Letters To Home - April 16, 1952

Schweinfurt, Germany
April 15, 1952

The airplane ride came off today in good shape, even though it was a bit hazy and the air was rough. The whole battalion went up in 39 Fairchild C-82 and C-119 transports, and the formation was really something to see. They took off in groups of four; our group was the second in a group, and the other three were almost close enough to touch, or so it seemed. Just before we took off, everyone was issued a parachute. The pilots decided we might as well see the sights, so they left both back doors open. That way we could see almost all of the formation. Sam Young took quite a few pictures from the doorway, so I'll get some from him.

The whole flight took an hour and a half. We went up over Frankfurt and back, and then circled Wurzburg three of four times. The air was pretty rough in spots, a few of the guys got air-sick, but, all-in-all, it was lots of fun.

The weather is still warm. We had a hard thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, but things stayed warm.

When we drove to the airport today, we took the tops off all the trucks, and the ride was nice. I was surprised to see how much the crops have grown. The last time I was around Wurzburg it was in February, and nothing was growing. Now, the potatos seem to be up about a foot, along with the grain. Looks like a good year for the farmers.

It's been a rough day, so I'm going to turn in. I'll write soon.