In his letter on this day, Bill writes about the new barracks, along with the improved recreational facilities, he has moved to as a result of his reassignment to the 79th Infantry Battalion. He also notes that he will try to telephone them [his parents] in the afternoon. He then comments that the beautiful California sunshine has broken, and now it is raining.
Meanwhile, on the same day in Leipzig his cousin, Renate, was still numb from the Allied bombing the day before. She describes the destruction of the city and homes. And then, out of nowhere, her father appears. After hearing of the bombing he had left his post in Schweidnitz Silesia, some 350km east of Leipzig, as there was no other way to find out the status of his family. Witnessing the destruction, and feeling the terror, they all finally accepted that they should move to Sonneberg to escape the bombing. Although just about 200km from Leipzig, the journey to Sonneberg was a full-day ride on slow, crowded trains.
Leave a Reply