Clifford to Folks

EDITOR’S NOTE: The letter below includes Clifford’s personal record of his travels and time in combat. May 23, 1945          3210          CF          Hubbaw (near Wustrow), Germany Clifford types a V-Mail to the Folks; received three letters today, is getting along swell; weather is bad; provides a list of the places where he has been – Weymouth, Eng to La Harve, Fr to La Mire, Fr to Liege, Belgium to Heistern, Ger (through Aachen); was in combat to Cologne, then to southern Germany with the 7th Army and fought from Alsace Lorraine to the Rhine and Mannheim, Ger; then back to the 1st Army to clear up the Ruhr pocket; then north to the 9th Army and crossed the Elbe River; and a few days later the war was over – that’s all there was to it; now on west side of the Elbe; sounds impossible  in only 3 months but that’s the mobile Artillery; the prettiest part of Germany is along the Rhine valley – lots of big castles and vineyards (kept by slave labor); our outfit was lucky on casualties; well that’s all for one letter.

May 19, 1945          3180          CF          Hubbaw (near Wustrow), Germany Clifford hasn’t written the Folks in a few days and sends them a V-Mail; now that the war is over he is allowed to write more; is in a little town called Hubbaw near Wustram & Leptine; is taking part in the separation program (separates Czechs, Poles, French, Hollanders, etc.); can speak a little Dutch; don’t know how long he will be there or if he will see any more combat; is slowly teaching the Germans who is boss; tells all Hello.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the only time Clifford mentions visiting a German concentration camp. After the war, Eisenhower ordered that all the troops should see what they had been fighting against. May 12, 1945          3150          CF          Wustrow, Germany Clifford writes a few lines to the Folks in a V-Mail; is okay; peacetime in Germany is already getting on his nerves; attended Church on V-E Day after marching through a quaint town; visited a German concentration camp – was not a pretty sight but let us know what we were fighting against!; the new point system has come out and he can be discharged in about three more years overseas (if he is a good soldier) -what he expected; answer soon.

May 8, 1945          3140          CF          LÜbtheen, Germany Clifford writes a V-Mail home to the Folks on V-E Day; apologizes for not writing more has been busy; is well but wonders what’s next – the main gossip is do we stay here or get a 21 day furlough or go straight to CBI (China Burma Indochina) – it could be anything but a discharge; just received the swell watch they sent – took only 11 days; answer soon and use his new APO 339.

Apr 27, 1945          3120          CF          RÖnsdorf, Germany Clifford writes a V-Mail to the Folks while he has plenty of time; is okay; been taking it easy -expects it will pick up; received 33 letters the day before yesterday – didn’t know Patsy had the mumps or that Winfred was stationed overseas; surely this can’t last much longer; tell all hello & answer soon. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two letters were sent home to the Folks on April 21, 1945 – one by Clifford and one by Winfred. Apr 21, 1945 (1)          3060          CF          Saaren (near Mulheim), Germany Clifford sends a V-Mail to the Folks; still okay; it’s raining; tells about beautiful German countryside – looks more like the U.S. than any other in Europe, same weather, (not the cities now)  – why would they want to attack others?; hopes they can get together soon and forget about this stuff over here; tells Patsy he’ll write soon and wishes her a happy birthday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two letters were sent home on April 19, 1945 – Clifford sent one to the Folks and Winfred sent one to their sister Margaret April 19, 1945 (1)          3030          CF          Saaren (near Mulheim), Germany Clifford sends a V-Mail to the Folks; knows they are worried because he hasn’t sent any letters recently – wrote plenty but forgets to mail them; is getting along swell Germany can be rough; is in the First army; was in the Battle for the Ruhr & Cologne – was rough; heard from Winfred who had just got back from his second trip to the South Pacific – rough over there, too; was in the Battle of the Siegfried line; will write more where he is at now; closes with don’t worry.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Three letters were sent home on Mar. 25, 1945 – One each by Clifford and Winfred to the Folks, and one by Winfred to the Margaret.   Mar. 25, 1945 (1)         2950          CF          Rhine River near Gernsheim, Germany Clifford sends a V-Mail to the Folks; knows it’s been a while since he last wrote – been busy giving the Germans the devil as papers say; got his first letter in two weeks last night – isn’t so bad as long as one hears from home; been nice weather; asks Mom to write often, glad Margaret is getting better, will answer Patsy’s letters too.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Three letters were sent home on Mar. 18, 1945 – One each by Clifford and Winfred to the Folks and one by Winfred to the Margaret. Mar. 18, 1945 (1)          2870          CF          Breitfurt, Germany Clifford mails the Folks a V-Mail and sends another letter he has been carrying around a few days; is getting along swell; keeps busy but can relax now & then; has toiletries and cigarettes but asks them to send a fountain pen, comb, and fudge; says they are giving them the devil over there and he’s helping a little; answer soon.

Mar. 15, 1945          2850          CF          Woelfling, France Clifford sends the Folks another meaningless V-Mail; has seen combat and is now in France; is entitled to a battle star; is okay & can shoot the bull with the best of them when he gets home; has been busy today – pulled guard duty and erected ‘straddle trench’, will get along fine as long as he has a strong back.