22 Sep Furlough to Nice, France April 1, 1945
Wow, this is not an April Fool’s joke – Dad’s name was drawn out of a hat and voila! He’s on a train heading south for a 7 day vacation! What a lucky guy! Now I understand all the memorabilia that I found from the South of France in his personal effects. These letters are precious, and I have so many little odds and ends to share, that I will post one letter per day with pictures and souvenirs from his journey.
1 Apr 1945 V-Mail
Handwritten
I don’t believe it myself – but here I am in NICE, FRANCE!! The Riviera! Thurs night we were having a meeting, and about 9:30 PM, the (?) came in and sez we have one man going to leave 6:15AM Friday for a 7 day furlough – and out of a hat comes NEIBAUER! My laundry had not come back, I’d sent you most of my money – but I scraped around, borrowed everything from everybody, and here I am in as beautiful a spot as you’d ever see! Rode a truck down through Munchen – Glad – back to Aachen where we hopped a train for all the way here. It was first class, but even so, sitting up for 48 hours was pretty tiring. We came through Marseilles & Cannes (along the Med. Sea) and arrived here about 2:30 this afternoon. We’re in a huge hotel (3 men in my room) overlooking the whole city. Had a bath & shave and went down to a turkey dinner with waiters serving, lighting our cigs – etc! Tonight I went to what was the finest casino here (now the Red Cross Club) to see a French vaudeville show – had a few beers – and now 11:30 PM – home – very tired – to crawl between sheets! Oh me! Golly, but I wish you & Karen were here – I love you so
Rollie
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