten ordered Allied troops to set sail from Trincomalee and Rangoon on 31 August for Singapore. The fleet was not armed with offensive weapons as Mountbatten had good reason to believe that the Japanese in Malaya and Singapore would surrender without a fight; on 20 August General Itagaki Seishiro, the commander in Singapore, had signalled Mountbatten that he would abide by his emperor's decision and was ready to receive instructions for the Japanese surrender of Singapore. Newspapers in Singapore were finally allowed to carry the text of the emperor's speech, confirming what many already knew from listening to All India Radio broadcasts from Delhi on forbidden shortwave radios.

The fleet arrived in Singapore on 4 September 1945, meeting no opposition. General Itagaki, accompanied by Vice Admiral Shigeru Fukudome and his aides, were brought aboard HMS Sussex in Keppel Harbour to discuss the surrender. They were received by Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Christison and Major-General Robert Mansergh. A tense encounter began when a Japanese officer reportedly remarked, "You are two hours late," only to be met with the reply, "We don't keep Tokyo time here."

By 6pm, the Japanese had surrendered their forces on the island. An estimated 77,000 Japanese troops from Singapore were captured, plus another 26,000 from Malaya. Itagaki had met his generals and senior staff at his HQ at the former Raffles College in Bukit Timah and told his men that they would have to obey the surrender instructions and keep the peace. That night, more than 300 officers committed suicide using grenades in the Raffles Hotel after a farewell sake party.

About 200 Japanese soldiers decided to join the Malayan communist guerrillas, whom they had been fighting against just days before. Their intent was to continue the fight against the British. But they soon returned to their units when they found out that the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), which was funded by the Malayan Communist Party, did not plan to fight the returning British.

Nonetheless, some Japanese soldiers stayed hidden in the jungles with the communists, and when Chin Peng and remnants of the Malayan Communist Party ended their struggle in 1989, two former Japanese soldiers emerged from the jungle with the communists and surrendered.

03 September 1945

No letter today. Just this:

* TIDBIT *

about Gérardmer


Lake Gérardmer in 2001

Originally Gérardmer was probably a hamlet of fishermen and hunters. Various objects discovered near Longemer Lake in 1959 suggest it was already a lacustrine settlement in Neolithic times (between 5,000 BC and 2,500 BC).

The hamlet was first called Gérardmer in the 11th century thanks to the Duke of Lorraine, Gérard of Alsace (Duke from 1048 to 1070). Delighted by the site, he had a tower built there (near the existing cemetery on Boulevard d'Alsace) that he used for overnight stays and as a hunting lodge. The hamlet was called Giromeix (Gérard's garden) which became Gérardmeix (from the medieval Latin meix - a small manor or group of houses in the country with working fields) and then Gérardmé or Gérardmer (pronounced Gérardmé).

In the 18th century, roads were built through the forest opening up the area around Gérardmer. At the time it was a farming community (stock raising) with some clothmaking (each family had a loom to satisfy its own needs and sold the surplus), and with a number of woodcutters and sawyers. The archives also mention a tannery and paper mills (a craft industry transforming linen cloth into paper using water-power).

From 1830 on, textile and wood industries grew fast, becoming the driving force behind town's expansion. These are still the town's main industries with dynamic companies founded by craftsmen in times gone by, as well as by newly arrived companies.

During World War II, Gérardmer was taken by the German Army on 22 June 1940. It was during this battle that the city church was destroyed by fire due to the explosion of a truck parked outside. On 17 November 1944 the Germans, who had established a headquarters there, gathered all of the population in an islet in the town center. They then set fires and dynamited homes and other buildings throughout the city. That evening, as Gérardmer continued to burn, it was covered by a cloud of thick black smoke. What didn't burn exploded. City water reservoirs as well as the power transformer were destroyed, leaving no electricity and no running water.

The Grand Hotel of Gerardmer, as seen today, was spared.
It served as German Headquarters and hospital during WWII.

The German headquarters was abandoned during the evening of the 17th, following the exit of General Otto Schiel and his staff on the night of 15-16 November. On the morning of 18 November, a group of soldiers went about Gérardmer, automatic weapons at the ready, and set fire to the houses that had not yet been "sufficiently" destroyed.

In the afternoon, there were no German soldiers left in Gérardmer. Civilians moved freely about and saw the damage made by so few men in so little time for no good reason. By 19 November 1944, Gérardmer had become a heap of smoking ruins. Within 14 hours the first French soldiers arrived and went to the town hall. 85% of the city had been destroyed by the Germans.

In spite of the damage caused during World War II, Gérardmer remained a dynamic industrial town. Several companies - weavers, carpenters, building chalets and timber frames, bleachers and manufacturers of household linen, are known all over France and even abroad.

Today, Gérardmer is the location of many athletic and social events. In fact, there seems to be something for everyone! Here are some photos of some of the things that go on...

