BLUE ENVELOPE
MAIL
ARMY
OF THE UNITED STATES
May
3, 1944
Wed. Eve.
My Darling
Mark
Hello
Sweetheart!
If
I can keep from falling sleep – I’ll answer the letters I got from you today. I
got the one you started the 19th & finished the 24th
& the one of the 25th.
I
can say I was mighty happy to get them honey – after that long lull.
I
was beginning to wonder whether you were sick or had forgotten somebody!
I
was going to raise a little hell in this letter but when I got the picture
today – I couldn’t. Honey – its beautiful just as it should be. I know I’m
really lucky to have a girl like you.
You
said you didn’t have any excuse for not writing honey. You know I have. I just
came in from the field today, as usual I can’t say what we were doing or where
I was. I’m sure seeing a lot of England tho.
Had
the jet cross got thru? Did you ever get the threepence I sent?
I
don’t object to you saving my letters honey – what could I do about it over
here anyway?
Dad
said you were over & Mom & Sis had to be away to the show.
I
wonder if Cec. broke his arm I haven’t heard from him for about 2 months &
I’ve written 2 letters since the last one I got from him. Maybe he’s pretty
busy.
I
got a letter from Ralph today – Dora is down visiting him & they’re going
to try & get married by a priest – but I doubt if they can.
It’s
been wonderful weather here – today was quite windy tho.
“Higher
& Higher” is playing at the theatre tonite – but I’m too tired to sit thru
a show tonight.
Honey
I guess I’ll close for tonight. I’ve got some equipment to clean up yet.
The
picture was in good shape – honey – I’m glad it didn’t get scarred. Bye for now
honey – I miss you & love you honey. Please write soon.
All
My Love Johnny
[Author's Note: Based on the timing (spring of 1944) and the fact that Johnny can't write about where he goes or what he does, I believe he's part of the preparation for the Invasion of Normandy, which occurred June 6, 1944. Here's an article I found about it online, if you want to read more about it. ]
The Preparation and Build Up for the Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy
By
CASE1WORKER
WHY INVADE
The
6th June 1944 marked the beginning of the end of the war which had
started in September 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
Early in 1940 Belgium and France were invaded by German Panzer
divisions and the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated home via
Dunkirk. The Germans did not push home this advantage choosing to invade
Russia whilst Japan bombed Pearl Harbour bringing the United States
into the conflict. The attention of the Allied forces was focused in
Burma and the Pacific and North Africa whilst only Russia was fighting
the Germans in Europe.
Benito Mussolini of Italy
Josef Stalin of USSR
In
July 1943 the Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini was overthrown and
hanged by Italian patriots who immediately sued for peace with the
Allies. This enabled the Allied forces to move through Italy via
Sardinia and fight the Germans on Italian soil. The British 8th army and
the United States 5th army battled through Italy in what would be a
rehearsal for a full scale invasion and in a move which made the Allied
forces feel that the war was turning their way.
The British and American navies were gaining supremacy on the seas
and Germany was running short of foods and essential supplies. With
Allied bombardments continuing German moral and the average citizen were
suffering. The invasion had always been planned for 1944 but it took on
more importance when it became known that the Russians were breaking
through on the eastern front. Invasion from the west became more urgent
to avoid the replacement of rule by Berlin to rule by Moscow.
CHURCHILL CROCODILE TANK
CROMWELL TANK
The
training of the army started in earnest. Over 3/4 million US soldiers
were stationed in the west of England. Soldiers were trained in the use
of rifles, machine guns, mortars and the ever popular Mills grenade
which would explode a few seconds after the priming pin had been
removed.
The Allies had a greater weight and variety of artillery than the
Germans but the Germans had the advantage in anti tank guns which were
self propelled and had a longer range than the Allies. Both sides had
tanks but the Allied Shermans, Churchills and Cromwells were not he
equal of the German Panther or Tiger with their thicker armour and
heavier guns capable of firing at a longer range. The Allies built
specialist vehicles with the invasion in mind, such as the Crocodile
which was a Churchill tank which towed an armoured trailer full of fuel
and through its fire gun it spurted jets of flame burning the enemy out.
One lifesaver was the Flails known to soldiers as the Crabs. These
consisted of a Sherman tank fitted with large chains attached to a
revolving drum which swept the ground in front of the tank clearing
mines as it went.
