5/11/43 Mission:
In Tunisia, Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) fighters and A-20's attack vehicles, gun positions and troop concentrations in the Zaghouan-Sainte-Marie du Zit area and on Cap Bon as the British 4 Division completes an uneventful sweep around the Cap Bon peninsula, revealing no important forces there. Resistance in the Zaghouan sector weakens.From:http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto43a.html
5/12/43 Mission:
In Tunisia, Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) fighters, A- 20's,and medium bombers fly sweeps and tactical reconnaissance over the battle area and hit positions S of Bou Ficha which form the last link between the enemy forces and the sea. By night, enemy resistance in the S is almost ended. Enemy troops, including Colonel-General Jurgen von Arnim, Commander-in-Chief, Army Group Africa, are surrendering en masse. From: http://www.milhist.net/usaaf/mto43a.html
5/13/43 Mission:
In Tunisia, the Tunisian campaign ends with the surrender of Marshall Giovanni Messe, commander of Axis forces in Africa.
5/14/43 North Africa
Hi Toughy:
What’s cooking? There isn’t much doing here for me and as usual when I don’t have enough work to do, I am getting lonesome as hell. I haven’t gotten any mail for about a week, so that doesn’t help matters much.
I guess there isn’t any harm talking about things that are on the radio all over the world. The reports show over 150,000 prisoners, most of which are German. Boy, that must make Adolph happy. I’m off the main drag for most things, but I’ve never seen so many ex-soldats in my life. This will go down in military history as the straw that broke the Nazi back, as well as one of the most brilliant examples of cooperation. It took three nationalities to do it. The radio says we have lost only 2% of supplies to subs, which is also a new record. It ought to be over any year now.
Honey, I’m damned sick and tired of war. I want only to live with you again, and work hard. This petty jealousy between some of the minor self styled big shots which permits no man but the one involved to ever be right is most disgusting. Of course, the caliber is improving, but there is much to be desired. Boy, will it be nice to get a tough engineering job and be able to deal with laws and figures rather than opinion which does not have to be proven correct. I rely more and more on working out stock engineering problems to keep my mind off of some of the tripe that goes on. The beauty of science is that even the wildest guess work can eventually be proven, one way or the other.
Stars and stripes says we can get packages now without consent of the high and mighty. Please send me a copy of a good radio engineering handbook. Call either Don Hayworth or Obie to find out what the best one now is. It will probably still be Henney. It will cost 10 bucks or so, but will be worth it in review value. Also, ship me a fountain pen. Please don’t delay, as I shall be through with my review of the Mechanical Engineer (Marks handbook) in about another month, which will be before you can get me the other at best.
I guess I got in on the tail end of this band-wagon. But I am glad to no end that I did, for I am in an organization, rather than just being a replacement pilot as the rest of the old gang are. Also, I feel that I earned my campaign ribbon. I’ll even wear the yellow one now, but I certainly didn’t feel like wearing that one little yellow ribbon. Of course, there are a hell of a lot of people over here who will be authorized to wear the African ribbon who didn’t get any closer to Jerry than to read about him in Stars and Stripes. But I guess that can’t be helped.
A more than usually reliable source today said the ex OM, [Van Leuven] being one of the chosen few, could therefore not be relieved as such. So the only other alternative was to dissolve the command! Now isn’t that a hot piece of logic? I’m afraid that is actually what happened, and I believe I mentioned it once before as a possibility. Undoubtedly there were other more sane reasons. His reputation has followed him over, and I found today that every effort was made to relieve him before he left.
Hey, snooks, send me the APO’s of any of these people who you hear are over here. If I know the APO, I can locate them. But telling me that Myron is over here in ack-ack doesn’t help much, as there is undoubtedly a hell of a lot of it. Also, find the name of the unit.
Honey, I don’t have the slightest idea what to do about our anniversary. This ought to get to you by then. That was one day I didn’t want to be away from you ever, I guess it just can’t be helped. I don’t think we ought to go out and spend a lot on it, for it will mean more to us later. But go buy yourself a new dress or something and wear it just for me. Maybe the pillowcases will get there in time for the anniversary, even if I missed your birthday. The French cook books should also arrive some day.
Lots of love to my little Marfy. Cy