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December 31, 1944

No letter from René on December 31, 1944. Here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl, about the unit’s return to Epinal on New Year’s Eve. On Christmas night, we received word to stop receiving patients and to start packing our equipment. The news took us somewhat by surprise, and as usual speculation […]

December 29, 1944

December 29, 1944Mutzig, France No. 75 (conclusion) Dear Folksies,            There are a lot of screwy things going on at present, as a matter of fact, and I have only heard snatches of things here and there, getting some from Wally when Carroll and I finally pinned him down the other nite. It seems now […]

December 28, 1944

December 28, 1944Mutzig, France No. 75 (continued) Dear Folksies,           Yesterday, Carroll Russell and I went out for the first exercise that we have had since here. Only took a short walk, but it was most pleasant. Walked thru the nearby town and back in the hills a little along the roads.  Just on the […]

December 27, 1944

December 27, 1944Mutzig, France No. 75 Dear Folksies,           Yes, my dears, this is number seventy-five! Where the others have gotten to, if you haven’t received them by the time you get this, I know not. I am really perturbed that you have not been receiving the letters. I know how you may very well […]

December 24, 1944

December 24, 1944Mutzig, France No. 74 Dear Folksies,             Well, ‘tis almost Xmas Eve and am wondering how all of you have been enjoying yourselves.  It being a Sunday and I hope as nice and sunny out there as it is here today (though not as nippy, I hope), I sort of imagine that today […]

December 23, 1944

December 23, 1944Mutzig, France Unnumbered Dear Gram,             Xmas is just about here, and tho’ all have been kept so busy that very little Xmas spirit has been visible, other than the great number of packages that have been flowing in, we have had enough of a breather the last two days for plans for […]

December 20, 1944

No letter from René on December 20, 1944. Here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl, about his impressions of the Maginot Line. We took advantage of a few free afternoons to inspect a fortress on the Maginot Line, which was located on the ridge of a low mountain just behind the hospital […]

December 18, 1944

December 18, 1944Mutzig, France No. 73 Dear Folksies,             Surprised that I should write again today, aren’t you?? Well, I am! Have done a bit of writing and also reading in the last 24 hrs. Started reading the “Razor’s Edge” last night and damn near couldn’t put it down – read to the wee hours […]

December 17, 1944

December 17, 1944Mutzig, France No. 72 (conclusion) Dear Folksies,             Today, as you see, is another day… After we got done with that case last night and worked up a couple of new cases on the ward, it was time for midnight chow, and then we turned in – not really thinking that we would […]

December 16, 1944

December 16, 1944Mutzig, France No. 72 Dear Folksies,            Am over in Surgery at the moment, we are on 3rd call tonight, and at the moment Shock and Receiving are empty — so it may be that what does come in will be able to be taken care of by Gerbode, as he is 1st […]

December 13, 1944

December 13, 1944Mutzig, France No. 71 (conclusion) Dear Folksies,           Well, we got put to work yesterday afternoon – I might have known that that would happen just soon after I got a letter started. Now have a new system whereby we work 6 days on days and then 6 days on nights and then have […]

December 12, 1944

December 12, 1944Mutzig, France No. 71 (continued) Dear Folksies,             I stopped writing three days ago because of the inability to adequately elevate my foot at the same time as I typed. Wally came in while I was writing and as my toes looked worse, he made me stop and soak and elevate. So I […]

December 10, 1944

No letter from René on December 10, 1944. Here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl, describing their move from Epinal to Mutzig, France.  In his personal journal, Phil was able to describe his experiences in the 59th Evac. with specifics (place names, information about the enemy) that, because of censorship rules, René […]

December 9, 1944

December 9, 1944Mutzig, France No. 71 Dear Folksies,             The packages I’ve received in the last few days have managed to just about fill my barracks bag. I wasn’t going to open them till Xmas, that is this last batch, but to conserve space, I thought I had better consolidate some of them. Even that, […]

December 8, 1944

December 8, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (conclusion) Dear Folksies,             Alain, you wrote to me that the black sheep of the family was dead.  That may or may not be true from what Jean-Pierre says and believes. The subject is a distasteful one and one hard to understand except if one believes that there was […]

December 7, 1944

December 7, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,             The story of Yvette is a proud yet sad one and all can only hope that she and her husband [Jean-Guy] are still well and alive.  George Baumann [Yvette’s father] had recently gone to Paris and gotten a lot of the details concerning Yvette that […]

December 6, 1944

December 6, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,             Mathilde, as you know, died in Nice in March of this year. Jeanne and David were with her, but Lilice and family had already had to leave. Why Jeanne and David remained, Jean-Pierre knew not, but apparently they got away with it at first and […]

December 5, 1944

December 5, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,            The rest of the news which I can give you has all come from Jean Pierre and Jacqueline Marx, rather than direct from Lilice as I had hoped – tho’, of course, none the less – and probably more authentic.             Lilice, George and Claudine […]

December 4, 1944

December 4, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,             After I had gotten a thumb-nail sketch concerning each and everyone of the family and being still none too clear how the Horvilleurs are related to us, I asked whether Jean Pierre knew Jacqueline Marx. With that both J.P and Doude let out a howl, […]

December 3, 1944

December 3, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,             Jean Pierre at present is continuing his traveling-sales, and has as his line a selection of briefcases, folders and beach bags – all made from a form of oil cloth, rather than leather.  Now his latest line is a construction game for the kiddies, constructing […]

December 2, 1944

December 2, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 (continued) Dear Folksies,             Next A.M. off we were again, pounding the poor little jeep for all she was worth. And then we find that the bloomin’ Rhone has pulled a “Mississippi” and overflowed at just some of the points we wanted to transverse — so naturally the detours […]

December 1, 1944

December 1, 1944Epinal, France No. 70 Dear Folksies,             It’s again with mixed emotions that I write, but let me begin where I left off with my last letter where we were still in the throes of hard and constant work. And then, bingo!  Came a lull, adequate sleep one night when I should have […]