Journal Entry Jan 4- Letting off Steam

Jan 4 Traverse up Hwy N-15 to Bastogne-Town shot to pieces. Shells still landing at intervals-Civilian came by carrying mortar dud-German prisoners working in wreckage-

G. S. tried to tell me I forgot to write down an angle so I blew my top.

Hope brought the record player over to our place in Wiedmont station. Listened to records and danced with Cristine till 11:00 Darn cute gal & dances as well as any I've ever danced with.

Cliff Hope: My diary entries for the next several days contain a curious mixture of reports about Bastogne and its environs, the snow and bitter cold, and, of course, Christine. On the third day of the year, survey started out in the morning but dense fog turned us back before we had gone more than a block. "Spent the day doing nothing--what a heavenly feeling, " I told my diary. I also spent a lot of time with Christine and her aunt and uncle.

At midnight I stood guard for an hour out in the cold, a strong wind driving the falling snow. In a heavy snowfall the next day, we surveyed from previous stations into Bastogne, I carried an umbrella for Peltz, who was operating the transit. Bastogne was pretty well wrecked. About half the buildings were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. It was extra sad to see a town, which you once saw intact, in ruins.

The day's chores and the devastation of war were forgotten that night as Christine and I danced to the music of our section's record player. She was quite a good dancer but my feet were so frozen they seemed like two stumps. As I wrote in my diary, "I had a helluva time dancing."

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Journal Entry March 27, 28th And Battalion history

March 27 Crashed B-24 March 28 Put in mike base-taped-Jeep broke tape at road intersection. Put in flash OPs. Picked up Helmet, leather. Battalion History: On 28 March, headquarters of the Barnstorming 16th crossed the Rhine, followed the next day by the Letter Batteries. With advancing armor taking the fight out of the Germans, the 16th found itself scouring the woods around Henmethal --- for prisoners, souvenirs and eggs. Souvenirs and eggs were more plentiful than prisoners. From Ray Hight's book: By the time the 285th crossed the Rhine toward the end of March, much of the area was in American hands and things were moving so quickly we hardly had time to set up. The German forces were pulling back, and there was very little opposition as we crossed the southern part of Germany almost up to the boundary of Czechoslovakia.

October 20th, Friday-Movie, steak and fries

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Journal Entry March 4th- New jacket and boots

Lu in June wearing field Jacket 1945 issue Combat Boots 1945 issue Field Jacket March 4 Got Laundry. Got ready to move. Red cross girls serve chow. Surveyed in rain. Oh yes, got new field jacket & combat boots.

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

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