April 26,45
Germany
Hello Folks,
Well I must say that I’ve done pretty well lately getting letters from my brother James. Guess I’d do well to write to him a little more often. I got his Vmail a couple of days ago and yesterday evening I got the regular letter that he had written. One of these summer days when you can’t find anything to do I’ll be very glad to hear from you again, Jim.
I also got another birthday card from you people last night. Considering everything I don’t expect mail very hard this afternoon but who knows. No doubt I’ll still be here when the mail comes today. I can let you know.
In my last letter I was crabbing about the weather but sometimes like today it can clear up and really be beautiful. Then maybe you think I don’t get just a little longing to be back in Indiana. The sun is shining so brightly this evening that I could enjoy doing most any kind of peaceful work out in it - even riding a tractor. By rights this seems like an afternoon that might be spent plowing corn about six inches high.
If I was guessing I would say that tomorrow will the last day of school for Dad and Jim. Of course, last Friday would have been the 20th so it would have been impossible for it to have ended then. I expect you’ve told me at least a couple of times when it would be out but I’ve forgotten.
I saw the mail man come in with the mail just now so I’m going to sign off ‘till after it’s sorted. I may have more to write about then.
8PM
You may think it funny that I am writing at this time of night when we are living in pup tents but it is just beginning to get dusk and I’ve a good bit of light yet. Anyway I go on guard duty at 9 so there is no use going to bed. I intended to get at this earlier but I sort of messed around and didn’t get to it - read my mail twice, fixed a telephone for one of the platoons, etc.
I sure struck it rich on the mail tonight. I got three letters from you - April 8, 12 and 14. As mother wrote to me once, it sure is good to get mail especially when you hardly expect it. I was proud as a peacock when Richard told me about planning to start at Purdue. I’ll sure be thinking about him and hoping and praying for his good luck. I just hope the war is over before six months roll around (another physical). Have the bees been sold yet? I just about hit the mail on the head when I guessed about school’s being out, didn’t I?
I understand that our division is now part of the 1st Army. So even if I’m not in the same army with some of the Orestes boys, I guess I am in the same one as Charlie1"Charlie" is probably the same Charles Johnson as wrote the March 29 letter.
Apparently the Division was moved from the 3rd Army (Patton) to the 1st Army, because the entire VIII Corp, of which the 87th Division was a part, was moved. That likely didn't make a practical difference at the time. In early May the VIII Corp was moved to the 9th Army. Apparently the Army was planning ahead: the 3rd Army ended up occupying Germany, so they were probably shifting around units that would not stay in Europe.
.
Well before it does get dark, I’d better sign off. Thanks for the clippings.
Be good and God bless you all,
Donald
Author: dan
April 23,'45
Good Morning,
I’ve just looked over a few old letters to find something to say but I guess some of them have already been answered. Since I wrote last I’ve received three letters from you but two of them were older than some that had come before. The latest one to date was dated April 4. That was the first one addressed Sgt.
On the same day that I wrote last I got a box but since the mail just goes out before it comes in I didn’t get a chance to tell you about it. I couldn’t read the date on the postmark so I can’t exactly tell you how old it was. It contained mostly English walnuts and divinity fudge and got here in excellent shape. It couldn’t have arrived at a better time and we sure got a lot of enjoyment from it.
Well things look better all the time but so far it's not over yet. One of these times, though, I’m going to say something like that and it’s going to be before the letter reaches home. Maybe that’ll happen before this one gets there, who knows. It’s a cinch that if we should cover ground in proportion as we have the last month it wouldn’t last much longer than a week. A month ago this time I was back with Cannon Company on the other side of the Mozel and now I’m almost in Czechoslovakia.
This letter possibly will be sort of messed up but when you are living in the rough this writing is uphill business. In the winter we were allowed to stay in houses whenever possible but now we have to pitch tents on a hill outside of town. It has to be near a town so the big shots can stay in houses. When the weather’s nice is OK outside, but we’ve really had more unpleasant weather in April than we did in March. In fact is almost been miserable the last few days. I can’t complain too much though. I’ve sweat out lots worse things than this - not only worse weather but also worse other things.
Hope everything is O.K. back there. I’m sort of expecting a letter today. It’s been a couple of days now since I got any. God bless you.
