Well here it is Mother's day already
and the month of May will soon be half
gone. What are you doing today?
I went to church this morning. We had
a real nice service. There was quite a
few out to the services too. This afternoon
I am going to write letters and I might go
across to the atheletic field to the ballgame.
The wind has been blowing a gale all
yesterday and allnight and is still keeping
it up. It is so dusty here you can hardly
breath. Then it is hot and you sweat.
You
The paper said a small tornado had
struck in Laradeo Mexico. So I guess that
is where the wind is comeing from. Bob
Adams returned from D.S. (detached service)
Wednesday night. It seems good to have
him back again.
All you can get on the radio lately is
the Allies Victory in north Africa. The news
men seem to think this is the end of the
war. It does help a lot but there is still
a lot yet to do.
I got a letter from Lenore today. She sent
me a money order for $5. She must be getting
generous lately. It will come in handy next
month for me. I think I will be able to get
home on a furlough again. I am looking forward
to it anyway.
Mother what do you think or what would
you say, if I told you Irene and I are
planning on being married while I am home. We
have been planning on it for a long time. It seems
so nothing can be considered or planned on that
something doesn't always turn up to spoil it.
We have talked things over and decided we
both would feel a lot better if we were
married. She wants to keep her job in Toledo
though. I don't want you to think that I am
going against your wishes but we have
always had our plans spoiled by something
turning up. Irene was comeing down here
but her dad was taken sick so we are
planning on haveing a small wedding if I am
able to get a furlough in June.
Probably my furlough will be cancelled
before we can carry these plans through. It
doesn't have to get out though on what we are
planning. Irene's folks don't object so I hope
you won't.
Did any of the others come home for
this weekend? I just reread your letter and
see you were going to Monroe. I didn't get
a letter from Luella, or Marie this week. I
didn't even get one from Irene today. I guess
it keeps her busy working and going to the
hospital all the time. Fred had his operation
last Tuesday. He had two gall stones. It
really left Mrs. Setzler with a lot of work
at home.
Well I guess this is about all I can
think of to say this time. I hope you had
a very nice mother's day. I would have
liked to be home to help your celebrate your
day but we can't always be where we
want to be. I am hopeing that I will be
able to get home in June. I am going to try
hard enough to. Goodbye for today and please
write soon.
Love Ralph.
The next letter will be posted on May 12th.
Background Information (and comments):
- Ralph's brother Cliff, and his wife Marie, lived in Monroe, MI.
- Here is a website with information and photos about the fighting in North Africa:
http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/09/world-war-ii-the-north-african-campaign/100140/
The North African Campaign began in June of 1940 and continued for three years, as Axis and Allied forces pushed each other back and forth across the desert. At the beginning of the war, Libya had been an Italian colony for several decades and British forces had been in neighboring Egypt since 1882. The two armies began skirmishing almost as soon as Italy declared war on the Allied Nations in 1940. Italy invaded Egypt in September of 1940, and in a December counterattack, British and Indian forces captured some 130,000 Italians. Hitler's response to this loss was to send in the newly formed "Afrika Korps" led by General Erwin Rommel. Several long, brutal pushes back and forth across Libya and Egypt reached a turning point in the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942, when Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army broke out and drove Axis forces all the way from Egypt to Tunisia. In November, Operation Torch brought in thousands of British and American forces. They landed across western North Africa, and joined the attack, eventually helping force the surrender of all remaining Axis troops in Tunisia in May of 1943 and ending the Campaign for North Africa.
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