Somewhere in France

(Postmarked December 8, 1944, but the letter is dated November 30, 1944)

Dear Sis:

Well how are you by this time? I am just fine as usual. I have started to write you two or three times this week but I just can't think of anything to write. But I know you will be worried about me, so I had better finish this one.

The mail has been coming in slow the last few days. I received the letter with the Hitler's last Will and Testament in it. The boys really got a kick out of it. And I received the one with the newspaper clippings in it and also the one with the stick of gum.

I am sending you some French and German stamps to add to your scrap book, and also some French money, the small ones are made in the States but is used the same as regular French money. And I am also sending you a German arm band, you know with the swastika on it, later.

I have been wondering how Jake's team came out with Washington. I hope he does better than he did in Football. And I was surprised he got beat by Wheatland. And tell him I'm sorry I never did answer his letter, but I can't even write you and Mom.

Well I had better close for now will write you again as soon as I have time. Be good and I hope you win the game at Boonville tomorrow night.

Love,

Bruce

Seasons Greetings from Overseas

(Postmarked November 15, 1944)

Dear Sis

How are you by this time? I am still getting along just fine. I haven't much time but I think just a few lines is better than none. This Christmas card may be a little early. But I would hate to forget to send any at all.

Well, my mail is slowed down now. I haven't received any for about 4 days. I guess it is the Christmas rush that is the trouble. I wrote Bob N. a letter last week. I should be hearing from him soon. Well, it is getting late so I had better cut this short. So I will say good night for this time and will try to write again soon.

Be good and take care of yourself.

Love Bert

Enjoyed the Cookie Dust and Raisins.

Oct. 31, 1944 (Postmarked November 5, 1944)
Dear Sis:

I have just finished a letter to Mom and I can't forget you. Because you are my old pen pal. I have been receiving letters every day now and the Vmail is still coming in but I like the airmail much better and want you to keep sending them.

I also received the letter Jake sent, and I was sure glad to hear from him. I was sure glad that Bicknell didn't get beat too bad by Washington. And I sure hope they do better in basketball. I would like to get home in time to see one game.

Well, how do you like your new home? You ask if I was ever there when I was out "wolfing." Yes, me, Gerald McGee and Clark Rose used to go over there all the time and there used to be some real nice looking girls over there. And have been wondering if there are any of them still around. Gerald McGee really fell for one. Her name was Dixie Onion.

Well, I think something very unusual is going to happen tomorrow. I think we are going to get paid. So I will send Mom a money order as I sure can't use any money over here.

Do you remember that box of cookies you sent me when I was in Fort Meade? Well, I got them. I mean I got what was left of them. It was just a box of dust with raisins in it, but it was good just the same. And the 2 candy bars and the peanuts were O.K. too. And that is the story of the long lost box that finally did arrive. HA And I am now looking forward to receiving those Christmas boxes. And I will let you know when they arrive.

Well, life hasn't been so dull the last few nights in our homes underground. We have been hearing the radio over the telephone. You see someone has a radio somewhere I don't know where, but it goes through miles of wire to our switchboard and it comes over our telephone. So we have a little jam session about every night. We can't very well cut the rug as we have no rug, but we sure do make the straw fly.

Well it is getting pretty late and my eyes are getting hard to keep open so I guess its time to sign off and hit the hay. Until next time I remain your very merry, loving brother and with oceans of love.

"Bert"

How are you making it in Bicknell?

Monday, Oct. 23, 1944 (Postmarked October 27, 1944)

Dear Sis -

How are you making it in Bicknell? I am just fine as usual. I thought I would write you a letter as I know your worry the same as Mom does.

I can't think of much to write about. I have started receiving your Vmail letters. But the airmail letters are much better. You were wondering about whether or not I got to see any movies. Well, I got to see one the other day. I got a pass and went to town. It was an old picture but I enjoyed it.
You said you were going to have Mom's picture made and send one to me and wish you world. As she is the only one I haven't got a picture of.

I would like to know how Bicknell came out in that football game with Washington. You were wondering who I was going to root for and would sure like Bicknell to win. And I sure hope they do better in basketball.

You ask if I wanted Gerald McGee's address and I would like to have it and try to get Bob N too. I might get a chance to see one of them some time over here. Well, I had better close for now and will be looking for more mail. Will write you again as soon as I can.

Love "Bert"

World War II Timeline

As I have been reading my Dad's letters I have also been reading various government documents produced during the war, as well as reading numerous articles in magazines and online and books about the war. At this point, I think it is important to say that while this blog is focused on my Dad and his time during his training and during and after the war, World War II started several years before my Dad became involved and as the word "World" implies the war was fought in numerous locations around the globe. It is hard to comprehend the devastation and loss of life that occurred during World War II.

World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945. There were several major events leading up to the war and then during the war. Here is a timeline listing some of the major events:

Leading up to the War

1933 January 30 - Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany. His Nazi Party, or the Third Reich, takes power and Hitler is essentially the dictator of Germany.

1936 October 25 - Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy form the Rome-Berlin Axis treaty.

1936 November 25 - Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This was a pact against communism and Russia.

1937 July 7 - Japan invades China.

1938 March 12 - Hitler annexes the country of Austria into Germany. This is also called the Anschluss.

World War II

1939 September 1 - Germany invades Poland. World War II begins.

1939 September 3 - France and Great Britain declare war on Germany.

1940 April 9 to June 9 - Germany invades and takes control of Denmark and Norway.

1940 May 10 to June 22 - Germany uses quick strikes called blitzkrieg, meaning lightning war, to take over much of western Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France.

1940 May 30 - Winston Churchill becomes the leader of the British government.

1940 June 10 - Italy enters the war as a member of the Axis powers.

1940 July 10 - Germany launches an air attack on Great Britain. These attacks last until the end of October and are known as the Battle of Britain.

