Monday, December 29, 2014

LETTER 77 - 30 May 1945





































MY LITTLE NOTES:   Well, it looks like Uncle Louie is getting real close to shipping out soon. Glad to see all his friends are fine where they are stationed at.  I wonder who this Mystery Girl is from Florida! And I sure wish I had my Grandma's fudge recipe because it seems to be a hit with Uncle Louie and his buddies!

Maybe she used the fudge recipe that was on the Hershey Cocoa can (1936-1992).



Hershey's Cocoa Fudge & Old Fashioned Fudge

"Due to receiving so many requests regarding Hershey's Fudge recipes that people said were on the can, I wrote to Hershey's, and Hershey's Community Archives graciously sent me photocopies of the different labels that have appeared on the Hershey's Cocoa can from 1936 through 1992.
The fudge recipe on these can labels is basically unchanged during that period, except:
1) From 1941 to 1947 a recipe using corn syrup was on the label. In 1947, the recipe changed back to an all sugar version. After this, the recipe stayed basically the same through 1992.
2) In 1947, when the recipe reverted to an all-sugar version, the ingredient quantities, but not the ingredients used, were changed from the 1936 version. The instructions changed slightly in 1974.
3) There is no fudge recipe using cream of tartar or black walnuts, per se, on any of the labels. If any such recipe was ever issued by Hershey's, it must have been in a magazine ad or a recipe pamphlet, not on the can. If you have proof otherwise, please send me a scan of the proof. The only compelling proof that I can think of would be a scan of an actual Hershey's can label. An individual's memory or a notation in someone's recipe book would not be compelling proof. Note that the 1941 to 1947 recipe called for nuts, but not black walnuts.
4) Hershey's other cocoa product, called "Hershey's Instant Cocoa Mix", also came in a can that had recipes on the label. This product was sold as a convenient beverage mix, for making hot cocoa or cold chocolate milk. It contained cocoa, sugar and vanilla, so that you didn't have to mix these ingredients yourself to make cocoa or chocolate milk. The fudge recipe on the labels of this product in the fifties and sixties is a basic milk-sugar-butter fudge. Still no cream of tartar or anything much different from a basic fudge recipe. It's basically the same as on the Hershey's Cocoa can, with adjustments made for the sugar and vanilla already in the mix."
(Source from hungrybrowser.com)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

LETTER #76 - 17 MAY 1945








































MY LITTLE NOTES:    Not much since the last recent letter.  Uncle Louie is still waiting word for his furlough which should be soon.  Many of his squadron team have shipped out overseas already, but he is "stuck" there teaching in the Radar School.  I like his reference to a fellow "Dane". Interesting he mentioned that and wondered who he was....

AIR CORPS TACTICAL SCHOOL, MAXWELL FIELD, ALA. MAP PROBLEM ROOM WWII

Airborne Interception Radar WWII

Radar combat WWII


Thursday, September 25, 2014

LETTER #75 - 6 MAY 1945








































My Little Notes:  Well it seems that cigarettes in 1945 are a hot commodity!  He was sure relieved to see his Dad got the cigarettes.  It was sweet he remembered his brother's birthday and sent money to give him a gift.  Tommy's (my Dad) birthday was May 22 and he would be 14 in 1945.  Also, great to hear he heard from many of his friends Al, Ward and Ray.  And quite impressive he is in charge of all the radar men too.

Link to an excerpt for a comedy short called "What, No Cigarettes?" (1945)   Pretty funny!

Link to the song, "A Story of Two Cigarettes" Vaughn Monroe & his Orchestra (1945) Sweet nostalgic song and old photos of the era.  Beautiful song and vintage photos of the day. 

Click on this link for an article called "Smoke em if you got em", about WWII and Americans love of cigarettes

Camels - 1943
Camels - 1946
Chesterfield - 1945

Lucky Strike - 1946





Monday, September 15, 2014

LETTER #74 - 1 MAY, 1945 FROM CPL ALVIN LLOYD








































My Little Notes:    This is surprisingly the first letter we see from Alvin Lloyd.  We have heard about him through Louie's letters.  If you recall, they were stationed together in training at several bases.  While at Truax Field in Madison in the summer of 1944, Louie brought Alvin home with him to his family in Chicago while on furlough for a weekend (See letter #33).  Letter #34 is the letter from Alvin's mother thanking Louie's mom for her hospitality for her son.  We will see 4 more letters from Alvin.  This is the only letter we see from Al being with the 451st Bombardment Group.  This group was activated on May, 1, 1943 and deactivated on September 26, 1945.

