Sunday and what a hot day.
We have really been having
some scorching summer heat
again. There is a good breeze
today so it really isn't as
bad it was yesterday.
The first part of this week
I visited a German concentration
camp here in Belgium. It is
like the pictures a person
sees in papers and then says
to himself, "it isn't true, no
person could be so cruel and
do such horrible things." But
it is all true. It is hard to
believe it when it is right
there before you. Of course it
is all cleaned up now, but
the rooms, building and the
marks still remain.
The last part of the week I
had a very nice trip up the
Meuse River Valley. It was
very pretty trip. I enjoyed it
very much. Next week, beginning
tomorrow I am haveing a furlough
in England. So I guess I am
getting my share of vacations
this July. We fly from here
to England and where we
hit England is right near the
White Cliffs of Dover. They
all say it is very beautiful
from the air so I can tell you
better when I get back from there.
I suppose Harley is home
now, or will be shortly. I
would have like to seen him.
I suppose he will tell you
all about his experiences. Gosh
I sure would like to get home.
Sometimes I get so discouraged
it seems like I will never get
home. This point system is
no good anyway a person looks at
it. A fellow that stayed out of
the army, married and had a kid
or two had twelve points
to begin with and I had to be
in the army a year to get that
many. We being in a rear
echlon aren't awarded any battle
stars. Headquarters has written
directly to the Sec. of War about
this matter. They want all
parents to write the congress
men about the fellows that have
been overseas over two years
and not enough points to get
out. Sometimes I feel as if I
never will see home again.
It will be two years Tuesday
since I was in the U.S.
The book you sent me has
finally arrived. Our mail has been
slow again. I hope to have some
mail today. I am writing this
at the shop. I am on the skelton
crew that is working today.
We have a German Transport
plane here. They are getting it
ready to fly to the U.S. direct to
Patterson Field. It can carry
90 completely exquiped soldiers.
How I would like to steal a
ride on it. It is the biggest
plane I have every seen.
Well I haven't any news to
write about. It is hard to write
anymore. I will write more after
the mail comes.
Well as usual no mail for
me again today. It will be
a week now before I will
be here to receive my mail.
It has been a scorcher of a
day. Those little oatbugs
are driving everyone crazy.
It has been so hot today
everyone is laying around just
with there shorts on. It looks
like a nudist camp. Tonight
it has clouded over and just
now the wind has started
to blow a gale. It looks like
we are in for a storm now.
England has had one of the
worst storms in history the
last two days.
Well mother, I won't write
to the rest of the folks until
after my furlough is over.
You can tell them all the
news. Goodnight for now.
Love
Ralph.
The next letter will be posted on July 24th
Background Information (and comments):
- Here is some information about the concentration camp that was probably the one Ralph visited.
I guess most visitors to Brussels and Antwerp (or Belgium for that matter) come for the Grand Place, Bruges, beer and mussels (not forgetting our world famous Belgian Fries with mayonnaise). However there is a stunning piece of World War 2 history not even a 20' drive from Brussels (just off the A12 highway to Antwerp). Stunning in more ways than one. Tragic and sad to observe how cruel mankind can be and what atrocities they managed to inflict on other human beings but at the same time a reminder for our future generations (I took my young children with me) of the past.
The fort is easily accessible and the (DIY) tour (with a headset with four languages English, French, Dutch and German) is excellent with numbered markers along the way which you type into your set, which then triggers individual audio recordings as you go through the Fort.
There are cells, torture chambers, photos, videos, memorabilia of the villains, victims and their historical contribution to Fort Breendonk's dark history. The walk-about (follow the signposts and numbers) takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours is well worth a visit.... Please check out their excellent website as well http://www.breendonk.be. Family visits come in at Euro 25 including 4/5 family members, otherwise Euro 8 per person. Open 7/7 days.
The fort is easily accessible and the (DIY) tour (with a headset with four languages English, French, Dutch and German) is excellent with numbered markers along the way which you type into your set, which then triggers individual audio recordings as you go through the Fort.
There are cells, torture chambers, photos, videos, memorabilia of the villains, victims and their historical contribution to Fort Breendonk's dark history. The walk-about (follow the signposts and numbers) takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours is well worth a visit.... Please check out their excellent website as well http://www.breendonk.be. Family visits come in at Euro 25 including 4/5 family members, otherwise Euro 8 per person. Open 7/7 days.
