June 12,1945
Kulmbach,Germany
I'm enclosing a snapshot of the notorious Remagen railroad bridge
that we caught intact, the situation that screwed up the whole war , but
definetly brought about a quicker end.By the way Bert, just what did the
papers back home have to say about who actually did seize that bridge?
That is quite a mass of rubble in the foreground, eh? You ought to have
seen the mess to the left of it and to the right and also behind. There
were quite a few lads killed on and around this bridge.
Approxitmately right where the fellow who snapped this picture was standing
, was where my buddie got it , I think I mentioned it to you in a previous
letter.
At night time, when those deadly high explosive artillery shells would
strike the steel girders on the bridge, it would look like the fourth of
July sparkler for a few seconds. I'm telling you Bert, I hope you never
have to experience the hearing of oncoming artillery shell. Words cannot
describe the mental torture that is produced. The thing that drives you
crazy is the fact that you never know where thethings are going to land.
Gee, there I go again talking about that stuff again when those are the
horrors I'm trying to forget.
25 May 1945
Kulmback,Germany
The women situation over here is almost critical ! All of these towns and
cities are full of women of every description and most all of the menfolk
are in the army. Well ,You might well guess the rest. We are given strict
orders to not fraternize, but after all, human nature will be human nature.
It's amazing just what a value a chocolate bar or a package of chewing
gum has over here. You see , we are well supplied with that stuff every
week and some of the fellows really make use of it. A fellow can walk up
and down the streets and get just about anything he wants ( off of a German
maiden) for a bar of chocalate, package of gum, or any type of food that
we have. And all of these refugees that were liberated by the allied armies,
WoW! Any yank who's out for a "good time" cannot give a reasonable excuse
for not finding it over here .
As far as my knowledge at present is concerend , I have three battle stars
to my credit and today and was informed that I was to recieve the presidental
citation for achievements at the Rhine river bridge head, where our company
saved intact the "Remagen Bridge". I sure have alot to tell you about that
bridge . Three members of my company were awarded the distinguished service
cross for galliantry in action under fire for removing tons of demolitions
from the bridge.
One of the three boys who won the D.S.C. was later killed by sniper fire
. This proved to be our last mission too. He sure was one swell guy we
hated to see him go. In the town where he was killed even women were sniping
, and wait till I tell you this one - one of the women snipers was pregnant.
So you can see how fanatical these german people are. Yep, after this boy
got killed ,the rest of his platoon just didn't give a care . One fellow
"lost his buttons" and started to really shoot up the town he killed quite
a few civilians. You couldn't blame him for so many civilians were sniping
at our men ; they claimed he went temporarily insane & he was removed
from the outfit. The next day they did something that is not customaryof
the U.S. Army , because we abide by the "geneva convention". These german
snipers had our boys so burnt up, and you can't blame them , that when
these Heinies finally ran out of ammuntion and tried to give up our boys
mowed them down like grass.
That's war everything goes , but with the exception of a few examples like
that the nazi prisoners were treated like men not dogs like our prisoners
were treated by the germans. After our boys brought in these women
snipers, orders were given out to never take another women sniper , in
other words take aim & pull the trigger.
26 Sept. 1945
I have a new rumor hot off the press for you . This time we are scheduled
to pull away from this miserable town this coming saturday. How I hope
that it dosen't fall through this time!
Also another group is leaving
here tomorrowon the first leg of the journey home- Oh happy day for them.
One of these fine days I'll be hollering Oh happy day too.
Have the papers back home been saying anything about Patton's attitude
toward fraternization? Boy ,that poor guy is always sticking his neck out!
Somebody is allways picking on him. The U.S. Army will never find a better
combat leader than old blood & guts , I dont care what anyone says.
After all the U.S. was supposed to be fighting for what was right and now
that we did win the war , I recon the next job is to do our best to show
them how a true democracy works, what do you say? I'll have to admit tho
from what little I seen that most of these G I'ssover here carry this idea
of democracy a little bit to far, and in very many cases way to far!
