01/10/1945

France
Jan 10 1945

Dear Ralph

Just got a long letter from “Flora” giving the latest dope on what’s going on back there.

Right now I at the Reg Hq. driving for the 100th liason officer. This place is located in a small town way in these hills & it’s colder here than where our battalion is staying. I drive to the battalion every morning through probably the most beautiful scenic driveway in all France. We also go into town practically everyday & about now I’m getting to know the town pretty well.

These French aren’t too traffic concious so you have to be pretty careful in town with all the bicycles & pedestrians having the right of way. The civilian drivers pay no heed at blind street corners for they come shooting right out. No wonder many of them

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get into crack-ups. It’s no sense we hitting them for the Frenchmen is never wrong.

They got a lot of FFIs around here but I don’t know what good they are back in the rear. It doesn’t take too much to be a infantry soldier & these guys can fill in a lot to overcome the losses the American Infantry is taking up there.

At least I can say that this is the best & mildest winter I spent since leaving Hawaii. Out here the skies have been clear practically all the time all winter though up North they tell me it’s cloudy & cold with plenty of snow. The 442 can be thankful that we spent such a short time fighting up there. Now most of the boys are

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sleeping in houses or dugouts & most of us here in the rear have got heaters in the room with electric lights. Of course them guys on line have not quite the same deal but they come down quite often to bathe & go on passes.

Women, the towns are just fithly with them & also plenty of cognac, wine & beer to drink.

The battalion have a dance every week & the bars are open every night where the drunkards can dance & pick up dames to shack up for the night. With the food situation as bad as it is many of the dames can be gotten with rations.

Well, that all

So long, Brother
Saburo