Many killed during the Dress Rehearsal
Dress
Rehearsals are meant to be like the real thing but in April 1944 the
Allies had more than they bargained for. The US army had been practising
with a number of landing craft at Slapton Sands and were surprised by
German U boats- at least 700 men lost their lives that day. As the
bodies were brought ashore stories were told of land slippages which had
caused their deaths;all to keep secret the news of the Invasion.
Ordinary Seaman Jack Buster Brown of HMS Kellett, recalled"I remember
the dozens of corpses floating in the sea" Ordinary Seaman Geoffrey
Cassidy saw the situation develop " US ambulances were taking the dead
away, six to a van, and it went on until four in the morning" -
extracted from "Forgotten Voices" by Max Arthur.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Sir Bernard Montgomery "Monty"
The Allied Commanders
The
Allied commanders were all experienced men given much more freedom of
command by Churchill. The Supreme Commander was General Dwight D
Eisenhower. The Ground Force Commander General Montgomery of Desert Rat
fame was responsible for success or failure on the ground. Air Marshall
Sir Trafford Leigh Mallory was tasked to smash German communications in
France and Belgium, to carry troops and provide cover for invading
forces by bombing enemy defences. Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay was in
charge of the Allied Navy Expeditionary force across the channel and
providing cover for landings by using naval guns against defences. In
contrast the German armies were struggling all over Europe with a thinly
spread army. Sensing the change amongst the Allies they tried to
strengthen forces in western Europe with Field Marshall Von Rundstedt
appointed as commander in chief and Field Marshall Rommel in charge of
ground forces.
The
amount of men, vehicles and equipment needed to be moved across the
channel for the invasion was enormous. As no port was available
artificial harbours were built and towed across the channel. The
harbours were known as Mulberries but the soldiers referred to them as
Noah's Arks. The Allies would need large amounts of oil so one of the
first objectives of the assault was to capture the port of Cherbourg.
Once in Allied hands an especially designed oil supply pipe codenamed
Pluto was put into place.
The Preparations, both equipment and man power training and build up
could not be hidden from the Germans who knew an invasion was coming but
did not know where. The Allies tried to misfeed locations to the
Germans sending out signals containing false information. Dummy craft
were assembled on the eastern side of the UK to confuse the Germans even
more. Perhaps the most dramatic and well known trick was "the man who
never was". False papers, "Official Secrets" were placed on the body of a
dead British Naval Officer. The body was dropped into the sea off the
coast of Spain and washed up. The "official Secrets" were sent to and
believed by, Berlin.
Despite all the Allies attempts to hide and confuse the German High
Command were certain the attack would take place in wither Pas De
Calais, Normandy or Brittany. They didn't know which or indeed there
were some thoughts it might be all three areas. As a result the Germans
took no chances and had their forces thinly stretched out over the
whole of North Western France. Attempts to move forces to the areas of
attack were thwarted as the Allies destroyed their road and rail links.
Adolf Hitler was quoted as saying " If we do not stop the invasion and
do not drive the enemy back into the sea, the war will be lost".
Operation Overlord
The invasion was sited at Normandy which was chosen because it had
long stretches of sheltered beaches suitable for unloading troops
munitions and stores. The beaches lay within the range of fighter
aircraft based in southern England. A large port was needed to supply
the soldiers once landed, therefore a proximity to Cherbourg was ideal.
If Caen could be captured then the road and rail network for the region
would be under Allied control. The geography of the area with thick shrub
lands, high banks and flooded lowlands meant that it would be very
difficult for the Germans to assemble large amounts of armoured forces
quickly. The plan was to establish a deep bridgehead in Normandy,
overrun Brittany and drive the enemy eastwards. The criteria for the
time of the invasion was that it was made in the half light of dawn and
as soon after low tide as possible, so that German obstacles and mines
on the beaches would be spotted.
The weather turned vicious and the future of the Invasion was in
doubt. However late in the evening of the 4th June General Eisenhower
made his final decision that the assault would take place on the morning
of the 6th June 1944.
Private Peter Fussell of No 1 commando remembered "At about four
o'clock in the afternoon we were told to stand down.......the weather
had broken..........we were told that a decision would be made on
Sunday"
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