Love,
Donald
P.S. Evening. I didn’t get this sent out today so I’ll tell you that I got a birthday card from you this afternoon. Thanks a bushel. Thanks too for the stamps. DVT
Categories
April 19, 1945
K Company was detached from Task Force Sundt on the 20th
From the April “After Action Report”
April 19, 1945
Hello Folks,
This will be another one of those little letters but it will let you hear from me just one day later. After a two day vacation I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve got more real rest these days than I usually get in three times as much time. I expect and feel that it has been too good to last much longer.
One of the big reasons for this letter was to make a request. I thought of it just a little while after I had given last night’s letter to the mail clerk. I know that it will take a month to get here but if you send it first class mail it will help some on the time. What I want is a remedy for athlete’s foot. Now that the weather is warming up it’s beginning to give me some trouble again. I found the answer to my problem but I left it in my duffle bag. An army doctor recommended it to me and I got it in Columbia, S.C. The name of it is Whitefield’s Ointment. I got it in a Rexall drug store so you should be able to find it. It really does the work too.
I had a happy experience a little while ago. For several days now I had thought that I had lost my new pen. I wasn’t going to say anything about it for a while though. Well we got in a bunch of clean clothes and I was taking everything out of my pockets. I just about jumped out of my shoes when I found the pen in the bottom of my left hand short pocket. It had fallen down underneath my new Testament. I had felt and felt in that pocket but I guess I had missed it.
I expect that Dad and Jim will be out of school by the time you get this. How does the Principal feel about his job by this time? Well happy vacation to you.
Hope things are OK back there. I’ll be seeing you one of these times.
Your son & brother,
Donald
Categories
April 17-18, 1945
Describes traveling with Task Force Sundt. This video shows what is almost certainly K Company.
Unlike most the the other 1945 letters, this one is written on both sides. He was probably short of paper.
Germany
April 17, 1945
Dear Family and all,
I guess it’s been at least a week now since I have written but I can say with truth that there just was no chance to write. You might be a little surprised when I tell you that as I am writing this I am keeping one eye on a bunch of prisoners that we rounded up this morning. They are in a yard where there is little chance of their trying to escape so I’ve got little to worry about. They are lying around on the ground and I’m sitting on top of a half track so that I need to just look down to see them. The biggest job is keeping the civilians out. A lot of the soldiers desert the army when it retreats from their home town so we get them when we get to town. And of course all the mothers, sisters, wives, cousins, etc. want to see them. This war sure has some crazy sides to it now that it is moving so rapidly. The Germans are still fighting but there are many of them who are quite willing to surrender. Our company spent the last week and a week the last of March riding on the tanks etc. of an armored outfit. We roll into a town, give it a good going over, roll on and let the infantry come up behind us. They very seldom put up much of a fight against tanks. Our company just furnishes the little bit of ground work that must go along with this type of warfare. I sure hope we can finish the war fighting this way. By some turn of fate or luck our company turned out to be one of the very few that are going along with the armor. I intended to say when I was telling you about this home town stuff that there have actually been times when we have come into a town that the soldiers were lined up waiting to surrender to us. In fact we had a case of that just yesterday. We are not moving today and I don’t know if we are finished now with our job or not.
Something like a week ago now I got a couple of letters but they were older than some I had received before. So as per usual I am getting anxious for news. About that time also I got a package dated Oct. 16. I think it was supposed to be my Christmas from you. It must have been lost in the shuffle. The divinity was sort of run together but it still had its flavor. Thanks a lot for the bill-fold. The other one you had sent me was still usable but I’ll use the nicer one.
Today I am eligible to wear an overseas stripe. This makes exactly six months overseas. That counts the time on the boat but we get credit for that. It doesn’t sound too bad to think of six months but when I realize that it was five months before that when I was home, it makes it sort of hard to take. If this is over first I just hope that I don’t have to see the other half of the world. I’d rather spend a little extra time here than that. The Lord willing though the whole thing will be over before too much longer. Then at least we’ll know how much longer we’ll have to spend at this.
Here’s the situation now: there’s no telling when I’ll be able to mail this and anyway I’ve only got one sheet of paper left so I’ll probably add to this later.
Love,
Donald
April 18, 1945
I am very happy to tell you that I got mail today. I was sort of disappointed not to get a news letter from you but when I opened the letter I did get, it contained your birthday card and the little scripture book. I also got a pocket sized devotional book from Uncle Everett's this evening. I’ve had sort of a fidgety feeling all afternoon and reading some Bible verses seem to be just what I needed. For April 18 in Aunt Mildred’s book I found: “... for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.” Phil. 4-11. That’s sure something to think about.
