From the Potato Letters--70 years ago: Daddy writing from somewhere in France to Aunt Henrietta, The French wheat is ripe now.... Their wheat sure is good... Well I suppose Walter has told you before now about us meeting a few days ago. I only got to see him a few minutes. We were only a few blocks apart for several hours... he was busy with his traffic... He gets around a lot. He has a jeep to drive. So far he hadnt been scratched but said he has had some narrow escapes. Sure was glad you heard from Willis. He may be homeward bound... The last time I wrote I aimed to send you a sample of our money. So I will send you a ten franc note. It is based on two cents to the franc. Big news from France! Uncle Walter and Daddy had met each other. Uncle Walter had spotted the insignia for the 4th Armored Division and asked a truck driver if he knew Winfrey, the man nodded and said he was asleep in the next truck behind him. Two brothers from Sibley together in France. Daddy had heard by now of Uncle Willis being wounded on Guam. In this letter he also admits to his sister of his girl back home, she has been writing for a year and a half. Mom and Daddy were pretty good at keeping secrets. This letter was written August 2, 1944 when the 4th was advancing from Avranches South toward Rennes. During the battle for Avranches the 4th inflicted 14 German casualties for every one of their own. They had finally figured out how to attack in the hedge rows of the Bocage. The tankers referred to these battles as the rat race. Daddy told me of helping to weld blades to the front of some of the tanks so they could plow through the hedges where they pleased instead of being confined to the narrow sunken roads.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 13:49:52 +0000
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