Spitball Army

[Letter addressed to Mrs. Harry V. C., c/o Mrs. J. W., 20 Block Street, Dundee, Scotland.  Return addressed to Cpl. Harry V. C., 33428766, 1409^th A.A.F. Base Unit, E.D.A.T.C. A.P.O. 741 c/o P.M., U.S. Army.]

Copenhagen
Denmark
Feb. 3. 1946

My Own Precious Darling:

Just a few lines tonight Mary Darling to let you know that I am well and getting along allright.  Mary I pray that you are getting along O.K. and feeling allright.

Darling please forgive me for not writing to you yesterday.  I am awful sorry about it, but I just could not help it.  I got up early yesterday morning for a change.  The fellows that were going home were up about 6 o’clock and they were sure making some racket.  I guess about 250 or 300 fellows left.  I went to the hangar the same as ever at 8:30 and they said that the plane was taking off for our base at 9 o’clock.  Well Darling I had to do a little fast traveling.  I went and got the jeep driver out of the office and made a quick trip to the barracks for my things.  I guess I got every thing but my writing paper Darling.  I just borrowed this from one of the fellows.  Mary when we went out to the plan they had never changed our things from the other one yet, so it was 10:30 before we were ready to take off.  Darling it was sure a nice trip up here.  It only took 3 hours and 25 minutes.  We went over a few of the German towns that were bombed.  I never saw such a place wrecked so much before.  Darling some of the houses were flattened out and most of the other ones were only the walls.  I think Bremen was one of them.

The first thing we done after we got here was go and eat, then went back to the field to the office, “We eat about 2 miles from the field and about 1/8 of a mile farther are [where] we live in a school house.  It is a nice place to live.  There are 12 of us in this room.”  Well Darling after we eat we went back to the field and picked up our things and come to the school house to get our place to stay and our meal tickets so we could eat.  There are 5 of us here from the base at Orly, besides the Lt.

We went out to look at the place and then came back and eat supper. Darling I never saw such a place to eat before in my life.  We have steak and I don’t know what all almost every meal, and all the milk we can drink!

Mary Darling I believe I would start to fatten up if I was here long.  I drink a quart or more every meal, and we have ice cream for dessert.  We went to town last evening on the bus to see what the place was like.  Mary Darling it is a lot cleaner place than Paris and most of the people speak English.  Darling over here is the place to sell cigarettes.  I think they pay almost 10 shillings a pack.

Before I left the base at Orly I got 100 kroner.  I took five pack of cigarettes along to town and when I came back I had about 135., so that is not so bad.  I still have 3 cartons to get rid of.  We did not stay very long.  I think it was about 11:30.

Mary Darling I only wish I was back over there with you.  I love you so awful much and Mary I miss you so awful much.  I pray that we are together very soon.  Darling I am thinking of you every second.  I can hardly write about what all happened or what I am doing.  I got up this morning about the same time as ever.  We got the jeep and the 4 of us went to breakfast.  After breakfast we went on to the field and preflighted 3 planes then went around the field about a mile to the place we are fixing up and went to work.  Two of us fixed up one engine today, while the other two was putting rivets in the nose where it was smashed.  We worked all day then before we quit they ran it up in the hangar and what a noise it made.  Darling you know what they sound like outside, well inside it is a lot worse.  We came back and took the Lt. in to where he could catch a street car to town, then came back and eat supper, and then came back to the school house.  Darling I believe I done more work today than I have for a long time.  I know I feel kind of tired tonight.

Two of the fellows went to town and the three of us that stayed here played cards a while and then I read a while.  I borrowed this paper and started to write to you, my own Darling wife.

Mary Darling I don’t know when I will get to mail this but I promised I would try to write every day.  We can’t mail any letters from here but I will try to send it back if any one goes.

I guess tomorrow the P.X. will open so I will have to see about rations and see if I can get some writing paper of my own.

Please Mary Darling, try not to worry about me so much.  I am taking very good care of my self, and Darling I am yours forever.  I love you so awful much.  I pray every night that you are all right and we can be together very soon.

I love you with all my heart Darling.

Your Loving and very lonely husband
Harry