I mixed up some paste and have put those little spiritual stickers, that I especially liked and saved, in the blank spaces in my birthday book. I’m going to try to keep it right along with my Testament. I also put the picture of Daddy milking the old cow on the fly-leaf.
Well I still have a lot to thank God for. There has been at least a couple of times since I last wrote that without help I would not have come through safely. God bless you all.
Love,
Donald
This letter, from his father, Willis Tappan, was on the back side of the paper Donald used for his April 29 letter, where he also references some of the questions his father asks in this letter. The date of April 14 is inferred, because it was written shortly after Franklin Roosevelt’s death (April 12, 1945)
Saturday Eve.
Dear Donald,
I am going to surprise you and start my Sunday letter tonight. There hasn’t been much work accomplished out of doors to-day as we had planned as it has been raining a cold chilly rain to-day. I was going to finish planting potatoes if it hadn’t rained. This is earlier than usual but everything here is two to four week ahead of its self. Jimmie & I planted two rows last night with the shovel. We are putting them on the east side of the east this time. I expect you will recall you were here and helped plant them last year & just look where you are now. We have all the garden planted. It really looks nice for this time of year. The peas are about 1.5 inches high and the onions are 4 or 5 in. high. We hope no cold spell will come along and spoil things for us. Our early potatoes are not up yet but should be most any time now.
We are laying out a big order for our spare time this summer. You remember mother has wanted the old bee house torn down for a long time, well Richard started on it the other evening and would have finished it today if it hadn’t rained. Don’t be surprised if when we get at it we cut down the size of the old big porch. This is another thing mother has wanted for some time. We may change the well house & porch into one room. I also want to build to the north of the garage and make the big doors on the south. If it is possible I will make a double garage out of it. The house should be painted & I hope to build some cement walks. Now don’t be excite we may not get all this done but one has to plan before anything is accomplished.
I expect you heard about the death of the President (Roosevelt) almost as soon as we did. It came in here about 5PM. It certainly was unexpected to all. I wonder what re-action you saw among the soldiers over the news. I just heard over the radio a minute ago that next week will be the last week of organized resistance among the Germans. We all certainly hope that that is true. But from what we hear, it will not be all over even then. However that certainly will be a big step toward the end.
We received your April 1 letter to-day and was very happy to receive so recent a letter. It certainly would be a very joyous experience if you could be on hands to help liberate Wendell. I certainly hope all of the Allies soldiers are soon freed.
I will sign off for this time. Take care of yourself. May the Lord watch over you at all times.
Your Daddy, Good Night son.
Sunday after Sunday School just before dinner.
The radio is on now: We are listening to a news broadcaster in Germany. Giving an account of underground German prisoners. We hear quite a bit of discussion as to whether many of the horror reports we hear are true or are they only the exception. Especially the starving of the soldiers in the camps. I’ll bet you know first hand about some of these things. Mary says the news reporter was George Hicks.
To-day continues to be cool with a drizzling rain starting. As it coming from the east it will probably last a few days. Sunday School and church wasn’t crowded to-day as one might expect according to the weather.
Tuesday night is Morris’ commencement. (If he is yet at home at that time.) They were to let us know if he had to leave soon. We haven’t heard anything recently so we assume he will get to be at home for a while yet. Mother & I went to Alex. yesterday to get Morris a graduation present. It is a job to know what to buy a person entering the service. We found a fountain pen at Baileys for $2.39. (It is difficult to find pens of any kind on the market now.) We don’t know if he has a pen or not, but we thought this would be good enough for him to take with him. We may call Everetts this afternoon to find out if they have heard things recently. If we do we will let you know in this letter. We want to attend his commencement.
May you always hold fast to your Faith,
Your Daddy
April 8, 1945
Dear Folks,
Today is one Sunday that actually does seem a little like Sunday. I didn’t get to go to services this morning and I hated it but, but - We’ve been getting all K or C type rations and this noon we got a hot meal and even though it wasn’t a feast it helped out in making the day more enjoyable. I suppose that the weather being such a nice spring day is what makes it seem Sundayish.
