Closing out November 1944: Vmails and other letters

Things might get out of whack this post, as some of the VMails do not have envelopes, one doesn't have a date, and one got misdirected! So I'm doing a hybrid approach to the order.  Some by postmarks, some by date. 

Let's go!
 

No envelope for this one:

November 19, 1944

Dear Ma

Here I go a gain trying to write you a note. As per usual I haven't been doing any thing to speak of. From what I hear I got another 48 hour pass Fri, but I don't guess I'll go any place. I haven't the money for one thing, it's all loaned out, and I don't have the desire. The weather is about as same as usual raining. I suppose next summer it will probably clear up enough to let the sun shine. I haven't recived any mail as usual but each day I hope Maybe I'll get some to morrow. I think I told you I heard from Goodwins. Well will close for now. 

Jack. 

The next one doesn't have a date on the letter, but the envelope is postmarked 11/23/1944.

Dear Ma

Since I haven't written you in a few days I'll drop you a line. I haven't recived any mail from you in the last couple of days but as usual I supposed it's on the way. The xmas packages slow down the mail quite a bit. I suppose the packages you sent will get here in another month or so. 

I haven't been doing any thing so there not much to write. Things are about the same as usual.

The fellows got a pup in the barracks now – thats new. Its about the same size as the one Marg. & Mal got that time. It sure is cute but I'll let them keep it. Well write soon

Jack

Finally, this one was misdirected to Las Vegas, Nevada. See the note stamped on the envelope? Same ol' Las Vegas, New Mexico story. A story as old as time. 

The envelope is postmarked 11/28/1944. The postmark from Las Vegas looks like 11/30/1944. Jack wrote it on November 17. It gives us an idea of how long it took the mail to get there. VMail was slower, I believe, as they had to photograph a large volume of letters, ship the film, and process it at home. 

November 17 1944

Dear Ma

I recived your letter of Nov the 2nd today so will answer it, rather try.

So you sent the package, I was glad to hear it but wish you had done it sooner. You say you sent size 12 socks – I suppose they will srink some. I do wish you had of sent 10 instead.

So Little Jim is suppose to return to the States. I bet Nene is happy about that. I hope he does get back, then he will be able to tell you all about it.

Its still rainy around here, just like dear old Seattle. Its also rather cold, I have been wearing my long Johns. I haven't recived Bo's letters as to yet but I haven't recived any mail so won't lay it on to her. 

Write soon Jack

I'm a little ticked that he got mad at his mother for the size 12 socks. In his previous letter, he requested size 12! Nothing about size 10! Also he asked for the socks in the letter dated October 16, and by November 2 she had sent them. Seems like a relatively quick turnaround to me, given the long mail delays! Geez!

Again, with Margaret he's a little freer describing his situation.

November 20 '44

Dear Margaret

Here I go writing you again and I still haven't gotten much mail from you. Are you sure you are writing? How bout it now why don't you stop for a few minents and drop me a line.

As usual I have been doing plenty of nothing. We have had 3 inspections in 3 days. On one of them it seems they were looking for a 45 and had us lay all our stuff out on our beds. They were looking for the 45's because one of the fellows shot 13 times in the floor. He got up to on on a mission and was slightly drunk from a party the night befor. After the first couple of shots I went clean under the covers. It was almost as bad as flak but not quite. 

The weather is about the same as usual, just rain and more rain. It's still pretty cool too but may be I'll live. 

They started giving us sulfur – no not for that, it's to ward off colds.  They say its not enough to bother us with our flying, but it doesn't seem to help my cold either. 

I get another 48 hour pass but don't guess Ill go any place. I can't see going back to London for a while so I'll probably say right here and do nothing. 

Say have you heard from your old friend Mal of late. You haven't said and I was just wondering if she still writes. I haven't heard from Wayne but he never mentions her if he does hear from her.

I don't know I guess that one girl really has him down, thats what I hear from Ma. I wish he would hurry up and marry her and be done with it. I suppose he will in the end any way.

Well I have run down so will close so write soon

Love 

Bill. 

November 27 '44

Dear Margaret

Seeing how I recived a letter from you, I'll get busy and answer it. May be I can get you on the ball and get you to write a little better.

You ask a few questions in this last letter I don't believe I can answer for you. I would like to but they are liable to back fire on me. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

I have another 48 hour pass today but all I did was ride into town and back. It was a nice bike ride and really got me down, it's about 30 miles round trip. My legs are so tired tonight I can hardly stand on them. It was rather cold riding back, but as long as we kept moving it wasn't too bad. Maybe I should say Jimmy went along as lazy as he is. 

You ask if I had put to practice what I had learned in gunnery – no and I hope I never do. I can't see that noise of shooting at someone while they are shooting back, some ones liable to get hit and I wouldn't want to be me. Sweating out that flak is bad enough because those black puffs have had steal in them.

You ask what the English towns look like. Well they make our oldest towns look modern. Even Santa Fe looks modern to some of these places. They are all very old the streets are narrow, the building are mostly brick. The houses in the villages have grass roofs which looks very odd. All in all I can't get use to them. I have gotten so I ride on the left side of the road. I darn near get run over evey time I am in town though I always look left instead of right. 

