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| Part of the crew of Mary Lou. JEW Jr standing, center |
Letters from my dad, James E. Wilkinson, Jr. to his parents during his military service in WWII.
Introduction
My father graduated from Penn State University with a forestry degree in 1939. He left NJ for a job in West Virginia working for a forest products company that owned a large tract of land and a company town. He lived in a boarding house in that small town of Barrett, West Virginia and worked for the company. We visited there in the 1970s and he related to me that the owner of the boarding house favored the Nazis and he was very happy to get out of her place.
He returned home to his family in Wenonah, New Jersey and enlisted in the Armed Forces in January 1942. I have in my files the original letters, cards and one telegram that he sent to his parents during his training and service with the Army Air Force. The files also include his life insurance and other “in the event that you were to perish in service” items.
Each time he writes to his mother (90% of the time) or father he apologizes for having delayed writing the letter and having nothing to say. He remarks on letters receives and sends money orders home to pay insurance premiums, buy War Bonds and Xmas gifts, save in an S&L and donate to church. He usually writes at least once a week. I have excerpted the more interesting passages in this document.
These “nothing” letters do reveal a few things about him and not covered in these letters was his hospitalization in Missouri shortly after enlistment when he had very dangerous spinal meningitis, from which he recovered.
Letter Excerpts
On August 23, 1942 he writes from Maxwell Field, near Montgomery, Alabama (“a poor excuse for a town”) to his mother and describes his daily routine:
The poor miserable underclassmen have to get up early which means about 5 AM. Some mornings we get up much earlier for special stand by inspections. Reveille is at five forty-five. We eat breakfast at about 6:20 . Then we have 3 or 4 classes in the morning. At about 2 PM we have an hour or so of drill then an hour of athletics, strenuous stuff and after that a parade on one day a week. Evening meal at about 6:15, call to quarters at 7. 9:30 taps and lights out. The underclass must fall out for all formations five minutes ahead of time so that the upperclass can come out and heckle us. They have a high old time hazing us… there’s nothing physical about it except in making one stand sit and eat at extremely correct and exaggerated positions.
Time and space I cannot get enough of … awfully crowded and time comes at a premium. Underclass is compelled to go to church so I was there today. The organist was pretty sad. (His sister, Elizabeth, was a very good organist.)
We have all kinds of studies to go through, some of them only three hour courses such as military courtesy and customs, a course on military organization, maps and charts, code, math, military sanitation and first aid, tomorrow I have a single lecture on high altitude flying.
August 30, 1942 Columbia Symphony has just started its radio program and we are listening to the Mendelsohn’s Mid Summers Night's Dream Overture; there's quite a bit of construction work
going on here and so it continues on Sundays. Right outside the room a large diesel road grader is working on a new street and it conflicts quite seriously with Mendelsohn.
We of course have a pretty stiff athletic program every day. So I Saturday we ran over the"Burma Road" or the"Indian trail”, you can imagine what that is from the two names by which it is known. It is 2.7 miles of up-and-down, cross ditches and sewage canals over hills through woods, fields and cross a golf course. It's pretty tough run but not quite as bad as the upper class would have liked the underclass to believe. Of course we don't do that every day. Instead we double time over to the athletics field and have 45 minutes of calisthenics, dumbbell workouts and exercises with wooden staves; the programs really put you in shape, especially if you put all you've got into it. The physical fitness is stressed and necessarily so.
He reports on movies he saw: Wake Island, Mrs. Miniver (“very excellent”), The Flying Tigers, (“pretty punk”). Now to a base in Camden S.C. which he found to be a great improvement over Maxwell - this is for men who were moving onto actual flight operations.
10-25-42.
Food was excellently prepared, with table linens “and served by negro waiters in white jackets.” (!)
On Friday I went up on my first flight and needless to say I was quite thrilled with it. I was a bit nervous about it before it went up but as soon as we were started I forgot all about it. We flew for about a half hour and I handled the plane for quite a while myself.
