Saturday · March 13, 1943
Letters will be scarce.
A money order home, and a warning.
March 13, 1943
My Darling Wife.
I don’t have time to write much—Am enclosing money order for $90=, my January pay.
Letters will be scarce for a while and it doesn’t look like I’ll get any of your mail for some time. However, keep on writing and they will catch up with me.
I love you honey—and I’ll be thinking of you constantly even when I can’t write. Lots of hugs & kisses for you and Linda
All my love
Your
John
About this letter
One page, written in a hurry.
THE MONEY ORDER$90 was his January pay. Payday was March 12.
WHY SCARCEHe couldn’t say so, but the 1st Division was about to go back into action.
READING CLOSELY
“I’ll be thinking of you constantly even when I can’t write.” The regiment was moving up for the attack on Gafsa.
He mentions the same $90 in the last page of the March 7 letter and again on March 14.
The Big Picture
Moving up
On March 17 the 1st Division attacked Gafsa. The Italian and German troops there pulled out, and the Americans took the town without a fight.
The hard fighting came a few days later at El Guettar.
Where he was
Central Tunisia, as the 1st Division prepared to move on Gafsa.
In this letter. “Letters will be scarce” was as close as the censor would let him come to saying an attack was coming.