November 28 1944

I better finish this and get it mailed or I am liable to put it off for a week or so.

We had to get up early this AM for a inspection that has still to come off. I got up around 8oclock but not because I wanted to but because they begged me too.

Don't faint but I got a letter from Louie to day, it's the first I have heard from him in 3 or 4 months. He wrote a Vmail letter so he didn't say much. I did take the has been buying and selling a few cars of late and he is still welding. He never did write much, just more or less said he was still alive and working 

Did I tell you I saw the vapor trail of a V2 bomb the other day. I didn't know what it was until I saw the same thing in a news paper. 

Say you know in a few days I'll celebrate my first year in the army. Don't get me wrong I am not braging but complaining. I hope I don't see another year in here but probably will.

Well I'll close now so please write soon

Love 

Bill

So. Sulfer. He's really talking about sulfa, Sulphanilimide, which was commonly used as an antibiotic during WWII, often treating wounds as well as "that" -- venereal disease. And, apparently, colds.

A V2 bomb is the German Vergeltungswaffen-2, a ballistic missile. It was quite a formidable weapon and was the forerunner of modern long-range ballistic missiles and space rockets.

In the last half of November, Jack flew just three missions.

Mission 232 on November 21 and Mission 234 on November 25 were similar: they bombed synthetic oil plants in Merseberg, Germany. Visibility was poor and flak was intense on the first go, and the airplane that Jack flew in sustained some damage. From 351st.org: "Airplane No. 42-31711, 508th Squadron. Flak skin damage to leading edge of RH Stabilizer. Flak hole underside of right wing, damaging tokio tank. Flak hole left side of fuselage rear of waist window. (Major)." 

Jack could not have been comfortable watching that flak from the exposed belly of the plane that day, his eighth mission. 

Quite a few other aircraft sustained damage during the mission.  Mission 234 was similar: poor visibility and flak, though the flak was inaccurate and only one airplane sustained damage. A few others aborted the mission (not Jack's), one "Reason for abortive - Waist Gunner had an attack of Belly ache."

Mission 235 on November 26 hit another oil plant at Misburg, Germany. Visibility was poor and flak was abundant, but mostly inaccurate. However, a few ships were hit, and sadly one airplane from the lead squadron was lost, with two fatal casualties, one injured, and seven men taken as POWs.

Here is an accounting of that crew's fate from 351st.org:

Missing Air Crew Report (MACR):

A/C# 43-37571   DS-X  "Dotties Taxi"  Pilot: Lt. Boettcher  A/C's 59th Mission   MACR # 11203

Aircraft Loss Circumstances:

Eyewitness Account

I, Milton Schwartz, 0-819881, was flying as Pilot of Aircraft No. 43-38691, leading the Low Section of the Lead Squadron on a mission to Misburg, Germany on 26 November 1944. Shortly after bombs away, I noticed that Lt Boettcher was slowly lagging behind the formation with one engine feathered. Two or three minutes later he phoned on VHF that he was losing another engine and requested fighter support. He stated that he might attempt to head for France. I saw no parachutes.

[Signed] Milton Schwartz, 1st Lt., Air Corps.

Eyewitness Account

I, Robert R. Kasper, 0-823615, was flying as Pilot of Aircraft No. 43-38650, on a mission to Misburg, Germany on November 26, 1944. Lt. Boettcher was flying in front of me and on my right and about 15 minutes after bombs away I noticed that he had fallen out of his position. I could not see him, but I heard over VHF that heavy flak over the target had knocked out two engines and they were both feathered. He called for fighter support, of which there was plenty nearby and said he had fallen back into formation directly behind us. He intended to make France. I saw no parachutes and heard nothing more.

[Signed] Robert R. Kasper, 1st Lt., Air Corps.

Members of the crew reported on casualty questionnaires in the Missing Air Crew Report that the pilot & co-pilot held the plane steady while the crew bailed out about 15 miles east of Cologne, Germany and the plane blew up before the pilots could jump out.

The Radio Operator, Sgt Robert E. Wombold, was reported as wounded and was taken to a Hospital.

Individual Accounts of Crewmen Fates:

• Pilot - 2nd Lt Boettcher, Frank P. - Killed In Action.

• Co-pilot - F/O Walota, Edward L. - Killed In Action.

• Navigator - 2nd Lt Mitchell, Leonard U. POW at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Bombardier - 2nd Lt Francis, Robert L. POW at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Top Turret Gunner - M/Sgt Wilhoit, Buford POW at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Radio Operator - Sgt Wombold, Robert E. POW at Stalag 6G Bonn Rheinland, Prussia 50-07. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Waist Gunner - Sgt Jarois, Robert S. POW camp not listed in National Archives database. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Ball Turret Gunner - Sgt Westcott, Robert B. POW at Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

• Tail Gunner - Sgt Cook, Richard J. POW at Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12. Returned to Military Control, Liberated.

Burial Records: 

The burial records below courtesy of the American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov and findagrave.com

• Frank P. Boettcher, Burial: Plot: J, 14194, Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York

• Edward L. Walota, Burial: Plot: J, 14194, Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York

Let us remember these men and millions of others that suffered similar fates. War is not good.