Area of operations.
Thursday, April 8, 1943
Do some firing, rifles, machine guns, for practice.
Saturday, April 10, 1943
Send $50 home.
Saturday, April 17, 1943
Pick up 18th Inf. and stay all nite with them.
Sunday, April 18, 1943
Camp with Inf. in LaCalle vicinity.
Monday, April 19, 1943
Take 18th Inf. beyond Beja.
Tuesday, April 20, 1943
Pull into new bivouac area near Tabarka. Haul around here from LaCalle to Beja, etc. Play ball, go swimming, don't work so terrible hard.
Modern day Tabarka, Tunisia [courtesy: www.lexicorient.com]
Friday, April 30, 1943Turn in our bayonets.
Saturday, May 1, 1943
Some boys have their barracks bags stolen. We have close order drill.
Sunday, May 2, 1943
We start wearing leggings again. [Editor's note: The canvas leggings were not popular among soldiers, but was ordered by Lt. General George S. Patton, who took command of the II Corps, of which Howard was a part, in the spring of 1943.]
Monday, May 3, 1943
American forces take Mateur.
U.S. forces marching on Mateur, Tunisia. [courtesy: www.history.army.mil]
Friday, May 7, 1943
American forces on outskirts of Bizerte.
Saturday, May 8, 1943
Tunis and Bizerte fall.
Monday, May 10, 1943
We move to Mateur and start hauling from German ration dump.
WAR UPDATE: May 12, 1943. Surrender of Axis forces in North Africa.
Wednesday, May 12, 1943
We have to stand reveille the first time in a long while. War in Africa officially ends at 8:10 a.m. May 12, 1943.
I wrote this letter home on the day the war in North Africa ended. I still couldn't say much, as you can tell by the censored letter. I was correct in thinking the censor wouldn't like it. (click to enlarge)
True Story: An American had been captured by the Germans. He was in a prison camp in Tunis and was released when the Germans surrendered. This American said one day, when he was prisoner, a German officer was marching a bunch of them down the street. An Arab was standing there watching the prisoners go by and he spit on the American. The American socked the Arab a good one and knocked him flat. The officer in charge halted the detail right there and walked up to the American and shook his hand.
Another letter home. This time the censor allowed me to say I've seen lots of prisoners. (click to enlarge)
Sunday May 16, 1943
Haul 39th Inf. to near Constantine.
Tuesday, May 18, 1943
Truck rolls over (not my truck) and kills half a dozen infantry boys.
Thursday, May 20, 1943
Just got back from last trip.
A souvenir from a German prisoner, a Zwei Reichsmarck, exchanged for a cigarette.
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