Letters To Home - June 17, 1951

Schweinfurt, Germany
June 17, 1951

We left Mannheim at 6 a.m. Friday, got here in Schweinfurt about 4 p.m. We drove here in convoy, towing our howitzers, saw some very beautiful country. There are a number of mountains in this part of Germany. On top of some of the mountains are old castles. When I get my camera I'll take some color pictures.

The camp here is nicer than many colleges. We live here in large brick apartments with individual rooms. Six of us are in my room, but some rooms have just two or three people. I understand that this was an airfield for German fighters during World War II. Is now called Conn Barracks. We have hot-water heat, air conditioning, showers on both floors, beds with inner-spring mattresses, painted walls and wooden floors. The grounds are nicely landscaped.

We pay $2.00 a month to the Germans, and they pull KP for us. Pretty nice deal.

Last evening seven of us went into Schweinfurt. We ate at a gasthaus, the Gasthaus Paul. I had one of the best restaurant meals that I've ever eaten. Weinerschnitzel, salad, potato salad, coffee, and 3-litres of beer. Total cost was less than 20 marks. That's about $4.50 American. Weinerschnitzel is something like breaded veal.

The German beer you get in town is just about the best you can drink. It isn't like the stuff they sell at the PX. It's about the color of cider vinegar, a bit sweet, and very powerful. I think I'll be eating in town regularly.

We rode back to camp in a taxi that looked something like a 1947 Kaiser, but smaller. It ran almost too fast, and was comfortable. The Germans seem to make great cars.

I was looking at the prices in store windows. Clothes are quite expensive, but cameras and food are pretty cheap. A Leica camera sells for about $385.00 in the States, but over here you can get one for about $85.00.

We have a few Germans working in the kitchen. The food seems to have improved since they arrived. We don't have our individual cooks here at camp. The whole battalion eats in a combined mess. However, when we start border patrol, and start staying in the field for weeks at a time, our cooks will be back with us. The mess hall must have been for officers only during the war. It is beautiful, has marble floors, hard-wood panels on the walls, and pictures on the walls, too.

I hope you got all the letters I wrote while on the ship. I got 3 issued of the newspaper while in Mannheim, May 24, 25 and 26. The rest haven't caught up with me as yet.