August 18th, 1944

On Aug 18th at 1410, the bn was alerted for movement and moved out at 1700 along the road Chateauneuf--Dreux for 37 miles thru recently liberated territory. Our mission at Dreux was that of supporting CCA who was to outpost the town to the north and relieve the 5th Armored Division.

Friday, Aug 18, 1944

Somewhere in France

My darling;

I bet you have been worrying about me, especially as we were not allowed to write any letter for a period of a couple weeks. I think that it has been so long since I wrote you. I bet my mother has been calling you to see if you received a letter. Call mom when you get this, and let her know you heard. I written her a letter today also. And I really don’t know which one is going to get home the sooner.

Well Honey we arrive in France much sooner then I expected, The reason I sent home that $96.00 or so was I knew I would never get a chance to use it over here. I keep about $16.00 from which I now have 800 Francs. So you see each franc is worth only 2 cents. And I haven’t been able to spend a franc since I been in this country.

The saddest thing that has happened around here was the day we left England. Leo Penny received a cable from his mother, Carol, his wife, had suddenly died. Leo didn’t even know she was sick, and up to the present moment knows no more than that, as no body has received even a post card since we left England.

Betty the French people are a thousand times nicer to you then the English people. Each and every town we go there we collect flowers, cider, wine and even bread. They stand out in the road and even clap their hands as you go by. We have never seen anything like it. The only thing bad about it was the driver may get a little too much. And then the fun begins. They sure try hard to please you. I could say more but censorship restricts what I can say. The French have had it much the harder than England will ever know.

Betty, please don’t worry if my letters are short. My work is harder and the hours much longer. So when I get a chance to sleep I sleep. Last night I got six hours sleep which is the most I had over here so far.

Honey this isn’t to much of a letter so I’ll just put it away and add more to it later. It can’t go out until the ration truck goes away.

I increased your allotment to $250 today. So you should get the new amount about Oct 1st. Hope by that time this damn thing is all over.

Betty right now there are about six French women around the C&R. They are trying to give us eggs. We will take them and in turn give them something from our 15 rations. One has a little girl 3 ½ years old and her husband has never seen this baby. Boy is it hard to understand this people, and to try and talk to them is out of the question for me. Use everything but my toes. For instance you ask them there age and you rise fingers for age.

Honey the ration truck is going to leave so I’m going to cut this short. I sure hope I got to come home some and spend some time with you. I really need a lot of loving. Be good.

All my love

Jack

August 24th 1944

At 0800 of the 24th, the bn was alerted for a move across the river. At 1000 the Bn Liaison Officer at CCA reported that the enemy front lines had been pushed back some 5,000 yards from the bridgehead. At 1600, all elements of the CC with the exception of the artillery, the engineers, and the trains had crossed. The bn continued firing in support of the forward infantry elements of CCA and also received the additional mission to reinforce CCB now moving through CCA in the general direction of Melun. Btry RO’s were with the Inf. Bn FO’s were with the tanks. Liaison planes continued observation and liaison with supporting corps artillery was maintained. 235 rounds altogether were fired. At 2130 the long awaited order to cross the Seine arrived, and after crossing at Tilly, the battalion went into leaguer for the night at 0200 of the 25th.

At 1300 of the same day, the battalion received orders to move a few thousand yards to a firing position in support of CCA outposting northwest Melun. At 1500 further orders came to move east in the general direction of Provins. At 1900 the battalion fired 157 rounds support of leading tank elements and were most effective in neutralizing the anti-tank and machine gun fire.

24 Aug 44

France.

My darling;

I tried for quite a few days to write you but there has been more things happening and more work to do and it has been impossible. I even thought maybe I would get some postcards and send you one of them each day I wasn’t able to send you a letter. How would that be? I sure wish I could do something to let you know that I was all right.

Well enough of that. I’m still not allowed to say much so will not mention anything about the war. Last night I put up my shelter a few yards from my vehicle and thought I would be safe from any rain that might come. Will just before it started to rain, the wind came. The bed-roll is completely soaked this morning. I slept in the vehicle sitting up all night. So I’m not a bit rested this morning. Larson rides in the same vehicle with me and his stuff is just as wet as mine.