- Map of German concentration camps in France & Belgium
- Map of Meuse River Valley
- German transport plane and information:
| Role | Heavy transport |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Messerschmitt A.G. |
| First flight | January 20, 1942 |
| Introduction | 1943 |
| Retired | 1944 |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Produced | 1942–1944 |
| Number built | 198 |
| Developed from | Messerschmitt Me 321 |
- Information on Patterson Field (Dayton, OH) and a photo from 1943:
Patterson Field[edit]
Patterson Field named for Lt Patterson was designated on 6 July 1931 as the area[specify] of Wright Field east of Huffman Dam (including Fairfield Air Depot, Huffman Prairie, and Wright Field's airfield). Patterson Field became the location of the Materiel Division of the Air Corps[citation needed] and a key logistics center and in 1935, quarters were built at Patterson Field[3]:350 which in 1939 still "was without runways…heavier aircraft met difficulty in landing in inclement weather."[12]:7 Wright Field retained the land west of the Huffman Dam and became the research and development center of the Air Corps.[13]
Pre-war events[edit]
Engineering and flight activities of the two installations after the designation of Patterson Field included numerous aviation achievements and failures prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor:
firing at ground targets with a new synchronized-through–the–propeller machine gun.[15] Patterson's grave and memorial arch is at Woodland Cemetery and Aborateum in Dayton, Ohio.[16]
World War II[edit]
The area's World War II Army Air Fields had employment increase from approximately 3,700 in December 1939 to over 50,000 at the war's peak.[17] Wright Field grew from approximately 30 buildings to a 2,064-acre (8.35 km2) facility with some 300 buildings and the Air Corps' first modern paved runways. The original part of the field became saturated with office and laboratory buildings and test facilities. The Hilltop area was acquired from private landowners in 1943–1944 to provide troop housing and services. The portion of Patterson Field from Huffman Dam through the Brick Quarters (including the command headquarters in Building 10262) at the south end of Patterson Field along Route 4 was administratively reassigned from Patterson Field to Wright Field. To avoid confusing the two areas of Wright Field, the south end of the former Patterson Field portion was designated "Area A", the original Wright Field became "Area B", and the north end of Patterson Field, including the flying field, "Area C."
In February 1940 at Wright Field, the Army Air Corps established the Technical Data Branch (Technical Data Section in July 1941, Technical Data Laboratory in 1942). After Air Corps Ferrying Command was established on 29 May 1941, on 21 June an installation point of the command opened at Patterson Field.[18]:144 The Flight Test Training unit of Air Technical Command was established at Wright Field on 9 September 1944 (moved to Patterson Field in 1946, Edwards AFB on 4 February 1951). Two densely populated housing and service areas across Highway 444, Wood City and Skyway Park, were geographically separated from the central core of Patterson Field and developed almost self-sufficient community status. (Wood City was acquired in 1924 as part of the original donation of land to the government but was used primarily as just a radio range until World War II. Skyway Park was acquired in 1943.) They supported the vast numbers of recruits who enlisted and were trained at the two fields as well as thousands of civilian laborers, especially single women recruited to work at the depot. Skyway Park was demolished after the war. Wood City was eventually transformed[when?] into Kittyhawk Center, the base's modern commercial and recreation center.
In the fall of 1942, the first twelve "Air Force" officers to receive ATI[specify] field collection training were assigned to Wright Field for training in the technical aspects of "crash" intelligence (RAF Squadron Leader Colley identified how to obtain information from equipment marking plates and squadron markings.[citation needed] In July 1944 during the Robot Blitz, Wright Field fired a reconstructed German pulse-jet engine[19] (an entire V-1 flying bomb was "reversed engineered" [sic] by September 8 at Republic Aviation.)[20] The first German and Japanese aircraft arrived in 1943, and captured equipment soon filled six buildings, a large outdoor storage area, and part of a flight-line hangar for Technical Data Lab study (TDL closed its Army Aeronautical Museum). The World War II Operation Lusty returned 86 German aircraft to Wright Field for study, e.g., the Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter, while the post-war Operation Paperclip brought German scientists and technicians to Wright Field, e.g., Ernst R. G. Eckert (most of the scientists eventually went to work in the various Wright Field labs.)[dubious ]
The Army Air Forces Technical Base was formed on December 15, 1945, when Wright Field, Patterson Field, Dayton Army Air Field in Vandalia and Clinton County AAF in Wilmington merged. After the USAF was created, the base was renamed Air Force Technical Base in December 1947 and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in January 1948.. The former Wright Field became Area B of the combined installation, the southern portion of Patterson Field became Area A, and the northern portion of Patterson Field, including the jet runway built in 1946-47, Area C.AAF and USAF base[edit]
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