France

November 2, 1944

Dear Johnny,

Thanks for your letter of some time back. Don't worry about me taking any chances. My biggest worry is that I'll be so fat I can't duck when the shells come whizzing by.

Too much orange marmalade, I guess. And the Colonel's orderly had a splurge of biscuit and pie baking that was really scrumptious. Among others he made some truly delicious apple pie. Unfortunately, now he is ill, but perhaps I'll have a chance to regain my sylph-like figure. Now my trousers are bursting at the seams again. Of course I attribute it to my pants having shrunk the last time they were washed, but my rounded figure is hardly convincing.

Now that the weather is getting so cold, a little fat comes in handy. Together with the wool sweaters we've just been issued, I keep quite comfortable. The sweaters button high around the neck and look like 1890 but they really are warm.

Had a laugh the other day. One of our company OP's (Observation Post) was getting quite a few visitors, a few of them officers fairly new to combat.

The company ran out of officer guides and sent some platoon runners who were getting fed up with it. One officer peered anxiously out of the OP and asked "Where are the Germans? I can't see any."

"They're out there" said the guide, waving his hand vaguely in the general direction. "But where are they?" pressed the visitor. "Why, they're dug in, but they're all out there" answered the guide.

"They are! All of them?" The visitor was wide-eyed. "Well, no," said the runner dryly. "Some of them are on the Russian front."

I'm sending you an article from the Stars and Stripes some weeks ago. It mentions K Company, one of our companies. The article is somewhat distorted, but interesting.

Love,

Bob