Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, July 31, 1945

No mail again today honey and I am about ready to tear out my hair. Seriously tho, I am not much surprised with our moving and all the hub-bub. We got into Hallein about 1:00 PM and immediately set up our station and made a mad dash getting our clothes and junk into our rooms. Sgt. Jessen and I share the same room. It is very large with two single beds. Being on the corner it has four large windows, two on the North and two on the east. We have no running water in the room but do have some in the hallway. We also have two wash stands complete with basins and pitchers and electric lights. The building looks fairly nice from the outside but it very old. The floor in our room is partially covered but the other is made of 12” planks that are scrubbed and sanded until they are practically white. Our station is on the first floor and is in what was formerly a beer parlor. It is quite nice and clear and looks very modern or quite similar to the beer halls in the states. There are only six of us in this building and the remainder of the Co. is   spread out all over the town. This is a very picturesque old city, they say about 750 years old and with a population of approximately 8000. Many of the streets are very narrow and all the buildings are of old stone and element. The Salza River flows through the center of the city which is the same river that splits Salzburg in half. They also have a very large salt mine here as well as one of their famous underground factories which I hope to get to visit. Some of the infantry boys say it was an airplane factory, that it is very large and that they have machinery and equipment of every type in there.

The weather has been rainy and cold today and its beginning to look as though we may have a siege of same for a week or so. I am plenty happy that we are again inside billets where we can at least keep dry. When in the tent our clothes were always wet with dampness every morning and in this cool weather it is like wrapping yourself in an ice pack.

I am inclosing a clipping from our Stars & Stripes showing the location of all the divisions over here. I thought perhaps it may give you a better picture of where we now are.

Honey you asked in your letter if I had sent mother any snapshots. I havn’t, so would appreciate your sending her any duplicates you may have. I still have a few duplicates of some I sent you which I will inclose when next I write her. Now that we are back in billets again I want to catch up on my correspondence. I have more or less been letting it slide while living in the field.

Well darling it is now 10:30 and I am really tired after moving today so think I better say “Goodnite” —