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July 30, 1944

July 30, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 37 Dear Folksies,             Some six days since last writing, but during that time I cannot say that I have been busy. It has been so hot during the daytime that it has not been very conducive to staying in one spot to read, write or what-have-you. Have sat around […]

July 24, 1944

July 24, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 36 Dear Folksies,           Things continue to hum along pretty much the same, but we all have become accustomed to listening to the radio news several times a day lately. Things seems to be happening so fast and furiously up in Prussia and now internally in Germany, that there are […]

July 22, 1944

July 22, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 (conclusion) Dear Folksies,            Today is another day and here I am back at my own typer. Nothing particularly new today, except for a few improvements in our ward routine – now we are the Kaiser production plant of the 59th. We run our patients through so fast that […]

July 21, 1944

July 21, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 (continued) Dear Folksies,            Well, we can’t say that we haven’t been in spots that at least were once hot-spots – but we get there after things have cooled down considerably – doggone cool, as far as this spot is concerned. I don’t mean to infer that we aren’t […]

July 20, 1944

July 20, 1944Battapaglia, Italy No. 35 Dear Folksies,             Yep, I’ve been a bad boy again, but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control for the most part. I admit that I could have scrawled a short note to you by writing on the fender of the command car, but it would not have been […]

July 18, 1944

No letter from René on July 18, 1944, so here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about the unit’s new locale – “a field between Battipaglia and Paestum” – about 30 miles south of the Amalfi Coast.        Salerno, like so many cities on the coast of Italy, as well as Sicily, […]

July 12, 1944

July 12, 1944 is Rene’s 29th birthday, but since we don’t have a letter from him, here’s an excerpt from the journal of Dr. Philip Westdahl about the unit’s departure from Anzio.        By July 12, the day of our departure from Anzio, the old beach head had become a desolate spot, far out of […]

July 4, 1944

July 4, 1944No. 34Anzio, Italy Dear Folksies,            Nothing of much consequence in the last few days. Continuing with slow business and also continuing with the usual civilian stuff. Have just now finished giving my French a work-out talking to a couple of French Lieutenants concerning a couple of their patients that I have. They […]

July 2, 1944

July 2, 1944Anzio, Italy Dear Judy and Dave,             For the last month I have been meaning to answer your very swell letter of May 9, which I received just before pulling stakes in Sicily and heading for this considerably fairer country.             Sicily really wasn’t too bad, despite its filth, squalor, beggars, etc. I […]