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| Inside Camp McCoy Church |
March 28, 1943
Sun Morning
Dear Mom,
Here I am ready for church half an hour early so will start this letter. The sun is not shining and it feels a lot like rain. Still it is warm. Last week was a swell week and I guess at last spring is on its way. I hope so, it is sure has been rough. The people up here say it has been the hardest winter they have seen for years.
The past week was a grind. It sure was a hard week. Basic Training is over. The bad part is the fact you can't pick your job. Listen to this. A fellow had been a doughboy for over a year. Last December he was discharged. In two weeks he rejoined the Army. Being a little old he wanted to start where he left off, which seems the proper place after all. Guess where he ended up? - Here in the artillery. They put you where they like.
What a test we took. It covered 22 subjects with 127 questions, over 300 parts in all. Another part of the Division took one over the same work but with a little different questions. They started to train the same time we did. They only made an average of 50% so the General had a good idea - let us take it. I felt like going A.W.O.L. or over the hill in other words. We were told we trimmed the life out of them. I'll let you know later when I get my paper back.
The big shots took us out as a Battery one day to see what we could do with what we had learned. We were firing 2 miles and back at the 105 howitzer guns we couldn't use our target. It's a long story to tell you how it's done but you have forward observers, telephone, radio, B.C scope, aiming circle, etc. Each man has his job. We were told that on the other side of that big hill on the side of a little knoll was a machine gun nest. The order came down to blow it out. The third round was a direct hit. It sure looked good for all of us as a group.
Time out, Mother, I'm going to church now. Hope you're humming a little church tune this morning. What kind of day is it out at home? (So long for now.)
Back from church, also chow. The sun is trying to come out but it is still hazy over head. Pauline (girlfriend) wrote it was 18 degrees below the other morning.
That card I sent from Sparta, I didn't go to church there. Had to go down one evening so dropped you the card.
These new beds we have slept a lot better than the old ones. They were just a cot with canvas instead of a spring. A fellow went to get up last night and forgot he was up so high. He said it was a long way down to the floor and kind of hard landing.
That woman down at the mill still sends me the paper (Sunday). I have been so busy it has been two weeks or more since I wrote her last. Going to send her a line after I finish this. She writes me about 6 or 8 pages and tell me to write when I can but not to hurry. It cost her some money but she feels she is only doing a small part compared to what we boys are doing and giving up. I told her I didn't know how I could pay her back but someday I might. Boy what a letter I got. I'll never say anything about paying her back again.
How is Dad? When Helen wrote last he was having a lunch. Tell him to keep his chin up. The news is looking better all the time.
Did you hear about the new gun the Army has? It is so light two men can carry it. It is called a bazooka. You know like that new play on the radio. One soldier in Africa stopped 6 tanks with it. Another time a landing party was being held up. A soldier waded ashore and with the bazooka made the fort surrender. The charge is far more powerful than T.N.T. They just can't stand it long. A flier said that after flying over Berlin the other night it looked like as if the whole of Germany was aflame.
Ma, that Helen (sister) sure takes the cake. Said she couldn't write much more as she had to tease Joey for awhile. No rest for poor Joe now. Well he can look back to last winter and think how lonesome he was.
Eugene (brother) never says much but I know he misses me a lot. Hope he keeps on the right road. By what I read he has changed a lot. Guess he is doing more than his part.
Love from deep in Wisconsin
Charles
P.S. So you're still a good old Maine potato bug by what I found in my magazine. That page with the corner turned over. Also I don't remember you ever pinching chocolate drops before. - Maybe
What a test we took. It covered 22 subjects with 127 questions, over 300 parts in all. Another part of the Division took one over the same work but with a little different questions. They started to train the same time we did. They only made an average of 50% so the General had a good idea - let us take it. I felt like going A.W.O.L. or over the hill in other words. We were told we trimmed the life out of them. I'll let you know later when I get my paper back.
The big shots took us out as a Battery one day to see what we could do with what we had learned. We were firing 2 miles and back at the 105 howitzer guns we couldn't use our target. It's a long story to tell you how it's done but you have forward observers, telephone, radio, B.C scope, aiming circle, etc. Each man has his job. We were told that on the other side of that big hill on the side of a little knoll was a machine gun nest. The order came down to blow it out. The third round was a direct hit. It sure looked good for all of us as a group.
