My fathers first uncensored letter sent home at the conclusion of the European campaign: May 22, 1945 Germany Dear Mom, I am writing a regular letter cause I figure maybe I can find more to say tonight. They told us we could seal our own letters now that they wouldnt be censored any more. So any questions you have on your mind, let me know. I guess the first thing you would like to know is where I am. It is a town called Platsburg between Regensburg and Passau. Im living in a fairly new and nice house. The German lady of the house and her kids were told to move out in the garage when we moved in. The only room they are allowed in is the kitchen. A while back I mentioned General Patton made a speech to us. He dedicated the R.R. bridge we built across the Rhine at Mainz. It was called the F.D.R. Memorial Bridge. You know I left the states Aug. 6 - 42, well I arrived Aug.18 - 42 at Bristol, England. No enemy action on the way over that I know of. We left form Staten Island I believe. My travels in England took me as follows: Abergavenny to Aldermaston near Reading, to Nine Yews near Salisbury to Caerphilly, then Honeybourne near Stratford on Avon then Morton Paddox near Lemmington Spa. Then to marshaling area Southampton and on to France. Landed at Omaha Beach and went to Grandecamp then Cherbourg to St. Lo to Avaranch and to Flers to Jurvesy near Paris. Paris to Bar le duc to Arnaville to Nancy to Chateau Salins to Bensdorf to Sarrebourg to Metz. Then to Ettelbruche,Lux. Gobelsmuule to Wasserbilig to Bad Krusenach, Germany. Bad Munster, Marainz, Frankfurt, Weimar Germunden, Nurenburg and ended up right where I am at, so far. Followed the Third Army thru France and Germany. So that is where I traveled in the last three years. Of course driving took me to many other places, but the above are where I was stationed or lived. We are not doing much now. They are taking their time on the RR bridge across the Danube cause the war is over and there is no hurry for it. I, myself, dont believe I am going to the Pacific from here. If I was they would have me preparing for it. When we were getting ready to come to France, it took us a couple of months to pack and everything. I think I will come home before I have to go overseas again. They are sending combat men home first and the wounded and ex P.W.s of the Germans. It will take them a little while to get around to guys like us, with long overseas service but I think they will. But then again you never can tell. I never build up my hopes too high in the army. I found out it doesnt pay. Here was my last bit of action in the European war. It happened on the afternoon Churchill made the official announcement that the war was over. I heard his speech at three oclock and at about four thirty I and Capt. Friend, hes from Scranton, Pa. and two other guys were out in the truck. We were going down a steep hill, very steep, approaching a pontoon bridge across a river when all of a sudden we hear machine gun fire cracking all around us. We look up and see this Jerry plane strafing the bridge. Well I jammed on the brakes and shut off the motor and left the truck right there in the middle of the road. I took off for cover like a ruptured duck. That all happened in less than a minute, but I was the last one to leave the truck. The rest were under cover and waiting for me before I had the truck stopped. Well he missed anyway, me and the bridge. He hit a house and set the roof on fire and the scared the hell out of a lot of people including myself. The morale of this story is dont believe what Churchill says. It wasnt the first time I had been strafed. Lots of times we were not very far from the front. Still they they call us service troops. Im telling you all this now cause I figure you wont faint now that the war is over. I think the saddest thing I saw over here was the fellow they drove up to our dispensary with. He was sitting up in the back of a jeep. His left leg was blown off above the knee and his right foot was hanging by a thread of skin. He had stepped on a mine a few hundred yards from us. We, Captain McElwee, myself and Gordon Severance, patched him up with morphine, blood plasma, and bandages. While we were fixing him up he never cried or hollered or anything. About all he said was, hell I wont be able to skate anymore. He was twenty years old. That man had guts. That happened last winter. Well I think thats enough stories for tonight. It would be rough if they decided to censor again and I wrote all this for nothing. Thats all. Love, Johnny Let me know of this has been opened or not.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 01:07:27 +0000
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