11-30-42
We flew yesterday, even though it was pretty cloudy, for we were behind schedule. Several fellows got careless and became lost. One of these found his gas running low and instead of using his head and making a force landing, he left the ship and jumped with his parachute. The plane crashed, of course and that was the end of 17,000 bucks. The fellow got down safely and will no doubt be washed out; it certainly does not pay to get panicky. The funny thing about it is that I had the same ship up just before he used it. It was a nice plane. Quite a number of the fellows have been getting lost lately.
Dec.14, 1942
We are practicing acrobatics now. They are fun but are pretty wearing on the body. One that really works on you is the slow role. The ship is rolled over on its back and then around right side up. But while the plane is on its back, you're hanging there by the safety belt. As there are complicated things to do with the stick and the rudder pedals, it is quite a strain to make various parts of the body to do what you want them to do. if you can imagine driving a car while sitting suspended in mid air and upside down trying to work the clutch with one foot on the gas with the other and reaching forward and left with the right-hand to release the parking brake, you have some idea of what it is like. Of course a pilot has other controls than those to use but might give you some idea.
Jan. 12, 1943,
Cochrane Field, Macon, Ga. Several fellows from this class are trying to quit the cadet corps. They're getting tired of mean stuff that is being thrown at us and want to give up. Everyone’s eager to get out of here and the sooner the better, but we don't want to quit. Morale is not good; most of us are pretty short tempered. Silly, meaningless things cause simple laughter. Everyone is more or less disgusted and sick of the business, but just keep on taking it because they want to fly. I suppose the whole business is good training, but there are no rules saying that you have to like it and by golly, we hate it.
I should really tell you some of the nice things about this place. But I'll be darned if I can think of anything. You like the flying, but not the waiting around for it… I like the academics although I don't think I'd get much backing on that. I'm learning quite a bit from the courses we are having. I can almost say that I enjoyed it times. It wouldn't do for some of the guys to know that, but then I have my own opinions of some of them, too….
Don't feel bad about all the stuff I've been writing about. It's tough. I don't like it. But it won't hurt me a bit but I can take it.
January 24, 1943
Main event of the week was the time that I soloed. It certainly was a relief for me when Lieut. Dunning, my instructor, let me take it up myself. I have been having trouble with the landings and then I turned around and made better landing solo then when I was dual.
Went up in the low pressure chamber on Thursday. We are put in the chamber and we put on oxygen masks. Then the air is evacuated from the chamber to simulate air pressure conditions it an altitude of 38,000 feet. This is done to see if our bodies are capable of standing such pressures. It's sometimes results in extreme cavities expansion. Some people are also affected with the bends, caused by bubbles of nitrous nitrogen forming in the blood.
February 4, 1943
It was 140 miles one way and the trip was uneventful for me. One fellow got lost and landed 130 miles from here over near Atlanta. Got down in a little cornfield.
February 10, 1943
At 9:45 we were dismissed so that we could go see a training film on the interrogation of prisoners. It was fairly interesting and instructive. They also threw in, for enjoyment, a reel of The “Battle of Midway.”
March 1, 1943 from Turner Field near Albany Georgia
Tomorrow I will start flying in the afternoon. This is the place where I try to learn to handle and fly a twin engine ship. Of course the trainers are still pretty small, but they sure are larger more complicated than the BTs we left. We're going to have our bellies full of work here , 98 hours of academics and from 90 to 120 hours of flying plus 40 or 50 hours of piloting.
March 14, 1943
I found out yesterday that I will not have to pay income tax for the past year. All single enlisted man can make a a $250 dollars deduction from their total income and if the gross is then less than $500 dollars no tax has to be paid. Mine missed that figure by nearly $200 so I'll buy another bond with the money I saved a pay the tax..
April 5, 1943
Had a long an excellent letter from Bob Bartlett the other day. He is having his troubles to, mostly in placing his ideals and intellect in a temporary state of suspended animation. He's enjoying himself more in the infantry that he was in the antiaircraft unit.
May 3, 1943,
Columbus Ohio Well here I am back on the better side of the Mason-Dixon line and boy am I sure glad of it. Back in civilization again.
