Ergerthausen, Germany
September 7, 1945
Dear Mother, Dad, &
Girls,
I got to thinking it over this morning and I decided that
if I didn’t get busy and write home to my family, I wouldn’t be getting anymore
letters from them at all. I have been getting quite a bit of mail here the last
week, from you all. I got our package with the hair oil and aftershave lotion
and things. I was sure glad to get those things, thanks a million. It’s been so
long since I have seen any of that aftershave lotion that I am almost afraid to
use it, it looks so good. I just sit around and look at it. Here this last
week, I have been in to Munich again on a 48 hour pass. I was lost most of the
time as usual but I had fun in spite of it all. I have got to where I know
which street car to catch to go where I want to go. I had to learn the hard way
though. At first I thought I was really doing something to get on one of them
and ride free but somehow I always ended up way out in the country at the end
of the line and had to walk back. The pass that I would really like to get is
the one up into Switzerland. One or two of the boys have been up there and say
it is the most beautiful sights that they ever seen in their lives. You really
have to be lucky to draw one of those passes up there.
We drew new over coats and winter under-wear this morning
so it looks like we will be over here this winter. I don’t expect to be back
before next Feb or March anyway. If I knew that I would be on my way by then I
would be happy. Oh well, there isn’t too much hurry any way. I don’t know what
in the devil I am going to do when I get out of the army. I still have a long
time to think it over though. I could go to school on the army but I don’t
think that I could get anything out of it. I doubt if I will ever get to go to
school that I put in my application for. The army does a lot of talking but
doesn’t do anything about it. If I could just get the knack of running some of
this big machinery like a crane, cat, or blade like you used to run Dad or
learn how to weld I would be alright. Radios is a good trade but hell I don’t
know enough about radios to fix broken radios. All I ever did learn was just
how to operate them using voice and this Morse code. Oh of course I have fixed
my own radios here in the army like put in a new fuse or new tunes when they
burned out but I don’t know nothing about the wiring. I like farming but it
takes so damn much to get a start in it and if things doesn’t go just right you
are ruined and another drawback is the way your money comes in all at once. If
a guy had enough to run him from one year to the next and not be without all
the time it wouldn’t be so bad. SO I don’t know just what the heck to do when I
get out of the army. I wouldn’t mind farming when I get a little older. The
government will help you make loans up to two thousand dollars and pays half of
the loan for you but I don’t like that much. I think that I will look things
over when I get back before I decide. If I could get a good job some place I
would take it. Damn if there was more money in the army I might even stay in it
for a while but it would have to be quite a bit so I wouldn’t worry if I were
you Mama. Ha. Dad, I wish you would write me a letter and give me your advice
and what you would try to do if you were in my place. Give me the situation as
to how the chances of getting a good job would be and your opinion of things. I
can tell you one thing else too. This old boy isn’t about to get himself
married for a long time (At least several years) when I get back to civilian
life until I see whether or not I’m going to amount to anything or not or else
find a gal that will make all the living ha or I may even go down into Oklahoma
and marry one of those rich sqaws. I have gave that some thought here lately.
I ironed a little this morning and have got some clothes
to wash sometime today. I have found an old German tailor in a little village a
couple of miles away that I am going to get to do my washing and ironing form
here on. We have three German girls here that comes every day and cleans up our
barracks. Boy they really work too. They sweep and scrub the floors every day
and all they get out of the deal is just their three meals a day but they are
glad to do it. Oh yea something new has just came out. We hunters must have
deer hunting licenses to hunt form here on out and out limit is one deer a day
but only one elk per year. I don’t think the licenses will cost us anything.
They army issues them to us and all we have to do it put in for them. We aren’t
supposed to hunt them with our automatic rifle but heck I am. We are supposed
to use these German rifles to hunt them with. Heck a deer can’t hardly get away
with these guns we have. They fire eight shots quicker than you can bat an eye.
You ask how many points that I have now. I have 64 and another
five points as soon as our fifth battle star is made official. That is a little
on the short end but I will get out in time. Most of the boys in this outfit
all has between 60 and 70 points.
After reading so much in the papers about the way the
Japs treated the American prisoners I don’t know whether Johnny can be alive or
not. It looks like Aunt Lilly would have heard something by now. Of course a
lot of the prisoners haven’t been got to yet and there is still a chance. I
don’t see why they put all the things in the papers of how the prisoners were
treated and killed it just makes the Mother suffer that much worse even if her
son does come home from the prison camps. I do hope that Johnny does come
through for Aunt Lillie’s sake or she is apt to go crazy.
Say I would like to be there and help you eat some of
those big watermelons. I guess there was a lot of them in the valley there this
season. Well one of these days we will have a farm again Dad and raise some
melons of our own. Say a hedge would look nice out in front of the house there
by the sidewalk wouldn’t it. Didn’t there used to be a hedge along there at one
time Mama? Say Dad, I want you to be looking around for a deal on a new car
cause about next summer or next fall we should get us a new one, what do you
think?
Mama, here is a little pin that I got in Munich. I guess
you wear it on your dress. I wish I could get you all something nice from Munich
but there isn’t anything there to buy. There isn’t anything there much but
ruins. Well I’ve got to stop for this time and write to the girls and to
Rosalie.
Love to all,Your son,
Max
P.S.
– I’m going to have to scratch the label off that bottle of after-shave lotion.
It says 50% alcohol and I am afraid that one of the boys will see it and drink
it. Not that it will hurt them, but I don’t want to lose the lotion. Ha.
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