The 4th was a day of intermittent rain and sun with a freak hailstorm about noon. A few missions were fired from the OP at Linnich, and recon was made for a possible OP at Suggerath. Our bn area was shelled intermittently all day with three men from Btry A, Pfc’s Stinson, Bramlet, and Erklens, being injured slightly. At about 2200 in the evening, a stray round hit an ammunition trailer in the Btry “C” area destroying 18 rds of HC smoke. A squad under the direction of Sgt Ford Calcote and Cpl Henry Kendric shovelled wet mud on the numerous small fires and by quick, alert action, saved a considerable amount of ammunition. Lt George K. Tanham, FO and two-time holder of the Silver Star, was evacuated due to an ulcerated stomach.
Dec 4, 1944
Germany
My darling,
I wrote you a letter on Dec 2 and it has been returned to me. It got caught in a fire so I’ll rewrite the whole thing plus a little more.
To begin with I received letter #29 thru 38 the other day. About 60% of your writing was about elections. I’m sure glad they are over. I figure your mother feels quite bad now that Roosevelt is back in for another four years.
Betty here is a mess card. I had on the Queen Mary. Each officer had one which he had to show each time we went to mess. I never had such nice treatment as I did coming across on that ship.
So the refrigerator is finally sold. You really made a nice profit on it. Personally I’m glad it is sold. Lord knows when we would have a chance to use it again.
You seem to be having a lot of trouble with your practicing on the organ. Maybe you better get a key to the church. Anyway honey I’m glad you're doing it. But I don’t think you will ever use it after I come home.
Betty did you ever send me any chocolates? I have never received any. Please send some will you?
Janey did I ever describe a German town to you. Well I’ll try even though I am not much on description. Well honey as you enter a town you will find tank traps and many mines. Then you will notice that the buildings have all been bombed or blown up by artillery. You cannot find one single house that is not completely destroyed. Even to the household furniture. Every soldier goes through to see if he can locate something for his personnel or section’s use. So by the time we have been thru and gone, there isn’t one single item left anywhere.
Everything is okay by me. The new job is just as nice as the old one. And Melner isn’t half as hard to please as I understood him to be. I sure hope it pays off for us. We could stand a little break, couldn’t we.
Betty that is all the news I have. I sure am getting awful lonesome for you. Each night I wonder about you and what we could be doing. Also I’m hungry for a banana cream Graham Cracker crust. Be good honey and take good care of yourself because when I get home you have got to do a little producting.
All my love
Jack