Skip to main content

Oct 7th, Saturday-Journal Entry -Chateau of the Ardennes


Oct 7th
Didn't go out.
Made stove out of oil can.
Visited Hope, Mack and Henderson in their "Chateau of the Ardennes" drank cocoa.
K ration meat on cracker and talked over school days
Violent artillery during night.
Echos slapping hard against tent.



Cliff Hope from his book: We worked for two days to refine and improve our hut home. Mac and Henderson made a small stove out of a cocoa can. It was all right except that it required constant feeding. After I drew a sketch of the hut, we christened the place "Chateau of the Ardennes." The nearby sump hole was labeled :mass grave." We managed to heat water for tepid if not hot, cocoa and warmed k-ration meat which we ate on crackers. With water heated on our stove, I took my first bath in the cabin-chateau. A line from my diary documented that "my bottom half was inside but the top half was outside." Our humble hut became an evening gathering place.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

September 22nd Letter to Mom and family-Pass to town

Dearest mom & all, Got your letter of Sept. 3 a few days ago but have been so darn busy that I haven't had time to touch correspondence. I'd much rather write individual letters to all of you and if this break lasts long enough I will but for now just make believe I'm talking to each and every one of you cause I love you all. Things were rather hectic for me for quite awhile after we came over here and we still have some work of the drudgery sort to do for a while but we are now in a "Rest" area safe and sound from any enemy action and have prospects of some relaxation (can't count on it too long though.) Last night I got my first pass in France and we all went into a little town nearby (I'll tell you its name when I'm allowed). Of course the first thing the boys I was with headed for... ...was a wine shop, but that did them no good- "Bosche Take" was all they could get from the proprietress. That was the way with every th...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 20 1945 Letter to Mom

Bensheim Germany July 20th 1945 Dearest Mom, I started to get a letter off to you last night about midnight. I was corporal of the guard on duty in the orderly room. But an electrical storm was commencing and I no sooner got paper and pen out than a crash of lightning hit the power relay station nearby and all the lights went out. That storm was a beaut. Great jagged forks of lightning playing everywhere and the thunder sounded like all the artillery in the E.T.O. (European theater of operations) was sounding off in unison. In between flashes it was pitch black but most of the time (for about a half hour) you could read street signs a block away it was so bright. One triple forked bolt lit up the castle up on the hill and really made an eerie scene. You (You) know this is the first place I've seen actual balls of lightning. They looked like balls of fire.  Mail came in at last yesterday. A big batch of it and it was really swell to hear what's going on at hom...
Post a Comment
Read more

November 4th 1945 Embarkation! Headed Home on the USS Westerly Victory ship

Watch for Lu's binoculars in many of his photos. They might be his best used acquisition from the war.  This mimeographed newsletter is an interesting view into the voyage home. 
Post a Comment
Read more