DAFFODIL FESTIVAL




HIKING




ALL-SEASON SKI JUMPING




TRIATHALON EVENTS




DOWNHILL AND CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING




HIGH ALTITUDE ADVENTURES




AND ALL SORTS OF "GETTING AROUND"

02 September 1945

438^th AAA AW BN

APO 513 % Postmaster, N.Y.

2 September, 1945

Nancy

My darling –

What with General Court Martial Boards and trips to the country – I’m really neglecting you, dear – but I hope you excuse me. I wrote you last on Friday; today is Sunday. I sat on the Board all day and we didn’t get thru the case until 2130; boy I was pooped. It involved a bunch of French civilian witnesses, interpreters etc – and the combination is time consuming. Anyway, yesterday I decided to go to Gérardmer – where our camp is, to look it over. I left at 0800 and got back at 2100 and although I was tired, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it, dear. It’s as pretty a spot as any I’ve seen around, peaceful in a valley in the Vosges, and it used to be a summer resort town for Parisians. The Germans systematically destroyed all but a few homes and hotels in the center of the town. It was purely out of revenge – because Gérardmer was not fought for. The lake is very pretty and since the weather was suitable, I went in for a swim. It was swell. It was so good and relaxing – the whole change of atmosphere, I mean – that I’m going to try and go back again, today and stay overnight. It isn’t exactly a lively spot for a Labor Day week-end – but that doesn’t matter, sweetheart because the only lively celebrations I’m interested in concern only you. And by gum – we’re not going to miss a heluva lot more, I hope. Now take this Lake, for example, how swell it would have been to have had you around to do a little walking around with, to hold your hand, to love. Yes – it’s that kind of spot – or rather, it could be, with you.

That reminds me – the other day I received your letter of 22 August; I got it on the 28th. What thrilled me particularly, darling – was your mention of the full moon. I was actually able to think back to the same night and the same moon! It really made me feel close to you. Other times when either you or I has mentioned the moon – the time elapsed has been so long – that the thrill was missing. Just think when we can be side by side looking up to the same moon! Yes – it still does something to me, I mean a fine moon – and more and more I’m sure the war hasn’t changed me particularly. I know it hasn’t altered my love for you except to enrich it, dear, and that’s good, isn’t it?

Your comments about my return and being alone – etc – were interesting to me. I hate mob scenes, too, and would much prefer to have our first re-meeting all for ourselves. But I haven’t the slightest idea what the circumstances will be or where we’ll land or what. It was nice of Irv and Verna to offer to do what they did – I mean bringing you down to Devens, for example – but gosh, darling – how would my folks or yours feel about it? Unless I called, and everyone started out and you started out first. Well – right now – it’s uncertain. We’ll see – but in a crowd or not – it’s going to be very, very wonderful – sweetheart – for I love you so very much – and it has been so long ––.

All for now, darling – I’ve got a few things to take care of. Be well, hold on a bit longer – and love to the folks.

All my deepest love is yours –

Greg

* TIDBIT *

about Japanese Surrender aboard the USS Missouri

On the morning of 2 September 1945, Allied and Japanese delegations met aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay for the formal signing of the Japanese surrender documents. (The USS Missouri was chosen because it was named after President Truman's home state.) After finishing an eloquent introductory statement, General MacArthur directed the representatives of Japan to sign the two instruments of surrender, one each for the Allied and Japanese governments. They were followed by representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. World War II had formally ended, and President Truman declared 2 September to be the official VJ Day.

The following is a newsreel about the signing ceremony.

01 September 1945

No letter today. Just this:

The following is a letter written by Sergeant Myer Freeman, a medic in the 438th who was injured and sent home. He was mentioned by Greg in letters to Wilma on 04 May 1945, 17 May 1945, 27 May 1945 and 13 June 1945.

Letter to Greg from Sergeant Myer Freeman,
in a Valley Forge hospital


Front of Envelope


Back of Envelope



* TIDBIT *

about the Radio Address to the American People
After the Signing of the Terms
of Unconditional Surrender by Japan

Here is a video which plays the radio address delivered by President Harry Truman from the White House on 1 September 1945. The text of the speech follows the video.

My fellow Americans, and the Supreme Allied Commander, General MacArthur, in Tokyo Bay:

The thoughts and hopes of all America--indeed of all the civilized world--are centered tonight on the battleship Missouri. There on that small piece of American soil anchored in Tokyo Harbor the Japanese have just officially laid down their arms. They have signed terms of unconditional surrender.

Four years ago, the thoughts and fears of the whole civilized world were centered on another piece of American soil--Pearl Harbor. The mighty threat to civilization which began there is now laid at rest. It was a long road to Tokyo--and a bloody one.

We shall not forget Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese militarists will not forget the U.S.S. Missouri.

