Sunday · Dec. 13, 1942
One thin sheet.
His Christmas letter home.
Sunday Ev. Dec 13, 1942
My Darling Wife
I received the first letter from you in a long time. It was mailed the day after you went out with Esther Guth. A letter from mother of the same date arrived with yours. None of the letters for over a month preceding your letter of Nov 25th have arrived as yet. Two more copies of the Newspress also arrived.
This letter is classified as Xmas mail. We are allowed one thin sheet—1 letter per man. It is supposed to reach you before Xmas. In the event you do get it, may I again wish you a Merry Xmas & Happy New Year with the prayer that our next one will be spent together. Give the little princess several nice things from me—maybe she will realize or believe I gave them to her, although there is nothing here that I can buy which is very suitable
I have written you almost every day since the war was over, and I …
… hope you have received them. In the event you haven’t I briefly repeat a few of the main things. N. Africa is much like Calif. as to weather—scenery. It is a rich land with bountiful crops. The people are French & Arabs—they look, as do the cities,—as the movies have portrayed them. We have been camping out in pup tents. This week we go to the city near by. Our camp is near a small village which has a swell little theater with tile floors. We took it over and have used it for the men every night. The officers have had two dances here. Army nurses were brought in for us to dance with & wine & beer was plentiful. Tonight I am sitting in the cinema watching an amateur show while writing to you
I sent $50.00 home to you about three weeks ago. As yet I have not heard whether or not you received the $175.— I mailed, the travel allowance or that $35.— they short changed your allotment Oct 1, 1942. No packages for me have come, but plenty are coming in.
[A few lines about his wife’s health are left out here.]
I’m sorry I couldn’t have been with you on Thanksgiving Day—but I was with you in spirit.
I’m glad you enjoyed the book “This Above All”. It really portrayed the English people as they are today—at least it fitted my impression of them.
[A few more lines on the same subject are left out.]
The weather has been swell the last few days. The days are hot, nights cool, just like home. This afternoon our company won another ball game. In two games—a week apart our team has won twice and the men have won over $1200.00 in wagers. It’s big money stuff over here
As I am only allowed to write one sheet I am writing small & on both sides.
We got paid a couple of days ago—in French francs. I applied for a $250.00 money order which I will forward to you when it comes back from the A.P.O. A rather interesting thing is taking place. The men allotted about 60% of their pay and are depositing a large share of what they get with the Finance Officer. They haven’t [need?] any money over here and as a result are saving quite a lot—and gambling with the rest.
The news broadcast from America is going to come in in a few minutes—at 9 P.M. and I’ll have to go home after that—so will wind up this letter. I love you with all my heart honey, and long to be home with you. You’re my everything so take care of yourself. Goodnight dearest
All my love
Your John
A very Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year
to you
to Linda
and to
The Folks
About this letter
John’s first letter from Ginny in weeks has arrived, and the Army allows each man one thin sheet of Christmas mail. He makes the most of it.
CHRISTMAS MAIL“We are allowed one thin sheet—1 letter per man.” He wrote small on both sides to fit it all in, so page 1 is shown here in three parts.
“SINCE THE WAR WAS OVER”He means the fighting at Oran, which ended Nov. 10.
A FEW LINES LEFT OUTTwo short passages about his wife’s health are blurred and left out. Everything else is exactly as he wrote it.
READING CLOSELY
“May I again wish you a Merry Xmas & Happy New Year with the prayer that our next one will be spent together.” It wasn’t. John spent the next two Christmases overseas too: England in 1943, and the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.
Esther Guth was a friend of Ginny’s. The “Guth” in the Dec. 26 letter is likely her husband.
“This Above All” (1941) is Eric Knight’s novel of wartime England.
Allotments: the share of each man’s pay sent straight home. John says the men allotted about 60% of theirs.
The Big Picture
All eyes on Stalingrad
In Russia, Soviet armies had trapped nearly 300,000 German and Romanian soldiers at Stalingrad on Nov. 23. On Dec. 12 German tanks set out to rescue them. By Dec. 19 they were about 30 miles away, and they got no closer.
In Libya, the British Eighth Army was chasing Rommel’s army west after its victory at El Alamein. In Tunisia, both sides waited out the rain in the hills west of Tunis.
Where he was
In camp outside Oran, Algeria, with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry. The fighting in Algeria was over; the 1st Division stayed behind to guard the area and train while other Allied troops raced east into Tunisia.