Belgium July 8.

Dear Mother & Dad,
       July 8th already, gosh how
the time sure flies lately. Fourth
of July was a quite [sic] day for me.
We didn't have to work so
in the morning I just slept
and laid around our tent. In
the afternoon I took a trip
by plane down to Rheims
France. We can get a ride
in a plane almost anytime
we wish to take a ride now.
I can go almost anywhere
on the continent in a plane.
    Fourth of July I received a
letter from Harley written June
28. He said he was at
LaHavre France. So I decided
maybe he would still be there.

I pulled a few strings and
got traveling order down there.
I got there Friday night and was
informed he had sailed July 2. I
sure would have liked to see
him. I don't know what his
hurry was. He should stay here
awhile. Seems like he just got
here. I am glad though he was
able to get home. Maybe someday
I will get lucky.
       I guess I am going to get a
change of scenery soon. I am
suppose to go into Germany.
I guess it is where Harley
just left.
     Today I received four letters.
One from, Luella, Lenore, Freeman
and Donna Staup. I sent Donna
some pictures and she thinks

I still look the same. Well I guess
I am. I still weigh the same. I
don't suppose you will see much
change in me, as I will probably
see more in the folks back there.
     Tomorrow I am going on a short
trip to visit a German prison
camp. I will tell you about it
in my next letter. I try to see
as much as this as I can.
All I know about this war is
what the air war was like. Now
I have a chance to see what the
people had to go through. I suppose
Harley can tell you plenty, because
infantry saw plenty of it.
     I can't think of much more to
write for this letter. I suppose
Morgan Ford was glad to get back
home again. I sent a letter to him.


The next letter will be posted on July 15th.

Background Information (and comments):

• The letter ended abruptly; I'm guessing the final page was not returned to the envelope after it was read.
• Rheims is the old spelling. Both Reims and Rheims are used in English, although Reims seems more common.
• The distance from Louvain Belgium to Reims France is about 300 km (186 mi.) by roadway. These are the cities Ralph flew between on the 4th of July.
• The distance from Louvain Belgium to Le Havre France is about 429 km (267 mi.) by roadway. These are the cities where Ralph was located on July 6th and where his brother Harley departed from on July 2nd.

Reims

City in France

Reims is a city in northeastern France's Grand Est region. It's the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, and many of the champagne houses headquartered there offer tastings and cellar tours. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at its Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. This grand cathedral is known for its stained-glass windows and Gothic carved portals, including the Smiling Angel.

Le Havre

Commune in France

Le Havre is a major port in northern France's Normandy region, where the Seine River meets the English Channel. It's joined to the city across the estuary, Honfleur, by the Pont de Normandie cable-stayed bridge. Following WWII, Le Havre's heavily damaged city center was famously redesigned by Belgian architect Auguste Perret. Today it features many landmark examples of reinforced-concrete architecture.