Received letters yesterday of July 29, Aug 11., 3., 1, and July 12 and 27. Really a assortment if you are writing every day like you say. Betty you will never realize how a person feels here. Your mind is on home like it always is, you're thinking of the things you would like to do. Yet you don’t have any idea of time. One day is just like any other day. Last Sunday went by and I did not realize it was Sunday even though the Chaplin did his services. I sure will be glad when this is over so I can sneak home to you again. For sure you will never get away from me again. And we sure are going to start our family. Betty I honestly miss you terribly. Be good and don’t worry I’ll be ok.

Everyone is picking a date for the war to end. The invasion started on John Doyle’s birthday, the war should be over on Mom’s. Be sure you remember her for us. The best I’ll be able to do is to send a letter.

I'm waiting for your package. I sure do wonder, however, if I will ever get it. It seems to take packages a very long time to get here.

Betty I don’t save any letters over here. I burn them up. From a military stand point that is much better to do. I hope you understand.

Another thing it is awful hard to answer your letters. I receive them in every possible order and sometimes one letter is based upon another. So I don’t quite understand it always.

Well honey that is all for today. I sure wish I could be home with you. I sure appreciate a clean bed with sheets when I get them. I expect you to sleep with me too. Be good darling and don’t run around to much at evenings. It sure seems you are on the go all the time.

Betty I will always be thinking of you. I’m hoping for this war to be over.

All my love,

Jack

October 12th, 1944

The 12th saw a lessening of enemy night activity, 181 rds being fired during the 24 hour period.

Holland

Oct 12, 1944

My darling;

This is no less than the fifth letter I tried to write you in the last couple days. But this time I am going to finish it before I quit regardless of what happens.

Betty I wish I could tell you how much your letters mean to me. I get so damn blue and discouraged I don’t know what to do. I sure wish I was in some other outfit. I don’t care for this one. Borcherding is doing less and less every day. I don’t think there is any work he does now.

The weather over here is now cold. In this position is the first time I took over a barn. I moved out two wagons and put straw on the floor of ½ of it. It makes a pretty good house. Now I have found a factory that has a hot shower. So I’m living like a king again. I wonder what I would do in a house of yours. I sure could go for that.

The other night I went to a Dutch house and had a cup of tea. They invited me into this dining room for the tea. The table cloth was a beautiful Prussian rug. The had Coleman lamps for lights. Boy on my way back you can guess where my mind was. You honey, right with you.

I just remember I hadn’t told you I had been in Belgium and now I’m somewhere in Holland. Belgium was a big change from France. Much cleaner and looks more prosperous. The Germans didn’t fight to keep Belgium at all. For Holland another story. The Hollander do wear wooden shoes, but only because the leather is not available to make shoes with. If I can get them to make a small pair I’ll send them to you.

I don’t know if we had the same idea about European roads or not. But Honey they are just as good as any roads we have at home. Yes the even have six to eight highways.

I got a radio put in.

Bill and Penny finally got there Captaincy. For which I’m glad. Now I’m the only eight-ball left.

Hart is the only commander that hasn’t received the Silver Star or been relieved since we been over here. Did you ever hear of Helen Nederbo befor you saw in the paper she was going to marry Klaus Brant. I sure wonder what kind of a girl she is and how Klaus will ever do with a Brant as a father in law. Sure funny though. Klaus must be marrying not of the church. Can’t see it. Can you?

Betty there is about eight girls to one dutch guy over here. No morals. Frauline's have four or five children. Makes no difference.

Now I’ll try to explain all the oak leaf cluster Harry Coupe is getting. The government has an air medal which a flying crew receive after twenty-five missions. And then for each ten missions they receive the oak leaf cluster. This is an automatic issue, regardless of performance. But you sure as hell risk your life each time you fly over the target.

Well honey I guess this is all for today. I sure wish I could come home and really hold you tight and give you one very big kiss. I’ll just have to imagine that I guess. Honey be good and hope I come home soon. I don’t like this cold weather at all. I should curl up close to you in this weather. I love you very very much. I need you the same.

All my love

Jack