We are going to fly B-17's here for two months. Looks like the old grind all over again. Just cadet life with bars and wings.
May 10, 1943
Cadet life was pretty tough, but in comparison it was nothing compared to what we are going through here. I am almost a nervous wreck from the trouble I'm having with the navigator course we are getting. They're trying to teach us in nine days what they teach regular navigators in 17 weeks.
When we graduate from here we go to OTU where we get our own planes and crew and start to train the crew. We will be plane commanders (a nice title) and will have to be able to take over any other job on the ship, from navigator, bombardier, engineer, radio operator to gunner. Flying B-17s is really hard work. I was very much surprised at the amount of effort necessitated to operate to controls on it. This is only true when landing or taking off. When you get the ship leveled off and trimmed up it almost flies itself. Some of the fellows have worn blisters on their hands from landing practice. I can now see why athletics and calisthenics have been stressed so much in our training.
May 19, 1943
Loretta Young, the movie actress, visited the post Saturday. They named a plane for her, painting "Loretta" on the nose of it in yellow paint. She visited the hospital and various other departments. In the evening there was a reception and buffet supper at the officers club. I met the “great person" who seemed friendly enough. She made quite a hit, I guess. I don't know what the purpose of the whole thing was - to boost the morale of the men I guess. But she looked kind of tired and worn from so much "boosting."
Yesterday… we really had a tough workout. My legs are sore and stiff from it. I flew in formation in the morning and that is a really rough workout in itself, especially on the arms. After that my left arm ached as if with bursitis with the calisthenics piled on in the p.m. I was just a trembling mass of flesh when I went to bed last night.
June 8, 1943
(Some of these letters are hand written with fountain pen on a stationary embossed with the US Army Air Force for specialized pilot school with yellow, white, red and blue insignia. Purchased at the PX I assume.)
I was on a cross country flight this afternoon out to Chicago and back by way of Toledo. I flew around in circle lives over Lib and HR's house while up there (his sister Elizabeth and her husband Herschel R. Hudgens).
June 28, 1943
The trip down to San Antonio was uneventful. We had no trouble and had a good time considering everything. San Antonio is a nice town after you have passed through the squalor of the Mexican and Negro sections which fringe the town.
I'd like to go back there again someday by myself or with some kindred soul, and do things I'd like to do and go to the places I want to go.
July 15, 1943
To his mother on stationery from the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Getting ready to transfer to his next site.
July 19, 1943
Ephrata, Washington. Well we really came to a rough place we came here. It's very hot and very very very dry; rains about once or twice a year. The whole country here's just plain rock and gravel and dust. The buildings here seem to be just thrown about haphazardly and without much planning order. They’re all made of unpainted wood and black tarpaper we live and what are called huts, a small 20 x 20 prefabricated job. There are six of us in this one.
The town is really something, or I should say nothing. Population is 900 and there's nothing there to write about. We came in here yesterday afternoon and started right in processing which involves a lot of trouble and running around. Everywhere we go we fill out forms and this base is no different for you had a handful of them to work on.
July 29, 1943
I've been in such a disgusted mood that I was in no disposition to attend to correspondence. This organization here (worded correctly, this disorganization here) has (me) just bit ashamed of the army and quite a bit irked and disgusted. I with the rest of the group have been here 12 days now and so far nothing has been accomplished. No one seems to be in charge or have any responsibility or knows anything about what is supposed to be going on. In all my 19 months in the army I've never seen anything like it. I guess I shouldn't gripe about the situation, especially to you, a civilian.
Went to a show tonight and saw the picture “Stormy Weather” with an all negro cast. It was only fair. Good enough to pass the time away with. Don't take Dad to see it or you'll more than likely have trouble. (Lena Horner, Bill Robinson, Fats Waller and other notables were featured!)
August 20, 1943.
Walla Walla Washington. Well the "Battle of the Ephrata" is over and whether it was a great victory or strategic retreat makes no difference now.
The country in the section of Washington is much nicer than the Desert of the Ephrata.