451st Bombardment Group Website

The 451st Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators and was stationed at Castellucio, Italy.
The 451st Bomb Group consisted of the following organizations:
724th Bomb Squadron725th Bomb Squadron726th Bomb Squadron727th Bomb Squadron

History of the 451st Bomb Group 

(Source:  http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/451st_Bombardment_Group.html)

The 451st Bombardment Group was a B-24 Liberator group that was based in Italy during 1944-45 and took part in the strategic bombing campaign as well as providing some support for the tactical air force in Italy.

The group was activated on 1 May 1943 and trained with the B-24. It was one of six B-24 groups that were originally expected to reach the Fifteenth Air Force by the end of December 1943. Only three of these groups arrived on time, including the 451st, although the group didn't officially arrive at its first Italian base until mid January 1944.

The group's main job was to take part in the strategic bombing campaign across Europe. It ranged across most of southern Europe, hitting targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece. It attacked industrial targets, oil refineries, aircraft factories and other strategic targets.

From time to time the group took part in tactical operations to directly support the fighting on the ground.

On 29 March 1944 the group took part in the Fifteenth Air Force's first 'thousand ton' raid, part of Operation Strangle, the attempt to isolate the German front line in Italy.

On 17 May 1944 the group was one of ten B-24 groups to attack the Italian harbours of Piombino, San Stefano and Porto Ferraio (Elba), part of a wider effort to support the advance on Rome.

In August 1944 the group was used to support Operation Dragoon, the invasion of the south of France.

In September 1944 it was even used as a transport unit, flying supplies to isolated positions in Italy.

In April 1945 the group helped support the final Allied advances in northern Italy that ended with the surrender of the German armies in the country. 
(Note: the timeframe the letter was written from Alvin.)

The group received three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first came for an attack on the aircraft factory at Regensburg on 25 February 1944, the second for a raid on oil refineries and marshalling yards at Ploesti on 5 April 1944 and the third for an attack on a German airfield at Vienna on 23 August 1944. On each occasion the group reached its target despite heavy German fighter opposition.

The group returned to the United States in June 1945 and was inactivated on 26 September 1945.

Capt. Clayton E. Evans, CO of 727th Bomb Squadron

Castelluccio Field Italy in May 1944.













Castelluccio, Italy 

Castelluccio, Italy

Thursday, July 17, 2014

LETTER #73 - 24 APRIL 1945



Cartoon that Uncle Louie included in his letter.

My Little Notes:  Well sounds like he will be wrapping up his training soon.  I still have 5 more letters from Pope Field (where he is now) before he ships out.  Looks like in June, 1945 he will be leaving.  He also mentions about his friend Al (Alvin Lloyd).  We will hear from him again very soon, in fact the next letter blog will be from Alvin.  I am thinking his furlough will be in June too.  Uncle Louie is correct in that he will be going to the Pacific Theater.

The cartoon with the cat being kicked out was included in this letter that he sent.  Perfect description of how his Dad probably felt about more cats in the house!







Thursday, June 26, 2014

LETTER #72 - 15 APRIL 1945 TO HIS KID BROTHER, TOM



My Little Notes:  I love all the big brother advice!  Being over a 5 year span between them, can definitely make a difference.  He does give good advice though. Not sure why my Dad did not go to Lane Tech, but I know that he went to Steinmetz High School for two years and then to Washburne Trade School as mentioned in the previous post. My Dad stayed with his carpentry skills pretty much throughout his life like his father did.

Yes, it definitely was an untimely death for President Roosevelt with WWII still going on. Just 16 days later Benito Mussolini was captured and executed; 2 days after that Adolf Hitler commits suicide; and on May 8, 1945 Victory in Europe is declared.  Also, interesting they declared a Day of Mourning for the President...something I did not realize. 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies April 12, 1945.

