Letters To Home - June 27, 1951

Schweinfurt, Germany
June 27, 1951

The weather turned cold yesterday, after a hard rain, and has been cold and cloudy all day. Seems a bit warmer this evening. We're all hoping that it rains all this week, but clears next week, because we're going on maneuvers. The scuttle-butt said we'd be staying in barracks there, but no, it will be two-man pup tents. The gunner and I are going to stock up on food to take with us. One never knows what may happen in the field, and we probably won't be near any towns for the three weeks.

The conditions here are just about as good as in the States. Schweinfurt was a large, ball-bearing center during World War II, was heavily bombed, with very heavy losses, by the American air force. The town seems to be practically re-built by now. There aren't as many bicycles here as there were in Mannheim; many motor cycles and Volkswagans. I rode in a Volkswagan last night; very nice little car. It rides better than you would think, and visibility from the driver's seat is fine. The army is using them for messenger cars, and for some officers.

The railroad here doesn't seem to be as good as the one we rode from Bremerhaven. I guess the Germans don't use turn-tables, because they seem to run the engines forward to wherever they are going, then run them in reverse on the trip back. The engine, though, seems to be able to run as fast backwards as forwards. The tracks are located just behind our barracks, but the trains are very noisy. The engineers don't use their whistles as much as you would think they would. The engines have two headlights, just like an automobile.

There is quite a bit of grass here at camp. Instead of using troops with lawn mowers to keep the grass cut, the army lets a shepherd take over. About twice a week the shepherd brings his three dogs, and about 100 sheep in, and they stay all day. The dogs are quite intelligent, interesting to watch. No sheep gets a chance to stray off.

We also have some quite large rabbits on the post. They seem much larger than the ones at home. And, there are also many ravens around in the mornings. They look like our crows, but much bigger, and make more noise then our crows. Lots of purple martins (I think), and something that looks like a large wren.

I can't think of a thing that I really need right now, unless it would be steel wool. We have wooden in-laid floors, and the only way to really clean them is to brush out the foot prints with steel wool. Everything else I can get either at the PX or in town.

Cigarettes I don't need because everyone gets a carton and a half every week. Pall Malls sell the best on the black market, which is why they are very hard to get.

Going to chow soon, so will close. Please write soon.