The evil done by the Japanese war lords can never be repaired or forgotten. But their power to destroy and kill has been taken from them. Their armies and what is left of their Navy are now impotent.

To all of us there comes first a sense of gratitude to Almighty God who sustained us and our Allies in the dark days of grave danger, who made us to grow from weakness into the strongest fighting force in history, and who has now seen us overcome the forces of tyranny that sought to destroy His civilization.

God grant that in our pride of the hour, we may not forget the hard tasks that are still before us; that we may approach these with the same courage, zeal, and patience with which we faced the trials and problems of the past 4 years.

Our first thoughts, of course--thoughts of gratefulness and deep obligation--go out to those of our loved ones who have been killed or maimed in this terrible war. On land and sea and in the air, American men and women have given their lives so that this day of ultimate victory might come and assure the survival of a civilized world. No victory can make good their loss.

We think of those whom death in this war has hurt, taking from them fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and sisters whom they loved. No victory can bring back the faces they longed to see.

Only the knowledge that the victory, which these sacrifices have made possible, will be wisely used, can give them any comfort. It is our responsibility--ours, the living--to see to it that this victory shall be a monument worthy of the dead who died to win it.

We think of all the millions of men and women in our armed forces and merchant marine all over the world who, after years of sacrifice and hardship and peril, have been spared by Providence from harm.

We think of all the men and women and children who during these years have carried on at home, in lonesomeness and anxiety and fear.

Our thoughts go out to the millions of American workers and businessmen, to our farmers and miners--to all those who have built up this country's fighting strength, and who have shipped to our Allies the means to resist and overcome the enemy.

Our thoughts go out to our civil servants and to the thousands of Americans who, at personal sacrifice, have come to serve in our Government during these trying years; to the members of the Selective Service boards and ration boards; to the civilian defense and Red Cross workers; to the men and women in the USO and in the entertainment world--to all those who have helped in this cooperative struggle to preserve liberty and decency in the world.

We think of our departed gallant leader, Franklin D. Roosevelt, defender of democracy, architect of world peace and cooperation.

And our thoughts go out to our gallant Allies in this war: to those who resisted the invaders; to those who were not strong enough to hold out, but who, nevertheless, kept the fires of resistance alive within the souls of their people; to those who stood up against great odds and held the line, until the United Nations together were able to supply the arms and the men with which to overcome the forces of evil.

This is a victory of more than arms alone. This is a victory of liberty over tyranny.

From our war plants rolled the tanks and planes which blasted their way to the heart of our enemies; from our shipyards sprang the ships which bridged all the oceans of the world for our weapons and supplies; from our farms came the food and fiber for our armies and navies and for our Allies in all the corners of the earth; from our mines and factories came the raw materials and the finished products which gave us the equipment to overcome our enemies.

But back of it all were the will and spirit and determination of a free people--who know what freedom is, and who know that it is worth whatever price they had to pay to preserve it.

It was the spirit of liberty which gave us our armed strength and which made our men invincible in battle. We now know that that spirit of liberty, the freedom of the individual, and the personal dignity of man, are the strongest and toughest and most enduring forces in all the world.

And so on V-J Day we take renewed faith and pride in our own way of life. We have had our day of rejoicing over this victory. We have had our day of prayer and devotion. Now let us set aside V-J Day as one of renewed consecration to the principles which have made us the strongest nation on earth and which, in this war, we have striven so mightily to preserve.

Those principles provide the faith, the hope, and the opportunity which help men to improve themselves and their lot. Liberty does not make all men perfect nor all society secure. But it has provided more solid progress and happiness and decency for more people than any other philosophy of government in history. And this day has shown again that it provides the greatest strength and the greatest power which man has ever reached.

We know that under it we can meet the hard problems of peace which have come upon us. A free people with free Allies, who can develop an atomic bomb, can use the same skill and energy and determination to overcome all the difficulties ahead.

Victory always has its burdens and its responsibilities as well as its rejoicing.

But we face the future and all its dangers with great confidence and great hope. America can build for itself a future of employment and security. Together with the United Nations, it can build a world of peace rounded on justice, fair dealing, and tolerance.

As President of the United States, I proclaim Sunday, September the second, 1945, to be V-J Day--the day of formal surrender by Japan. It is not yet the day for the formal proclamation of the end of the war nor of the cessation of hostilities. But it is a day which we Americans shall always remember as a day of retribution--as we remember that other day, the day of infamy.

From this day we move forward. We move toward a new era of security at home. With the other United Nations we move toward a new and better world of cooperation, of peace and international good will and cooperation.

God's help has brought us to this day of victory. With His help we will attain that peace and prosperity for ourselves and all the world in the years ahead.

NOTE: The President's address was part of the broadcast of the surrender ceremonies on board the U.S.S. Missouri.