We are surrounded by rolling hills covered with golden wheat fields. In the distance to the east and west high mountains which can be seen when you get up in the air little ways.
September 17, 1943
I got up at five this morning and woke up the rest of the fellows so that we could be down to the flight line by six. My crew was lucky to get one of the few ships. Anyway we went up for five hours and messed around. We were supposed to drop some practice bombs from above 20,000 feet but the haze and clothes for stone hello 10,000 so we didn't bother to drop any.
(He had just returned from a 10 day furlough which involved a travel to New Jersey from the state of Washington. Rather than taking a three day train trip he went by air, 10-12 hours. Despite an unscheduled landing in Des Moines due to bad weather, he was happy.) Boy! that is really traveling. Fact is it is the only way to travel.
Some of the fellows had trouble returning here on time, one being my copilot; he Is stranded in Salt Lake City. Took them 28 hours to come less than 600 miles by train and truck. Boy howdy were they sweating. However they were taken care of by the Red Cross United Airlines who sent letters and telegrams explaining the situation. None of them got into trouble.
However, one of my listings has not reported in yet and we have not heard a word from him. This is the only case where no word of explanation or request for extension of leave has been sent I word him last night but is yet have no word I sure am surprised that he is pulling something like this is one of the last men in my crew who have expect to go AWOL. If there is no word very shortly they will be sending MPs after him and that is bad. He is from Tennessee so maybe he is hiding back up in the hills
October 8, 1943
(This is a typewritten letter with only a couple of strikeovers on each page. A good typist!) You should see all the dogs on this post. It must be a canine paradise. There are black dogs, brown dogs, red dogs, white dogs, and dogs of combined colors; there are thoroughbreds and there are mongrels. First there is “Leutian” which I suppose is short for Aleutian. He is a brown and white fox terrier. He spends all his time riding the base buses, G.I. trucks that carry us around this spacious place. Leutian is on it riding and leaning into the fast turns at 5 in the morning and still there at 10 at night. There is a “Tarfo” your black cocker spaniel that belongs to our squadron commander. She's a smart and affectionate dog and everyone likes her. “Ground Loop” is a red cocker spaniel puppy; it is a mascot of one of our crews. He is cute but getting to be very spoiled and also getting some bad habits. There're scores more, the names which I am not familiar with. They spend all the time chasing one another all over the base. Some manage to get into the club where they're not allowed, and it is the unpleasant job of some one of the waiters put them out and make himself temporarily unpopular. But I like them all even down to the old worn-out mangy black-and-white hound dog that just kind of lazes around all the time.
The enlisted man of mine that was late returning from furlough got back here okay. He had been sick while home and I had sent two wires that had never been delivered. Claims that he had had a heart attack while on his way home in and was fairly sick. I talked to one of the medical officers about him and he said that nothing in particular could be found wrong with him in that they thought his trouble must have mostly been neurotic or something. Yesterday I got a replacement, an Austrian Jew from Brooklyn. He was born in Vienna. Seems okay I hope that he will work in well with the rest of the crew.
October 23, 1943 Herington Kansas.
Enclosed you will find a bunch of papers instructing you on what to do if anything should ever happen to me. As it says, it is not meant to scare you but to give you advanced information just in case it is ever necessary. Besides if I ever do turn up missing it is heartening to know that over 50% of all crew shot down are not casualties and a gratifying number of them evade capture and eventually return to their bases.
We are just about completed with the routine and will be moving off from here again. Whether we will fly or go by boat I can't say but we don't have any B-17s here. Guess there is no use saying not to worry, but don't let it get you down. I'm beginning to understand worry myself know, not from love but from responsibility. Can't seem to adopt a policy of “what the hell" as many do. Anyway take care of yourself and I'll do the same.
November 1, 1943 (This is the first of many brief V mails using an APO or overseas address.)
Not much I can write to you now. Everything is closed out tight and we have to be careful of what we write and say.
November 13, 1943
From what I have seen of the British Isles so far I am favorably impressed, except for the weather which is abominable. The country is very green even in winter and quite beautiful. The US does not know what blackout means. It is really black here.