Time out, Mother, I'm going to church now. Hope you're humming a little church tune this morning. What kind of day is it out at home? (So long for now.)
Back from church, also chow. The sun is trying to come out but it is still hazy over head. Pauline (girlfriend) wrote it was 18 degrees below the other morning.
That card I sent from Sparta, I didn't go to church there. Had to go down one evening so dropped you the card.
These new beds we have slept a lot better than the old ones. They were just a cot with canvas instead of a spring. A fellow went to get up last night and forgot he was up so high. He said it was a long way down to the floor and kind of hard landing.
That woman down at the mill still sends me the paper (Sunday). I have been so busy it has been two weeks or more since I wrote her last. Going to send her a line after I finish this. She writes me about 6 or 8 pages and tell me to write when I can but not to hurry. It cost her some money but she feels she is only doing a small part compared to what we boys are doing and giving up. I told her I didn't know how I could pay her back but someday I might. Boy what a letter I got. I'll never say anything about paying her back again.
How is Dad? When Helen wrote last he was having a lunch. Tell him to keep his chin up. The news is looking better all the time.
Did you hear about the new gun the Army has? It is so light two men can carry it. It is called a bazooka. You know like that new play on the radio. One soldier in Africa stopped 6 tanks with it. Another time a landing party was being held up. A soldier waded ashore and with the bazooka made the fort surrender. The charge is far more powerful than T.N.T. They just can't stand it long. A flier said that after flying over Berlin the other night it looked like as if the whole of Germany was aflame.
Ma, that Helen (sister) sure takes the cake. Said she couldn't write much more as she had to tease Joey for awhile. No rest for poor Joe now. Well he can look back to last winter and think how lonesome he was.
Eugene (brother) never says much but I know he misses me a lot. Hope he keeps on the right road. By what I read he has changed a lot. Guess he is doing more than his part.
Love from deep in Wisconsin
Charles
P.S. So you're still a good old Maine potato bug by what I found in my magazine. That page with the corner turned over. Also I don't remember you ever pinching chocolate drops before. - Maybe
*March
23 to April 3, 1943 – Battle of El Guetarr, Tunisia (North Africa
Theater)
Troops:
USA NA; Germany/Italy NA.
Casualties
(Killed/Wounded/Missing): USA 4-5,000, 35-55 tanks; Axis 4-6,000, 40
plus tanks.
Battle
led by General George Patton becomes first successful tank battle by
U.S. against German tank commanders in defense of their position.
Indecisive overall when U.S. tanks could not mount as successful an
offense.
Battle of El Guetarr, Tunisia
^^March
25 97% of all Dutch physicians strike against the Nazi-created
Chamber of Physicians on this date in 1943. Mandatory registration
with this newly formed guild would have forced the physicians to
follow Nazi guidelines for racial screening and “euthanasia” for
the handicapped and mentally challenged. Hundreds of the protesters
were arrested, and for weeks there was almost no medical service in
The Netherlands, but the threat of epidemic disease eventually
convinced the Nazis to relent and rescind their registration order.
^^March 26 2nd Lt. Elsie S Ott becomes 1st woman
awarded the US Air Force Medal. She was awarded this medal in
recognition of her heroism in determining a way to evacuate the
wounded from the front line.
2nd Lt Elsi S. Ott - nurse
*March
26 – WWII – Battle of the Komandorski Islands: In the Aleutian
Islands, the battle begins when United States Navy forces intercept
Japanese troops attempting to reinforce a garrison at Kiska.
^^March
27 Battle of Komandorski Islands, Pacific Ocean. The Battle of the
Komandorski Islands was a naval battle between American and Imperial
Japanese forces which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North
Pacific, south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands.
Results:
Tactically inconclusive, Strategic U.S. victory.
^^Mar
27 US begins assault on Fondouk Pass, Tunisia. This is only one
battle in Tunisia between 17
November 1942 to 13 May 1943.
Fondouk Pass, Tunisia
 Bazookas |
 |
*Source 1 https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-battles-2361453
*Source 2 https://americasbesthistory.com/timeline2ndworldwar1943.html for major battles
**Source 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_in_the_United_States
^^Source 4 https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1943
##Source 5 https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii copyright of letters and any original material Peter Lagasse
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