I remember last Spring in Georgia one Sunday of telling you that I would like to be out kicking around in the woods somewhere around Orestes with Richard and Jim. Well this is another day I could enjoy just that. Of course, just thinking about things like that makes a funny feeling inside of me. Boy it will be great to be home again and be able to spend at least part of your time enjoyably. You see plenty of sights here, and once in a while, like today, get most of a day off, but some way you don’t get any great thrill from it.
4/10/441[sic]45
If I am going to get this letter sent at all I am going to have to admit that I didn’t get it finished as soon as I should have. I got stopped or just sort of run down temporarily and never got started again. But since then I’ve got three letters from you so now I do have just a little to write about in answering them. Thanks a lot for the pictures. I am going to keep the one of Jim but of course the snowman will have to go. I had thought about Jim’s playing basketball but I don’t believe I had even tried to imagine him in a suit. He sure has quite a sturdy build and I can see quite a change in his size during the last year. I recognized it was Big Jim right off but he has grown up quite a bit.
Boy Richard can do rings around me now on the typing. I never was able to type that neat a page and it’s been a long, long time now since I even touched a typewriter.
It almost scared me when you mentioned how near school was out. I guess I just hadn’t given it a thought. Time really does fly.
I’ll stop now and then be sure to get it sent. God be with you all.
Love,
Donald
Germany
April 6
(I think)
Dear Folks,
If you remember from last winter how long it would take our mail to catch us whenever we’d move, you’ll understand thoroughly why it is habitually slow now. It’s been several days now since I heard from you and as usual I begin to get anxious. Not worried because that wouldn’t even do any good but just anxious to hear.
I got the box of souvenirs (junk) started that I spoke about in the last letter. In the last couple of weeks I could have picked up a million things and I have said that I didn’t want a thing from over here. But it would be a shame not to have one single trophy. Of course, we aren’t allowed to take any civilian property because that would be stealing but practically all captured military equipment may be sent home. Lots of fellows send rifles but unless I change my mind I want none of these. Pistols can’t be sent because of laws concerning them in the States. As you can see most of the stuff that you could and would want to send is worth very little except just for its souvenir value.
Now my stuff: the medals and knife are from prisoners we took and the flag is from the house (in a town our outfit captured) of an ardent Nazi. The house seemed to have been some sort of a military headquarters. The knife may not seem like a military article but we take knives of all kinds from prisoners just for safety sake. This little knife reminded me of my pearl handled knife that I lost while serving in the army. It’ll serve me the twofold purpose of being useful as a pocket knife and also be a trophy. It’s just about the right size knife to carry to school. I don’t believe I would have taken three times its value for my other little one just for that reason. After I had my package wrapped I found a medal just like one of those I had intended to send. I couldn’t be sure whether it is the same one or one like it. Several of the fellows had them. Just in case I missed wrapping it up, in the first attempt, I am sending it in this letter. If it turns out that I have actually sent two, Jim can have one of them.
Hope everything is OK back there. God be with you all.
Love,
Donald
Categories
April 1, 1945 (Easter)
From 346th Infantry:
The Regiment spent Easter Sunday in the vicinity of Kraftsolms, Germany, mopping up trapped German remnants. Many prisoners were taken but no valuable information was gained from them. Only resistance encountered was put up by SS men although PW figures showed that even they gave up when the odds were against them.
The next five days were spent in mopping up operations and a move to a new assembly area at Heringen, Germany. No enemy resistance was encountered on patrols.
April 1, 1945
Germany
Dear Folks,
Happy Easter! If for no other reason this has turned out to be a pretty happy Easter for me because I got four letters from you this evening. They were from March 12 to 19 so you know what was happening along about that time. When I was reading them I thought of a whole “encyclopedia full” of things I wanted to say to you. So before I go any further I am going to go over them again and underline anything that brought an idea to my mind this afternoon. Maybe that way I’ll get you told at least part of what I wanted to.
I guess the best way to start would be to say that I wish as much as you do that I could have had the angel food cake for Easter that you wanted to send. The Lord willing next Easter you can bake an angel food cake and we’ll eat it together. What say we make it a date.
No doubt I had about the same feelings that you did concerning Richard’s turn of affairs. I had hardly even thought of it turning out this way so it did sort of surprise me. I expect that I am gladder than any of you that he was rejected but I know or can guess how he feels. I had told one of my buddies about Richard’s time coming up and as I was reading the letters I told him how it turned out. He said that I should say “Hi 4F” and if I were, I no doubt would do so. I expect that a little kidding would do as much to relieve the tension as anything else. I trust your judgement but since things have turned out this way think it over carefully before you break your neck trying to get into any thing military. I believe the Supreme Being has something planned. Whether it be right or not, but in thinking about what to do in the future, don’t forget that continuing your schooling is one possibility.