December 10, 1943
We received our new plane last week and it was or rather is, a honey. Hope that it will continue to be one. I can't tell you about our operations but you can usually read all about them in the newspapers. When I get home I'll be able to tell you nearly all about it. I will say that it is terrifically hard work, physical, mental and nervous, and leaves you exhausted at the finish.
January 19, 1944 a letter
(Concerning a furlough to London. ) Pete and I then decided to look for a place to eat as it was noon and later; finally tried a Polish place: soup, veal cutlets, vegetables, and the desert (Pancake and jam.) After eating we crossed the street to Selfridge’s Department Store. Ran into the book department and you can imagine what happened there. We spent a lot of time and quite a bit of money. Especially Pete; he really went on the spring. To top it off after leaving Selfridge's we ran into a nice bookstore and stayed in there until after they had closed and locked the doors.
January 22, 1944
We have run out of the mail stationary here in the red type that you sent me is not used anymore. Anyway, we used it to start fires in the stove. Hope you don't mind my burning up a Christmas gift.
We don't get the opportunity to do any traveling like that, but then we don't stay over here as long as those fellows do. They are here for the duration, and we only 25 missions (which is enough). Of course, we get to do some pretty extensive traveling ourselves but we don't see much of the countryside we travel over too high and too busy.
February 7, 1944
No doubt you have read the papers that we have been very busy in the past 10 days or so and I have been one of those that have been up and about. Needless to say I was very tired all the time; in eight mornings out of nine I was out of bed from 1:30 to 3:30 and on that other morning I was out at 8 after getting to sleep at about 2 AM. You see we are always kept busy even on days we are not out on missions - there is ground school, trainers, practice missions to fly, planes and guns to clean, various bailout, ditching in dinghy drills to practice and former missions to attend to and other odds and ends that keep the days and weeks full.
Many of us would like to take bikes out into the English countryside but there is little or no opportunity for such excursions.
Last week my navigator, Lieut. Kassel, was injured on one of our missions over Germany. A piece of flak hit him in the leg just above the knee and while it was a painful and nasty wound it is not too serious business. No broken bones, etc. It all happened that about 24,000 feet and 40° below 0 C. You can imagine what a job it is taking care of a wounded man under those conditions in the crowded quarters in the nose of a B-17. (His mother was a working nurse.) But Pete DuFour our copilot and Hitz the bombardier clapped a good bandage on him and made him as comfortable as possible. We got back to the base Kassel was packed off in an ambulance to the hospital. We managed to get over to see him on the one day when we were not too busy and found him be getting along okay. Of course he will receive the purple heart for being wounded in action does he says "it's a hell of a way to earn a medal.”
We went over there in a GI truck and had a pretty interesting trip to the English countryside. Much of it looks quite a bit like the country just west and north of Philadelphia - rolling hills and valleys with small wood lots of oak and other hardwood trees. Roads are all very narrow and two trucks of any size at all have a tight squeeze of it in passing. The towns and villages are very small and very old. Near really all the farmhouses in many of those in the towns have thatched roofs this section is just about all farming country and the people do the job taking care of their land.
After we had left Kassel, we were hungry - it was afternoon and we had had nothing to eat. So we drove down to a village looking for a spot where we could get a meal. Finally located a place run by "Mac" who caters only to American service men, It was just a very small place and his supply of food was about nil but he managed to give us eight a cup of tea, some bread and butter in a couple of hot buns a piece. He keeps a guest book which everyone signs and upon looking through it we found that one Clark Gable had stopped there one time.
You people sure seem to be worried about Jane. Mary, Lib and you have all mentioned the business to me. Don't know what I can do about the situation. I've never written or said anything to her that I have not written or said to any of my other friends, Male or female. And I can't very well just stop writing to her.
March 9, 1944
(A letter to Gertrude Wilkinson from my dad's friend Larry (?). Imagine my surprise when I ran into Jim at the Red Cross in London. He just returned from seven days at the "Flako's". He went on the first big raid to Berlin on Monday, his 22nd second mission and I waited for his return…. Ran into quite a lot of opposition.