1940 September 22 - Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact creating the Axis Alliance.

1941 June 22 - Germany and the Axis Powers attack Russia with a huge force of over four million troops.

1941 December 7 - The Japanese attack the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. The next day the US enters World War II on the side of the Allies.

1942 June 4 - The US Navy defeats the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway.

1942 July 10 - The Allies invade and take the island of Sicily.

1943 September 3 - Italy surrenders to the Allies, however Germany helps Mussolini to escape and set up a government in Northern Italy.

1944 June 6 - D-day and the Normandy invasion. Allied forces invade France and push back the Germans.

1944 August 25 - Paris is liberated from German control.

1944 December 16 - The Germans launch a large attack in the Battle of the Bulge. They lose to the Allies sealing the fate of the German army.

1945 February 19 - US Marines invade the island of Iwo Jima. After a fierce battle, they capture the island.

1945 April 12 - US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. He is succeeded by President Harry Truman.

1945 March 22 - The US Third Army under General Patton crosses the Rhine River.

1945 April 30 – It is believed that Adolf Hitler commits suicide as he knows Germany has lost the war.

1945 May 7 - Germany surrenders to the Allies.

1945 August 6 - The United States drops the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The city is devastated.

1945 August 9 - Another atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

1945 September 2 - Japan surrenders to US General Douglass MacArthur and the Allies.

Time to Start Writing Again

Hello again - I have gotten off track with posting copies of Letters from a Foxhole, but it is time to start posting again! There was a large "gap" in letters from Dad to Geraldine from what appears to be the end of his Basic Training until he starts writing again from Europe.

What is a bit confusing is there are no letters between May 19, 1944, and October 23, 1944. According to Dad's service papers, he left the United States on August 11, 1944, and arrived in Europe on August 28, 1944. I have not been successful in finding out where he left the U.S. from, or on what ship. So, I don't know exactly when his Basic Training ended or where he was for a period of a few months. His letters start up again in October 1944 which I have already posted in previous posts.

I do know that in July 1944 the U.S. Third Army moved into England and that on July 30, 1944, Third Army was billeted at Wilmslow, England to prepare for a move to Southampton Marshaling Area C-6 for embarkation across the English Channel. Apparently, Dad's troopship landed in England on August 28, 1944, and over the next several days moved forward from England, cross the English Channel to catch up with the 319th Infantry of Third Army and reported for duty in Toul France on September 8, 1944, with HQ Company, 3rd Battalion, 319th Infantry Regiment. Below is a copy of the Morning Report stating that Bruce Dodson reported for duty on September 8, 1944.

I have done considerable research during this break in an effort to try and figure out where he went and how he got there, but I haven't had much luck. I have found several historical records however and can therefore at least write about where and when his outfit left the U.S., where they landed and went from there. I have also discovered a large volume of "Morning Reports" from military records and I did find the record of Dad's reporting for duty in France. So...from the end of his Basic Training, until he reports for duty in France, I am using general records to try and piece together his route.

Over the next several posts I will be writing about this "lost" period of time and several  "backdated" letters.  I will also be writing as best as I can about the several aspects of WW2 as a bit of background on the overall war efforts. Letters from a Foxhole is specifically about the time my Dad spent in Europe during the war, but his time there is but a very small piece of what a "Word War" was all about.

George S. Patton & Third Army

As previously mentioned, after mid-May 1944 I lose track of where my Dad is and what he is doing because there are no letters for about a 4-month time period. However, the war is raging on in the South Pacific and in Europe.

While there are many battles and thousands of individuals engaged in various aspects of the war efforts, this blog is not dedicated to documenting the war as much as it is an effort to document my Dad’s involvement in the war.

But, since I can’t presently create any meaningful posts specifically about my Dad for this 4-month period of time, I will post some information about some activities that took place that will later become relevant to my Dad. So, at this point, I will focus a bit on General George S. Patton and just a couple of his exploits. 

General George S. Patton

Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign in Sicily. On August 3, 1943, Patton slapped and verbally abused Private Charles H. Kuhl at an evacuation hospital in Nicosia after he had been found to suffer from "battle fatigue". On August 10, Patton slapped Private Paul G. Bennett under similar circumstances. Ordering both soldiers back to the front lines, Patton railed against cowardice and issued orders to his commanders to discipline any soldier making similar complaints.

Word of the incident reached Eisenhower, who privately reprimanded Patton and insisted he apologize. Patton apologized to both soldiers individually, as well as to doctors who witnessed the incidents and later to all of the soldiers under his command in several speeches. Eisenhower suppressed the incident in the media, but in November journalist Drew Pearson revealed it on his radio program. Criticism of Patton in the United States was harsh and included members of Congress and former generals, Pershing among them. The views of the general public remained mixed on the matter, and eventually, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated that Patton must be retained as a commander because of the need for his "aggressive, winning leadership in the bitter battles which are to come before the final victory."

General Omar Bradley

Patton did not command a force in combat for 11 months. In September, General Omar Bradley, who was Patton's junior in both rank and experience, was selected to command the First United States Army forming in England to prepare for Operation Overlord. This decision had been made before the slapping incidents were made public, but Patton blamed them for his being denied the command. Eisenhower felt the invasion of Europe was too important to risk any uncertainty, and that the slapping incidents had been an example of Patton's inability to exercise discipline and self-control. While Eisenhower and Marshall both considered Patton to be a skilled combat commander, they felt Bradley was less impulsive or prone to making mistakes.

On January 26, 1944, Patton was formally given command of the U.S. Third Army in England, a newly formed field Army, and he was assigned to prepare its inexperienced soldiers for combat in Europe. This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944.