October 24th Letter home

Somewhere in Luxembourg
Oct. 24, 1944

Dearest Mom and all,

Letter writing gets to be a catch-as-catch-can affair at times. I do my best to get down to a regular schedule on my correspondence but I'm going to have to give it as a hopeless, though desirable, ideal, and write as opportunity (and mood-sometimes even with plenty of time I couldn't sit down to it) affords itself.

I guess at times the dateline on these letters makes you wonder where and what your darling boy is up to, and I wish I could tell you about it as it happens and perhaps set you a bit at ease. Anyhow when I do come home I'll be able to answer those troublesome questions and maybe have some interesting stories to tell. I only wish that this were peace time and all my family could see some of the beautiful scenes there are to see here in Europe. I wouldn't want to live over here by any means!- America is the only place to make a home-but some of the countryside scenes over here would inspire any painter. Of course I'm not talking of those in which war has shown its' ugly "puss."

Letters from home are the brightest aspects of life over here and I wish I could do justice in answering them. Ken and Pat-I hope you know how interested I am in all you do, and your letters are real morale builders. I'm going to get

Individual letters off to you each one of these days-I hope! Janie-thanks for your letter too. I hope you won't forget to write me often now, you know you're much more like a sister than a niece to me don't you?

Polly-I know you're a very busy momma now more than ever, and with a hubby over here to keep informed it's hard to write often, but when you can, just drop your little brother a few words of encouragement-and keep a protecting arm out for Leona and Lynne will you? You don't know what a comfort it is to have a wonderful big sis like you Polly--you mean a lot to me.

Mom- I think you know how much I love you don't you! Wish I could give you a good big hug and kiss right now to show you just a little more. I'll bet dad would like to do the same and let's just hope and pray it won't be too long before we can do just that. Your offer of a spring-filled mattress for 24 hrs. will be most gratefully accepted as soon as possible too. I guess Bea and Ray have gone back by now so pass on my love to them will you? Don't know whether grandma is there or in Logan but none of her grandchildren love her more than I do. (and we all love her a great deal) so make sure she's told so won't you? I wrote Mip a few days ago-hope she gets it all right.
Love Leona and Lynne a little extra for me tonite and tell Leona I'll write tomorrow sure-I'm going to bed now-
all my love,
-Lu_

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August 28th 1944 Journal Entry-Rain and Rations

Aug 28th RAIN RAIN and mud Lu from his memoirs: We settled into a routine of extending and improving our control surveys and existing on "K" and "C" rations and sleeping in soggy pup tents. There was lots of rain and mud and finding ways to improve living conditions was a constant challenge. As Cliff pointed out in his book, we had some talented buddies with inventive minds. Tom Fourshes, of Cadiz, Kentucky built a compact, wood fired cooking stove on which we could heat our rations, spread hot cheese on crackers, and boil eggs obtained from farmers. We found straw and dry grass to put under our bed rolls, but we never found a way to keep the water our of our fox holes. We didn't have too much incoming artillery, but I noted on August 26 'Priebe hits fox hole as I leave it going for mine as shells land in river' We also began a close relationship with our Field Artillery gun battalions. The 561st next to us were equipped with "155 Long T...

September 29th Journal entry continued-Last day of travel to Ardennes

Sept. 29- Convoy 0830 Cloudy windy day-Saw Tiger tank-Montigny, Guise, La Cappelle, ?, Trelon (Belgium Border) Chimay, Petigny, Givet (Back in France) ( Briefly-mc ) Dinant, Chigny, ? and Bastogne. Bivouac area about 3 km out in edge of beautiful spruce forest. Hope, Bliesmer & Peltz- got kissed in Petigny. Marilu: I traced this route in google maps to confirm spellings of the sequential towns. I wasn't able to find all of them, but I could see that when they went through Givet they went through a little outcropping of the French border and out again. Fun to see him referring to the kiss Cliff Hope describes in more detail in his book, quoted in the other entry for this day. From www.warhistoryonline.com The Tiger Tank was without a doubt the tank which was most feared by the Allied forces during the Second World War. The thing that made this tank so feared and respected was the 88 mm gun, which could destroy a Sherman tank at ranges up ...

Oct 25th, Wednesday-Journal Entry-Bombs and Guns

Oct 25-Lellig to Matternach- Tied in with Party 1 on R.R.- Lt Jones & G. S. scared out of house by civilian in sports roadster0 In at noon- Transferring notes to correct notebook all afternoon- O1:20 Big Buzz Bomb barely 200 ft. overhead-going south Thundering 400 M.P.H. Machine guns fire but miss. Buzz Bombs going into 1st Army positions Lu from Rae Hight's book : For quite a while, we surveyed the areas back and forth between and through Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg. Though the distances were not great, the continued movement required a certain amount of reorganizing each time. By the end of October we were in the Mompach-Berbourg area of eastern Luxemboug, near the front. It was not long before German shells landed not too far away. Our main reminders that the army was just a few kilometers away were the nightly visits by "Bed Check Charlie," buzz bombs that whizzed overhead each night about midnight. The V-1 flying bomb...

Winsor War Notes-Luther Snow Winsor's WW II experiences

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