You know hon, there are three or four fellows in my company who have plenty
of points to allow them to go home but the goofs signed up for an extra
six months simply because they ran across some apparently nice fralines&
in some cases frans. What guys! One fellow really was a wolf he got aquainted
with a young very pretty wife of an S.S. trooper . After going with her
for a while he finds he has her in a stage of pregnancy, so he is making
her get a divorce from her S.S. hubby, what a layout!
Our battalion had a grand retreat parade today. They have these torturous
festivities every once in a while , but in todays case I didn't go. Hon
you havent the least idea how much I want to get out of this moldy army
and all of its routines. It is slowly getting back to the status of basic
training. The company right now consists of men who have seen very little
combat at all. There are a few of us combat veterns still in the place
and this kinda stuff just dosen't seem to go with our grain. Ever since
I left the heroic 9th Armord division ( forgive me if I bragg about my
old outfit, but when I compare it with the mess we have here, I just have
to).I have felt as though I have been attached to some sort of boy scout
troop.
6 Nov. 1945
Today I had another what you might call an adventure. I met and talked
with my first Russian solider . As you no doubt already know, I am located
way down yonder in my mammys "mother land". This week I am out at one of
our outpost with three other men . The Russian "Bears" are just a stones
throw from us. Also as you probably already know, I am now located with
the 80th Inf. Div. We (63-64 pointers) were all set to come home , had
our physical exams, clothing check up and all, then all of a sudden somebody
decieds that 63-64 points is not quite enough at present, even tho we are
eligible for discharge as of Nov. 1st.& consequently we find ourselves
mixed up with still another group.
Honey I somtimes think I will never get home . Boy they sure can slam a
person around when they take a notion. It by all rights isn't fair. After
all we did defy death day and night for weeks and months so it is no more
than fair that us combat vets with all the time we have had in the service
, get out! Oh well ,you know as well as I do that now we are simply
classedas a grand lot of "goats". Youv'e heard the old saying - hero today
_ goat tomorrow. Thats us .No one is pulling the wool over anybodys eyes.
Oh yes getting back to this Russian solider again, he gave one of the fellows
here with me a couple of good slugs of vodka or whatever you call
that paint removing liquid they drink and he says he can still feel his
toe nails curling. Them Russian boys are really heavy drinkers. Not for
me!
13 Nov.1944
Luxenbourg
Gee Bert , I would give just about anything I have to be able to speak
the german language now. It sure is one tough job to try to make these
people over here understand you. In my case , I have to motion and wave
my hands around like a two year old to enable these people to understand
me. Now I'm wondering why I didn't take up the study of german while in
high school. Then again while I was actually going to school I wouldnt
have studied it if someone had paid me. However if a person could only
see ahead about 10 years , circumstances certainly could be worked out
to an advantage.
21 july1945
Well today went by as usual again. My company commander gave us all a little
lecturetoday and among the things he spoke of was taking every precaution
necessary when making contact these women over here. Boy oh boy do they
ever hammer that stuff into us, week after week. Of course in a way I recon
it can't be stressed to much because they know good and well that the greater
percentage of thefellows are going to go out and make certian typs of contact
with these women , so they figure that enough harping on the subject will
promote the old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. They have definetly increased the rate of harping on the subject
due to the fact that the ban on fraternizing has been lifted. Here is another
example of the precautions they are taking,-- if any man meets a young
lady that he is not positively certian about being clean he can bring her
to the dispensary down town and have a medical doctor examine her thoroughly
free of charge . If in case she is infected with any kind of veneral disease
she will immediatly start a series of penicilium treatments until she is
pronounced fit for " active duty" .
Any G.I. who contracts any disease is compelled to report this female to
the medical authorities and she will be taken into custody and given the
same care.
