Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, January 20, 1945

Well honey, here I am some where in France. The country here is mountainous and very beautiful. Seems no different in many ways than the good old U.S.A. From our camping site we can see for miles in practically every direction. The weather has been very disagreeable so far with freezing snow and rain. Needless to say it is very uncomfortable sleeping in pup tents. After this ordeal I will surely never complain about food or sleeping quarters although our food here of late has been good. The first few days we had canned beef hash for breakfast, dinner and supper. Watson and I are bunking together in the tent. We gathered some twigs with heavy foliage for a mattress and covered the floor with paper or rather I mean the ground. We made our blankets into a bed roll and sleep with all our clothes on except shoes. So far have managed to keep fairly warm. This country is very rocky so we have quite a few stoves built around the tents. Wood for burning is of course very scarce so have to scour the timber to find some.

We have seen many buildings badly damaged by either bombs or artillery. The people here seem very glad to see the Americans in fact one lady ran along side of our truck and gave us a bottle of wine. They are also very anxious to get American cigarettes, many even pick up the butts and use the tobacco for pipes. We had to exchange our money for Franc’s. They are worth about 2¢ ea so I have a pocket full of money now. So far I haven’t had a chance to spend any but hope to get a chance to go to town some time soon. Would give most any thing for a nice hot bath at present time. Many of the homes here are very beautiful, most are built of stone, cement and stucco. The city we came through looks very much American in fact its hard to realize you are in a foreign country. The war news here sounds very encouraging. the past few days and I hope Russia can continue to move forward. I for one would certainly not be disappointed if it should end before our arrival. I haven’t received any mail from you since our arrival but learn there will be plenty once it catches up with me. Will certainly seem wonderful to hear from you. Well honey, I must close for now but will try and write again soon. Keep your chin up darling. Give my regards to all.