March 21, 1944
One of the fellows here has bought a dog - Scotty with a long pedigree. It cost him 12 pounds $48 ($180 in 2020) and everyone else in the barracks is sick and tired of the pooch. It Is one of those meet weasel type and to my mind is particularly stupid; right now a couple of fellows in the other end of the building are busy with a bucket of water and broom trying to clean up one of the darn dog’s many messes. We take him out side for that specific purpose, but no, he has to choose some nice corner under someone's bed. Personally I'm disgusted with the dog and particularly with its owner. Also feel a little sorry for the dog.
March 25, 1944
Our squadron is restricted to immediate area, place of duty, in the mess hall, all due to the "mystery of the stolen keg of beer”. A couple of enlisted men stole a barrel of beer from the PX. Until the culprits are apprehended or confessed the whole outfit suffers a punishment. A lot of the fellows know who did the job for a great many helped drink the beer, but apparently no one is going to give any evidence.
March 30, 1943
I just sent a cable to you letting you know that I am all finished with my missions in this theater for a while. (25 missions; with a 20% loss rate for his fellow fliers.) No doubt you will feel relieved. I do to a certain extent; yet I'm really not as exhilarated or jubilant over the fact as most fellows seem to be when they complete their tour. Gosh knows I really don't get any enjoyment out of the dirty business and there are times when I am plenty scared and always more or less on a tension but even now when I know I don't have to go thru, at least not for a while anyway, I don't feel any more relaxed. Have seriously been thinking of volunteering for a few more (secret considerations, of course, for everyone would think me a fool) but I finally decided to let well enough alone. I felt that I should do a little more than was required of me, a little more than most of the others do, but just tonight I came to the realization that even though I am finished here for a while, more than likely I'll be out on operations again somewhere else or even here again in a few more months. Besides, to larger percentage of those who wrote guys to ask for extra run into misfortune. Guess it's just pushing your luck too far.
The more I stay here in England the better I like it. I'm not at all anxious to get home as some of the other fellows are, not that I wouldn't like to get home. Some other fellows can't seem to see anything good in this Island and try to compare everything with conditions in US. A great many are very narrow minded and of course, being the kind of person I am, I'm greatly annoyed to say the least.
Some of my enlisted men may be going home soon said that if it is possible that they will stop in and see you. Hopefully they do for I know that you will like them. Specially “Mac” Wm.
McLondon and Johnny Heasley, they're both just kids 19 and 20, what pretty good boys the others are Ed Kabo and Jack Miller, the last one a Jewish boy from Brooklyn.
Newspaper clipping, London, April 1, 1943 Associated Press (partial)
The Britain-based Eighth United States Air Force lost 293 heavy bombers in March more than any other month in the history of its operations… operational losses have a tendency to remain steady in the economical neighborhood of 5%… that's the March losses-43 more than the previous 550 and 50 in the air over the right or bombs dropped. On the basis of 5%, loss of 293 planes would mean approximately 6000 sorties by American heavy bombers were flown against Fortress Europe last month. The most expensive day for the fortresses and liberators was March 6 first heavy daylight raid on Berlin when 68 bombers failed to return. The losses during March represent an investment of planes of at least $73 million and 2930 highly trained airman.
Just got back from London yesterday where I had a very enjoyable but short visit with Mrs. McFarland. I want off investigate in the many books shops and stores. Walked and stood around for 5 1/2 hours and when I quit my feet and legs were pretty tired. It's worth it though. I did buy a very excellent edition of Boswell's “Johnson”, a two-volume affair which cost about $17. The King bought 20 sets at Christmas to give as gifts so you know that it must be very nice.
Hope that you did not have to work too hard over all the income taxes this year, although I suppose that you no doubt did have a very busy time. (His dad was an estate lawyer.) Personally I think they should raise the taxes until it really hurts and simplify them until they don’t, do you think that at all possible?