20 Sept.1945
Did you by any chance see that "BURP GUN" that I sent home ?
Gee Whiz but that kind of a gun really had me scared half to
death over here during the war. I just had to show all the folks back home
one kind of gun that the enemy was using over here in addition to the com
mon rifle.
19 Sept.1945
This business of losing wallets seems to have followed me clear over here.
I had quite a loss last December when german artillery blasted my truck
to a state of immobility. Again though ,I escaped with my life thank God.
However this time my wallet was just a bit more overloaded than the other
one. In it I had 5 brand new $20 american bills and a countless amount
in French& Belgin francs. Ah yes ,literally throwing money away.
1 Oct. 1945
In about 8 more days I'll be able to celebrate my third year in this miserable
army. Wow! Who would have the least idea back in 1942 that I would have
to see 1945 go by and still be in this mess. Oh boy I dont think I will
know how to act whenever they do release me.
Have you heard about the little uprising that they have been having over
here in Munich? Reports have come in that some of these returning german
prisoners of war have been killing some of the german fraulins that
are fraternizing with American soldiers . This is indeed an abnormal situation.
Of course I dont blame them guys one little bit. I'd feel the same way
if I came back from a rough & tough life & found that kind of stuff
going on.
Some of the G.I.'s up around Munich had to form a combat team and take
care of a few of them jazzed up krauts. So far there have been plenty of
G.I.'s lose their lives by letting their passionate desires get the best
of them. So you can see for yourself why Patton "stuck his neck out " when
he stated that he advocated fraternizing . Now is there any wonder why
I'm getting sick and tired of this screwed up country? No, there is not!
8 Oct.1944
I can truthfully say that a lot has happened since I wrote you last, one
of the most important factors being that I eventually wound up somewhere
in France.
The censors now inform us that we can tell our folks back home a little
bit concerning what happened from the time we left those joyous shores
of the good old U.S.A. up to and including the present time.
Well, first of all we left from somewhere on the east coast of the U.S.
on the luxurious "Queen Mary" What a ship! I never saw the like of it in
my life. We had very calm weather all the way across which was decidedly
to our advantage. Then as the story goes we wound up somewhere in England
after a bit of maneuvering around. The crossing of the English channel
came next with the use of Paul Kaiser's Liberty Ships, which you have no
doubt have heard quite a bit of.
For landing operations we used the ever famous LCT's ( you've seen them
a hundred times in newsreals) so that brings us up to the present at which
we are enjoying very much(?) our stay in pre- historic France. Sometimes
I think these people are still living in the stoneage.
10 Sept.1945
I don't know how to explain my lack of letters lately but I've been feeling
just about as depressed as it is humanly possible for the past few weeks
. Here we have come upon that great day , the day of great anticipation
of the war being over and here we still are 6,000 miles apart. Why? Why?
Why? Just between you and I ,I have throwen away three of the best years
of my life to a cause that I can't quite undersatand myself and I
don't believe anyone else can.
Every other day it seems as though those "big wigs" over in washington
come out with a new score of points for getting out of this mess. I don't
know just how far my 55 points are going to get me, but I sure do hope
that some kind person decides to give us 55 pointers a break in the near
future!
I did hear a slighty soothing rumor today , or rather I read it . It was
something to the effect that all 45 pointers and over would be on the "High
Sea's" before X-mas. Zoivee !! What a thought.
You know ,I recieved another shot in the arm for typhoid fever and does
it ever hurt now! I wonder just how My reactions are going to be when I
get out of this army and recieve no more "dope " through the hypodermic
needle
Things around here are starting to look sorta bad . Just last Sunday three
more American soldiers were found deader than door nails on the river banks
close to a bridge here in Landshut. About a month or so ago two G.I.'s
were found laying in a deserted path, dead. So ,I got my trusty 38 caliber
automatic pistol out and keep it straped to my side nowadays. One never
knows just when one of those things might come in handy.