12/2/43 Mission:
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): B-25's, A-20's, and RAF light bombers support ground forces in the Monte Trocchio area, and other B-25's, A-20's, and RAF and SAAF airplanes support ground forces near Sant' Ambrogio; more B-25's hit bridge and approaches near Chieti; fighters strafe trucks and trains while fighter-bombers blast gun positions along the US Fifth and British Eighth Army fronts, and hit harbors and shipping along the Yugoslav coast at or near Omis, Drvenicki, Trogir,Vrbnik, and Ston.
12/2/43 Italy
Hi Toots:
What a life! Ol’ dry run Stafford they calls him. Every time I get in a ship it seems they cancel the damn mission.
The latest poop is that I am to become a combat commander, whatever the hell that is. The idea is to have an experienced pilot on each 36 ship show who directs the thing, but doesn’t have to fly his ship. I’ve convinced them that this cooky is going to fly and command—I’ll be damned if I’ll ride as a passenger. In a big airplane, ok, but in one of these little stinkers there’s only room for one pilot—me.
My dear friend Thomas V.D. Potts is in the Squadron now, and unless he has some damn good reasons will find himself A.W.O.Loose for 6 days when I find him.
I sent you $250 through finance Dept. today.
No mail for a couple of days, although the men have been getting a few packages. I got one from service-men’s commission of Meth. Ch. G.E. today, enclosing 2 bars of soap and a prayer book. I guess they figure they’ll clean me one way or another. I shall write them and thank them.
Someone found two bottles of V.O. for me, and I shall have to rush up to the tent for a cocktail before supper. Then I can come back and study for two or three hours.
I get a big kick out of listening to BBC saying we’ve captured, for example, Castel Frentano as they announced a couple of days back. I can imagine what the means to the average listener because these towns, many of them at least, don’t even show on our maps. They might just as well just number all the towns and announce them that way.
[Castel Frentano, Italy]
Also interesting are the maps of the world, which show various ports, etc. One little port in Africa, which is shown in large letters on the map, consists of about 100 ft of wharf, 1 storehouse and a total population of about 1000 Arabs. It’s going to be great sport showing you these spots on the map and telling what is actually there.
Well, Honey, time to close. Snuggle up by the radio tonight and just imagine I’m there with my head in your lap. All my love. Your Cy.
P.S. 10 P.M. I still love you.