May 9, 1944
Pete, my old copilot has been checked out as a first pilot and assigned crew is ready five some more missions. That is something that does not often happen here in our squadron can only happen this time because Pete is one of the commanding officers favorites and because I recommended it several times. Looks like I will be staying here for another two months or so then may get a good chance to head for home . (He ended up flying about 35 missions, 10 more than standard.)
PS: oh yes! Sad news. Mary Lou has left us. And being just a bit sentimental, I feel kind of sad about it too. (Mary Lou is what he named his B-17. Another crew was flying and were shot down near Berlin. Some deaths, others captured.)
May 28, 1944
I have been pretty busy lately flying with new crews and practice formations and checking and testing flying ships. Is not a very hard job and not so very interesting, although better on that score and some others I can think of. The most difficult part of it is rounding up a crew to fly with me. As I have no crew of my own anymore I have to go around and pick up a man here and one there for you someone else's entire bunch.
I was up to a higher headquarters today where they tried to interest me in changing to another outfit and taking over the job of squadron training officer. As I am nearly doing the same thing here without the title I see no reason why I should disassociate myself from this group in move to a strange outfit.
The trip over by car was very enjoyable. This is really a very beautiful country especially at this time of year, when all the rolling fields and woods are so green and splattered with yellow and red wildflowers. And there are no signs and billboards to obstruct the view. (25 years later the State of Vermont banned billboards and restricted signage among most of the public highways. Dad was involved in environmental efforts; I wonder if his experience in England influenced this?)
May 30, 1944
Well I guess I was a little hasty when I wrote the night before last that I might be coming home soon. The leaders still have to come out and it doesn't look like I'll be making it now or later unless I ask to go on another type of operations over here. I'm not quite that you care yet but I may change my mind on that.
June 6, 1944 (Yes, this was D-Day, jw)
Well I have been working hard and long for this past week or so even been busier than when I was on operations. But now I'm busy practically all the time working night and days and one time three nights in a row. Up until the night before last I was getting very little sleep. The censorship restrictions have increased so much lately that there is hardly anything I can write anymore.
June 9, 1944.
I have been very busy and expect the situation to continue the same, as I was writing to you the big thing we have all been waiting for was taking place. that time I knew what was happening but thought I'd better not mention anything right then of course we've been pretty excited about the whole thing I know that people at home feel the same way. There are things that I would like to write but they are “verboten” subjects, simple things which would appear to be of no consequence yet we are not permitted to mention them.
June 17 1944
Either you read it wrong or the Philadelphia Record got it wrong as I did not receive the BBC but instead set got the BFC this ranks several grades below the BBC it is given to nearly all
those who complete their rotation, which was the occasion for my getting it. Since then I have received in oak leaf cluster for it for coming back from a mission with the plane in a bit of trouble. But that business is all long ago and certain aspects of it I would like to forget.
June 24, 1944
Received a letter yesterday from my old gunner who was back in the states . the first one that I have heard from him since they'll left here three months ago. He is stationed in Galveston Texas as an instructor and does not like to work at all. In fact he wishes he was back here again. He worked to stay here in the first place but they wouldn't let him. According to the papers the invasion seems to be going fairly well, the American troops are getting most of the headlines of present, but don't forget that the successes have a lot to do with the British and Canadian taking the brunt of most of the Germans most experienced troops and equipment from what I understand. Most of the American papers have nearly forgotten that there are others.
Independence Day, 1944
Well this certainly has been a strange Fourth of July over here as far as I'm concerned there has been no celebration here on this post and even if there had been I probably would not have had time to attend any of them for today has been another one of those very busy days for me.
Sept. 19, 1944.
( On The Claridge Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ, stationary. Mentions he will be moved to the Ritz Carleton, after things settle after a hurricane, on duty, waiting re-assignment.
September 26, 1944
(Notes this is written from the Ritz Hotel in Atlantic City. Still on duty.) Last night (friends) and I were down to the Coast Guard officers club heading more or less quite evening talking singing and playing piano experimenting with the Ouija board and other silly things. it was my first experience with the Ouija board and I had no faith in it at all despite some of the uncannily true and rational answers it gave fourth. Naturally my lack of faith probably was the reason why it wouldn't perform what I put my hands on it. However he did indicate that the next president would be “champ”, that I'm not going over seas and that I am going to get a promotion. However I'm not making any plans on its prognostication.