Now that it has been brought to my mind I do remember a little something about Richard’s ribs. But I would have had even less reason to be thinking about that than you would. No one told me how Eulan came out on his examination.
I wonder if March went out like a lamb for you. I guess the nice weather is the reason things are going so good over here. It made me proud to know that some of our news was getting back home. I can't claim to have personally been in the taking of Coblenz but I was at that time just a little ways up the Moselle from there.
You did guess wrong though about my being in the Saar again. I have never been back there. I’ve really had some experiences this last week that I don’t suppose I ought to tell you about yet. I’ve got a couple of souvenirs that I’ll send home but I’ll tell you about them later.
Do whatever you think best about putting in the Tribune about my Silver Star. Don’t misunderstand me but you have my permission. (I wouldn’t want anything big though).
I think I have explained in another letter about the money you didn’t know how to dispose of. It’s just what’s not taken out of my pay in allotments that I can’t use here. I am sending thirty dollars out of the money I drew today. It’s not a hard and fast rule but I expect most of it should go for bonds. I do want you to feel free, though, at any time to use what money I send home for anything else you deem wise. It’ll be alright if you want to accumulate it and buy bonds of larger denominations. But of course don’t hold it for six months or anything on that order because it can be accumulating just a little interest. Sometime if you want to I would be interested in knowing just how I stand financially.
Now that you have asked about the popcorn in my Christmas box I’ll have to tell you. As you know I got it just after we got on the boat coming over and of course there was no way to make use of it then. Well things will happen and as I remember the sack got broken or someway it got spilled before I ever got it popped. A little popcorn might be an idea though for something to send me now. Those packages really are a blessing.
I’m glad mother mentioned about the cigarette situation. We do get them but that’s still no reason why I must smoke them. You needn’t worry about that end of the story. If my cigarettes get used someone else uses them. You are right though about using them for money. We do use them to trade sometimes to the civilians for something they might have to eat. Not that we’re hungry but it’s a lot of fun just to fry an egg or cook something for yourself. I think the greatest use for them, though, is when someone is lucky enough to get a pass to Paris. They go like hot cakes back there. Incidentally I think I’ll be getting one of those passes one of these times.
While I’m on the subject: I really do thank the Lord for strength to resist temptations, or perhaps rather, to resist occasional scoffings. As you perhaps know the Germans are great for alcoholic drinks and it’s not occasionally that we come onto them. The drinks (just as the smokes) don’t tempt me in the least but you can guess the rest of the story. With it so easy to get, people are apt to say lots of things without thinking. God has been very good to me.
If you (the mothers’ club) are having to send Wendell cigarettes I sure wish he could have mine. Our company has had the pleasure recently of freeing a great number of French, Polish and Russian prisoners of war. Boy that is really a happy experience. Those boys are just so excited they can’t contain themselves. One outfit had an experience the other day that I’d like to be in on one of these times. That is the liberating of some of our own boys from the Germans. I guess the height of my ambition would in capturing the prison camp that Wendell is in. Wouldn’t that be something to remember.
I am thankful that your prayers are still with me. There is no doubt in my mind about their value. As mother wrote recently “May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from another.”
Love, Donald
Categories
Germany: April 1945
The following is the official “After Action Report” for the 346th Regiment, April 1945, from the 87th Infantry Archives
This letter is not from Donald, it’s from a Pvt Chas (Charles) Johnson who was probably also from the Orestes area and seems to have been in the same area of Germany at the end of March. This is probably the same “Charlie Johnson” who married Donald’s cousin Janette (see April 9, 1944 letter).
“East of the Rhine” would indicate that this is after the Rhine crossing. He mentions Donald.
March 29, 1945
East of the Rhine
Hello Folks,
Hope this finds you well and enjoying yourselves. All is well over here. Has been raining a bit today. But has been nice till now. Received your letter today - was mighty glad to hear from you. As yest I haven't seen Donald but am hoping to see him before long. He is close to where I am at. I am with the 1st Army and the 9th Division. Have been close to where he is at. Till later. Good Bye & God Bless to All as Ever.
Charles