May 11, 1945
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310.163.1-2.2017 Transcription
V-E [day] + 3 (?) 11 May 45
Dachau Concentration Camp
[Ive sent 3 EFMs[1] over 6 days
to let you know I’m OK &[2]
has come. It ½ makes
“ammends” for my sore-finger-
“gaposis” of 6-9 days.][3]
Dearest,
As reped several times—we
have had the hunch that this Dachau
deal would keep us busy until
the other guys had finnished the Japs
off. BUT—today has seen more
vicious & virulent “latrine-rumors”
than I can ever remember—namely
that just after we get almost all the
nasty work of this “Horror & Disease Den”
finished we will be completely
disposessed by 3rd Army [partially so now][4]
& sent to England for a so-called
Rest-Camp-Period. This would very
logically/possibly put us onto one of
those 4,000 ships put at US Army
disposal by the British Empire for
direct transfer of US Armys to CBI.[5]
Oh me!—we had at least glimmered
a hope that “facing” Dachau would
be our “part”—instead of facing
Japs. Also, “Rest”-Camp to our C.O.
[2]
c̅[6] his Spartan-life-for-his-Commands-
personel would be no more a R-E-S-T
than the man in the moon. My close
friend Hans[7], of whom I’ve written,
would probably be back in his Holland
home for me to visit from England
but I’ll bet our C.O. would never give
me the time necessary to visit across
the Channel. Infact, Em, the % is
appauling of those who would give
their left leg to be c̅ a different CO
in the CBI. If we must go; we
must go—but we would certainly
want a different “leader” (?).
I repeat—I “INSIST” all you
Americans read 30 Apr 45 “Time” magazine
(volume #18) & also Jan (or Dec) Readers
Digest so as to verbally “see” what
I S-E-E & live in here at Dachau—
though of course it is being cleaned up
rapidly.
Forgive me if I stop writing, dearest—
my still partially sore finger & a depressed
psyche make it foolish & unwise that
I write very much.
All my love,
Dave
P.S. IM MAILING INCOME BLANK RIGHT NOW.
[1] Expeditionary Force Messages, with numbers corresponding to messages for quick correspondence.
[2] In original, there is an arrow pointing from this line to “V-E [day]”.
[3] Bracketed text written in the upper-left hand corner of the original.
[4] Bracketed text is part of original.
[5] China Burma India. CBI was the US military designation for this area during the war.
[6] Medical abbreviation meaning “with.”
[7] Hans Gerritsen, a Dutch paratrooper Wilsey became friends with while liberating Dachau.