September 30, 1944
Will enclose McLondon's letter in this if I remember to do so. (In or file, jw) He was about the best man I had on my crew although not the smartest, evidence of which you will find in his letter. He was a good conscientious hard-working fellow and I could always depend on him to do whatever was necessary no matter how messy a job it was or how much he disliked it. He's an Alabama boy and I guess has had a pretty hard life of it from the financial viewpoint but otherwise believe his life has been very full and generally happy.
As I look out this window have a very beautiful view of the ocean and sky both reflecting the bright moonlight from the silver clouds and foaming white caps.
October 22, 1944
(Back in England doing a combination of missions, training and logistics.) This morning I went to Church and we had a very good service. It concerned one's personal destiny and how once every day acts and deeds of effect that destiny. That's always been my big problem, trying to realize just what my own manifest destiny is. If I knew, things would be a lot clearer and easier.
October 31, 1944
My flying now it involves less manual labor but a great deal more responsibility and for me that makes it much tougher job. I only hope that I don't feel attitude miserably for too often.
Went to the club after supper tonight to see a show,”The Tudor Rose" a British historical picture which was fairly interesting.
November 8, 1944
Well the big election is all over and I guess that the country can get back to work and forget most of the political hullabaloo. America sure does get all upset during a political campaign but it is a notable example to the rest of the world that we can hold a very important election in the midst of a world wide world. This may be even more important at this time than the triumph of one man over another. Hope and trust that the best man won for the future welfare of the US and the whole world.
November 13, 1944
Have been fairly busy today reviewing a training schedule for the squadron and also seeing that some planes got a test lap or two. Among my other sundry jobs I now am squadron training officer.
The Army has a couple of radio stations and they usually have excellent programs. They're generally along the lines of American broadcast but without any of the unpleasant commercials. We get a lot out of the popular programs from home rebroadcast. also the best of o excellent British programs is included. At least we don't have to listen to "Jerry" for good music anymore.
November 21, 1944
Well maybe you have realize by now from the return address on the envelope-my promotion to captain has come through. It has cost me some money right off the bat for there is an old custom of buying drinks for everyone when you get a promotion. I was hit pretty hard by all my friends and acquaintances, some of them very recent, of course. Given it amounted to 30 or 35 bucks seems like a lot of money doesn’t it?
These cigarette situation is very critical over here as well as in the states. It only combat man here in England can get them now. That makes it rough on the heavy smokers that are not actually fighting. Some of them deserve tobacco just as much as any of on else. Something “smells” pretty bad in this deal and there are a lot of people pretty browned off about it.
(Happily by 1962 or so he had given up all tobacco.)
COMMENTS
We have an audiotape made by my cousin, Jim, also an AF pilot, in which he speaks more of his war experiences than I heard in my entire life. This was probably made in about 2006.
He took part in very destructive raids on cities in Germany as well as purely military targets. He was happiest with two missions - one when they picked up French POWs in Vienna and returned them to Le Bourget outside Paris, where his passengers got out and kissed the tarmac. He also flew a load of food and supplies to Rotterdam, where the population was starving. With some cooperation from the nearly defeated Germans, the bombers flew low over the main streets of the city and pushed out food and other supplies.
After his 2nd deployment to Britain he flew a B17 back and landed in New London or Windsor Locks Ct, “got out of the cockpit, walked away and never turned back.” He traveled on the luxury liner turned troop transport, Queen Mary on one transit. He served in the US AF Reserves and became a Lt. Colonel but never piloted again and was largely disgusted by the experience.
There is an USAAF 8th Air Force museum outside of Savannah that Karen and I visited. We see restored B17s flying in the skies here from time tom time. I don’t think dad was ever nostalgic about the experience, regarding it as a tragically necessary series of events.
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