August 4, 1945

Egling, Germany

August 4, 1945

Dear Mother, Dad, & Girls:

           I have been sitting here for the last thirty minutes listening to the radio and wondering what in the devil I was going to write about. There isn’t too much to write about from around here. I was on guard all night last night at one of our guard posts guarding about two hundred trucks and cars that the 19^th German army left here when the war was over. We are keeping the civilians from stealing them. I have been sleeping all morning and we are off this afternoon. I think another kid and I will go to the show later on this evening. They are having a USO show in Munich tonight too but I would rather see a picture show.

            How are you all there? All well I hope. I guess the house is nearly finished by now. Here is two pictures that one of the boys took of me in June on a German bomber, I just got them back yesterday. I have got another roll of pictures to be developed if I can ever think to turn them in. Two red-cross girls came around here right after dinner and served us coffee and donuts. They come around every so often and serve us and play records.

            Two days ago, one of my best buddies was killed while he was on one of the guard posts. One of the other boys accidentally shot him. It sure seems funny that a guy can go through a war and have to get killed like that. I guess his Mother will take it pretty hard now. She probably thought that now that the war was over that her son was safe. He was twenty-six years old and from Oklahoma. We had his funeral here yesterday.

            I guess we will be spending the winter around this area. We hauled wood for two days out of the hills this last week, and stacked it up ready to use later on. You can sure haul a lot of wood in a trip with twelve trucks. The wood was already cut and in cords. All we had to do was go get it. I think sometime next week, we will move to a different village here close. We have found a little better place to live in another little village about three miles from here. I think I will write a little note to Rosalie and quit for today. I hope everything is alright at home.

Lots of love to all,
Your son,
Max.