Dear Mom & All–WWII Letters from Herb (part 29)

I have only a few more of my dad’s WWII letters to transcribe. The letters that my dad, Herbert Miller, wrote home while stationed in Germany during the war and during the occupation time afterward. My goal has been to transcribe them all and posting them here has been a good motivation for me to complete the project.

The war was over by the time my dad wrote these letters in 1946 and he was serving in the Occupation Force in Germany, serving until he had enough time and points to be honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He was stationed and working at an Army post office in Heidelberg, Germany. [1]

Below are a couple photos of the Army Post Office in Heidelberg, which was one of the old university buildings.

Guard, Army Post Office, Heidelberg, Germany.

GI, Army Post Office, Heidelberg, Germany.

Today’s first letter, dated March 1946, was written to my dad’s parents. The second letter was written to my dad’s sister Em, her husband Norval “Jack,” and their little son Ron.

21 March 1946
Heidelberg, Germany

Dear Mom & All,
It’s Thursday eve. And I’m on C2 at the CP so have decided to write a couple of letters.

I took the cameo and silver to the shop and your ring will be finished April 1. It won’t be so long until I get it and send it home.

I received the letter of the 12th of March and you said that dad went to the Red Cross and got some forms. I sure hop it works. I hope that it doesn’t go through the Army Red Tape.

The last couple of days have really been warm around here. The sun has been shining, etc. It must be getting spring around Heidelberg.

I received the nice Easter card. Thanks a lot. It is really a swell card.

I took some pictures in Heidelberg, some are of a couple of girls. I’m getting them Saturday and will send them home as soon as I can.

Guess I’d better sign off for now.

Love,
Herbie

I have that cameo ring that my dad mentioned in the letter as well as another cameo ring he had made in Germany, probably at the same time. Evidently the ring (probably the smaller one) was for his mother, my grandma Gertrude. My dad told me the mountings were made from silver dollars. I used to wear them and I remember that the silver would tarnish easily. The cameos look like they may have been carved from tiger’s eye stones. The large one is a double image.

Cameo rings my dad had made in Germany shortly after the war.

Below are a couple photos that could be of the girls he mentioned photographing in Germany.

German girls, WWII.

GI, woman, child, Germany, WWII.

GI & child, Germany, WWII.

21 March 1946
Heidelberg, Germany

Dear Em, Jack, & Ronnie,
It’s Thursday evening and I went to a show early tonight and have quite a bit of time on my hands. So I decided to write a couple of letters.

I’ve got a couple more packages to send home, one to my folks and on to Johnnies.

The weather has finally broke here and is getting warmer. The sun has been shining and it has really been nice out.

I’m not planning on being out of the Army by the first of June. It will probably be some time in July.

I received your letter today, postmarked March 13, 1946. The mail is coming through a little better now but still not as good as it should be.

Guess I’d better sign off and go to bed. Am getting pretty sleepy.

Love,
Herbie

A few more photos my dad had:

My dad with some others, Germany, WWII.

GIs, Germany, WWII.

Two women, Germany, WWII.

I only have a couple more letters to transcribe and will post them here very soon.

 

[1] My dad, Herbert Miller, trained as a replacement troop during the fall of 1944, arrived in Europe in December of that same year, and was assigned to Company L, 333rd Regiment, 84th Infantry Division. The 84th was known as the Railsplitters. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium and later in parts of Luxembourg, Germany, and France.

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