Chicago Newspaper Front Page

The Newspaper talks about Day of Mourning, probably the day my Dad had no school.

Death of a president link

This Day in History, FDR dies

1945 WWII Timeline Link

Monday, June 16, 2014

LETTER #71 - 3 APRIL 1945




















My Little Notes:  Seems like Uncle Louie was quite impress with the recent care package!  He talks about my Dad and his parents wanting to send him to a school in St. Louis.  I am guessing it was an Art School or a Technical School.  Lane Tech in Chicago is a technical college prep high school that he also mentions.  My Dad went to neither.  He ended up going to Steinmetz High School where Uncle Louie did; however, my Dad only went to High School for 2 years and dropped out (pretty common back then).  He did enroll and went to Washburne Trade School where he was learning his carpenter skills (like his father's profession).  In January, 1951 he enlisted in the US Navy in the Seabees.




Uncle Louie also mentions about plane crashes and one fatality as one man fell 10,000 feet.  I could not find anything on this, but there is a cemetery at Fort Bragg and it was customary at the time that any accidents that occurred there, the soldier would be buried there.

He also talks about his friend Al is in Europe (European Theater) and he thinks he will end up in China.  I am not sure about China, but Uncle Louie will serve in the Pacific Theater.


History of Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery according to Find-A-Grave website:
"Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery was established during the 1918 influenza pandemic for interments of civilian workers (most Puerto Rican) whose remains, for a number of reasons, could not be shipped home. Between the wars the post was an artillery base, and the cemetery was mainly used for the burial of dependents. In 1940 Fort Bragg was designated as a Selective Service Reception Station, and in 1942 Fort Bragg and nearby Camp Mackall became major airborne training sites. A number of interments from that period were from training accidents, but there are also several German POWs buried here (Row 26) who either died accidentally or from disease. After the war, the cemetery took on its main responsibility as a veterans' cemetery for the central North Carolina area. The cemetery was closed to new interments after the nearby Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake was established in the 1990s."

Link to Find-A-Grave memorials from Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

LETTER #70 - 22 MAR 1945 TO HIS FATHER































My Little Notes:  I think it was very sweet that he wanted to buy an Easter Corsage for his mother.  I remember Easter was such a big thing for those big orchid corsages for the Mothers and Grandmothers!  He sent this letter on March 22 and Easter that year was on April 1, 1945, so he planned it well.  I sure hope she got one!  And also very thoughtful that if there was enough money left to get a "Big Easter Egg" for his brother!  He also mentions about the radio again and how he built and painted a new cabinet for it.


1940s photo of Ladies and their corsages.

Corsage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the flower bouquet. For the article of clothing on which the flower was originally worn, see Corsage (bodice).
Prom wrist corsages
Consideration is often given to selecting similar colors for the corsage as in the outfit.
corsage /kɔrˈsɑːʒ/ is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or worn around her wrist to a formal occasion, traditionally purchased by the woman's date. Corsages are now most commonly seen at Prom or similar events.
Originally named after the French word for the bodice of a dress to which it was attached, they were originally thought to be lucky or ward off evil spirits [1] It has become a customary practice and a demonstration of affection from a date. It is thought that originally the gentleman would bring a gift of flowers for the parents of his date, and would select one flower to give to his date which would then be carried or attached to her clothing.[2]
  • In some countries, corsages are worn by the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom at a wedding ceremony.[3]
  • The flower(s) worn on a young woman's clothing or wrist for the homecoming celebration or other formal occasions such as prom in some schools around the world.




Portable radio styles in the 1940s.


Zenith Portable Radios, 1940s.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

LETTER #69 - 15 MAR 1945





My Little Notes:  I was pretty excited to find this paper article with the letter!  Very interesting to see the pictures and for him to show his parents and brother.  I am assuming this is from the military base newspaper.  Not much else to add.  Sounds like he is enjoying his new radio and riding in Jeeps!  Great that he is still in touch with his Army buddy, Al.  Plus, with Spring approaching soon, warm weather will be there soon enough....with the heat and big bugs!