Sunday · March 7, 1943
A disappointed boy.
Short on mail, long on tangerines, and Berlin crying foul.
March 7, 1943
My Darling Wife
Mail came in yesterday and I was a disappointed boy. I got one letter from my wife, one from Mother, one from Dad, one from Arthur [Schifferman?], a Glendale attorney, and one from Kitty. The other married officers got 10–15 letters from their wives, so was I blue. Maybe all of mine will come in the next bunch.
I took a bath yesterday in my helmet and put on clean clothes. I feel like a new man. I washed what little hair I have and dressed it with Vitalis—so I should smell normal.
The Red Cross distributed stationery, a few magazines, combs, tooth paste, brushes, matches. The Spec. service officer also got hold of three pictures which we hope to see if they can get a generator for the projector—“Ball of Fire” “Virginia City” and another good one. Yesterday we got in a truckload of tangerines [in tonight?]. We are trying to get hold of some wine & liquor and maybe will succeed. We should get paid pretty soon, maybe tomorrow. The …
… officers are already gambling in anticipation of pay day.
Last night—or rather yesterday we heard of the sinking of 22 Jap vessels—It sounded O.K.—but you should have heard Berlin radio laugh it off—they just branded it a dream MacArthur had. The news from Russia is pretty good and they can’t laugh that off. Berlin got quite a dose a few days ago and the Germans are beginning to holler about unwarranted bombings of civilians—It’s funny when somebody copies you—how the shoe doesn’t fit.
Today is Sunday—and between church services the men work as usual. I’m trying to write to everyone—have already written to the folks, the office, grandmother.
I’m a lonely man without you honey so write a heck of a lot of letters. They make me feel so much better—I hope Linda has long since recovered and that your next letter will tell me so.
All my love
Your
John
… $90= worth of francs for January. We won’t get paid for February for some time probably.
We have a few bottles of beer we purchased from the NAFI stores—imported here from England. It is pretty good and I’m drinking a bottle now.
I just heard that there are 17 bags of mail for the regiment being sorted now. Your letters just have to be there.
I love you honey—where have you read that before. Day after day I have to repeat that phrase—but you know what I want to convey by those few words. If only I could be there to demonstrate.
Must close now and get to work.
All my love
Your
John
About this letter
Three pages on American Red Cross stationery, which the Red Cross had just handed out.
THE LAST PAGEThe third page was written later, after the officers were paid for January. It may have been mailed with this letter or with the next one.
THE MOVIES“Ball of Fire” (1941) starred Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. “Virginia City” (1940) starred Errol Flynn.
READING CLOSELY
“I’m a lonely man without you honey so write a heck of a lot of letters.” “It’s funny when somebody copies you—how the shoe doesn’t fit.”
The 22 ships: the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, March 2 to 4. Allied planes wrecked a Japanese convoy off New Guinea, MacArthur’s command.
“Berlin got quite a dose”: the RAF bombed Berlin heavily on the night of March 1.
NAAFI (he wrote “NAFI”) ran canteens and stores for British forces.
Kitty worked in the Glendale City Attorney’s office.
The Big Picture
News from everywhere
On the radio John could follow the whole war. In the Pacific, Allied planes sank a Japanese convoy in the Bismarck Sea. In Russia, the Red Army was pushing west, taking Rzhev on March 3 and Gzhatsk on March 6.
Over Germany, the RAF was bombing Berlin, and German radio called it terror against civilians, after Germany had bombed London, Rotterdam and Coventry.
Where he was
In a rest area behind the lines in central Tunisia.
In this letter. He was right that Russia was the better news: the Soviets were advancing west of Moscow that week.