Germany
March, 24, 1945
Dear Rip,
Your letter of Mch 12 arrived yesterday when the mail came in. We had just pulled back a few miles for rest and reorganization of a couple of days when your letter came. Also in the same mail the wooden box of cigarettes came. And they came at a good time. As I told you before, ordinarily we get plenty of cigarettes but lately we haven’t been getting too many so all the guys were glad to see them. Also our rations are sometimes Raleighs and Phillip Morris and whereas the guys prefer Camels, Chesterfields & Luckies (Chesterfields for me) we are thrilled to get those brands even tho we may have plenty of Raleighs, for instance. I have never seen a box packed to nice. The cigarettes were perfectly preserved. You must have made that nice little wooden box. One of the guys immediately spoke for it to use in sending home a pair of Jerry binoculars. I sent home a pair of binoculars last time we pulled back.
Speaking of souvenirs. I have a swell .30 automatic which I personally took away from a German tank officer in a night attack the other nite. We had slipped into town in the dark and were all over the place before the Jerries knew what was up. My buddy and I rounded the corner of a building and walked into a tank with the crew getting in it. There were only 2 of us and four tankers. I shot one & my buddy shot one (we were only about five feet from them). I grabbed the tank officer and snatched his pistol. One Jerry got in the tank and started it to moving. I was standing in front of the guns and was sweating out their opening up. But I know now we got ’em all but the driver. If I had been sure of that then I could have caught the tank & climbed on it & dropped a grenade on the driver. Instead when the guns swing over me, I duck, and my prisoner tries to run and I hate to shoot an unarmed man so I have to hit him with my rifle. It was a busy pair of minutes. Id have got a silver star if I could have caught the tank but by knocking out all the crew but the driver we probably saved a lot of lives as we had no tank support and it could have cruised around knocking us off. I think I already wrote you that I received the box with the cigs and tuna and sardines also the pipes. Anyhow I surely have enjoyed those boxes. I really have enjoyed the pipes too. I sweated out giving one of them away but finally decided to keep them both even if it was a bit selfish. Im smoking the pipe right now.
Had a letter from Macey recently. As you probably know he’s with the 4th Armrd. Div. with Pattons Army. According to Stars & Stripes the 4th Armrd has been spearheading Pattons drive on Mainz. Macey says he’s in communications of some sort and seems to have a pretty good job. Also the says he may get back to ack ack in the same outfit fore long.
Things are going pretty good with us. The going gets tough at times as Jerry gets himself together long enough to lower the boom now and then, but on the whole its not too bad.
By the way, sonny, next time you write me how about putting a coupla those small packets of cigarette lighter flints in the letter. I have a good lighter and get plenty of gasoline out of jeeps etc to run the lighter but it is hard to get flints from time to time.Now, a word of warning – you’re such a big hearted lug that I feel this is necessary – Don’t get a wooden box and send me a crate of lighter flints, fluid and wicks! Seriously, kid, we do have to carry just about everything we own so I can’t use much extra stuff. When the fellows get boxes from home full of shaving articles brushes, etc they’re just wasted cause a fellow can’t carry but 1 toothbrush paste etc. and he can’t begin to find a place to lug fancy shaving kits etc.
Well, sonny, take care of yourself. It surely is good to hear from you and I’ll be writing all I can. Be sure and write Macey all you can. He hasn’t probably gotten as accustomed to the grind as I have and his mail probably isn’t catching up with him as well yet so write him all you can.
Letters from home indicate all is in good shape there. Maybe the war will end soon and all will be turkey then.
Lots of love
Dave