Oran, Algeria 22 June - 5 July 1943

Important Notes:  As many of the letters are not dated, I am going by postmark date; however, because of the way mail was gathered and sent in large packets all at once, the letters seem to have gotten a bit mixed, especially V-Mail, as those went by another process altogether.  So, I believe some of the letters are out of order, but I can’t be sure. This is drawn from letters dated 3-5 July. As always, you may see the letters in full Here. 

Cast of Characters:

Dean – Great-Grandfather, Commander C Battery, 189th Field Artillery Battalion

Aileen – Great – Grandmother, Dean’s Wife

Dona Lu – Their Daughter, my Grandmother

On 22 June 1943, the convoy of ships transporting the 45th Infantry Brigade arrived at the port of Oran, Algeria. There the units conducted landing exercises on a small scale, then made camp. While in Africa, the units set up physical conditioning programs to get the troops warmed up, after weeks aboard ships, legs needed stretched!

In a v-mail postmarked 5 July 1943, Dean shares his personal experiences and feelings. He describes the weather as initially warm, then corrects himself that it's very hot. He compares the climate to California, with cool nights and hot days. He also shares the joy of witnessing the magnificent African Mountains.

In another letter sent from Africa, this one postmarked 3 July 1943, Dean is getting ready to ship out to Sicily. He tells his wife that this may be the last letter he can write for a bit. By the 5th of July all troops had been returned to ship and preparations were being made to sail for Sicily for D-Day* planned 10 July 1943. Being a company commander, Dean would have had a better idea than most of what was ahead. He makes light of it, telling Aileen that he had seen the movie “The Woman’s Face” on board the ship, but he hadn’t liked it when he saw it with her, and he still didn’t like it. He refers to having lost a lieutenant with some men to another unit, this being a separate battery that had been set up by the 45th known as “Y” battery.

In that same letter, Dean tells Aileen that being in the desert was fun; they had “swell food.” He was sunburned from the sun, as I’m sure many soldiers were. He also takes the opportunity to tell Aileen “I really think you are swell and no foolin’.” If there’s a common theme throughout all of Dean’s letters, it is the love he carries for his wife and child. He also frequently remarks, letting Aileen know that her brothers, Chas. and Jack, were ok, as they were both enlisted men assigned to the 189th Field Artillery. You can tell, in this letter, that Dean was feeling the enormity of what was coming and how important it was for him to tell Aileen just how he really truly felt.

*These days, the world associates D-Day with a very specific day, 6 June 1944; however, D-Day was/is a military term for the day everything was to begin.