March 31, 1944

Dear Ronnie,

Today was much like yesterday -- -- waiting for something to happen. We refueled today and so did most of the other ships, so it looks as though the time for leaving is drawing pretty close. Most of the fellows feel that as long will we are in the invasion the sooner we get started the better, because then it will be over the sooner. I feel that way about it myself.

I didn't do very much all day except turn into a tin smith and make a sheet-metal cover for my storeroom's inventory list. We hung the list on the storeroom bulkhead so everyone would have access to it. The engineering officer wanted to know where we had gotten the hinge for the Cover because there wasn't supposed to be any such hinges left aboard. I told him we just found it.

I had the 12 to 4 watch and had to light off and secured the plant for fueling purposes. I started lighting off and a half hour later we were on their way. That's the best time we've ever made in getting the engine room ready for steaming. Someone was at fault though, because we are supposed to have at least an hour to warm up the plant. About two hours later we were finished fueling and received the order to secure. I got the plant secured fast because by that time we were off watch and doing it on our own time.

All my love,

Clyde

Preparing for D day

Since I was on a destroyer escort our letters were not highly censored.

May 28, 1944, Sunday.

Dear Ronnie,

It is a beautiful warm calm day here in the Belfast Harbour, but it seems that this is liable to be what they call the calm before the storm. The harbor is full of warships and they say that every port in Scotland and England is the same way. We have anchored close to us three battleships-the Texas, Arkansas, and the Nevada, four cruisers-the Quincy, the Marblehead, the Tuscaloosa, and the Wichita. In addition there are 21 destroyers and two destroyer escorts besides us. Besides that the limey's have four ships and the French a couple of ships. If every Great Britain port is as crowded with ships as this place is, it all adds up to one hell of a lot of ships and guns men.

May 29, 1944, Monday.

I stopped writing to go to a show. There were two pretty good pictures of which I enjoyed the first, "Good Morning Judge," best. It was a comedy with a theme of business woman falls in love and stops being a business woman. The second picture was a murder thriller and had a few good points, such as plenty of pretty girls.

A liberty party went ashore today with the choice of either Belfast or Bangor to be landed at. We are in Bangor Harbor, but both towns face the banks of this harbor. One fellow was going to see if he can send a telegram for me and a couple more said they would try to find a souvenir of some kind for me. Maybe I will get something out of the deal. Time will tell. The boys have to ride ashore in a liberty boat and liberty expires at 10 PM.

An electrician standing watch with me last night is one of the boys I went to boot camp with. He was telling me about the time he spent in Great Lakes and Portsmouth Naval prisons since I saw him last. He went over the hill for 11 days and spent 11 months behind bars because of it. The reason he went over the hill was because he got lonesome for his girlfriend. Kenny Kalbfresh wrote me that he got himself in a little jam out on the West Coast. He got so drunk assure that he overstayed his liberty and his to ship. He did some brig time, he says, and is now aboard a different ship.

I just finished washing all my clothes. It was a good hour's work getting all the dirt out. I'm glad to say the the clothes are now drying on our engine room wash line. Have to wash about once a week because if I leave them go any longer than that I don't have any clean clothes to wear.

We will be here probably another two or three days from the looks of things. We've been getting instructions in first aid and have been warned to get our life belts in shape to use. Our steaming watches are changed so that as soon as we get underway, we will be standing four on and four off. That's the condition between war cruising and general quarters, and by standing watches like that all guns will be manned if it would be necessary to call us to general quarters at the first show of trouble. I still stand my watch in the aft engine room, but no longer have charge of the watch. I'm only a second class and they are now two first class now in charge.

Love,
Clyde

August 20, 1998, Thursday

After breakfast a hotel taxi took me to the train station. The man was waiting with a cart. I let him look my bags on the card and showed him my train ticket. He took me to the right platform and stayed there until my Kraków train arrived. He carried my bags onto the correct car and to my reserved seat. I gave him a good tip. An airport it's easy to get directions from an English person but had a bus or train station there was almost no one spoke English.

The compartment I was in had five Polish people and myself. I asked the girl next to me if she was going to Kraków. She could speak a few English words and said, “yes.” We she got off so did I. The landscape was flat or slightly rolling. Or were small villages on the way. The land was producing all types of grain and produce and there were fruit orchards. The Polish farmers were putting their acreage to good use.

At the Kraków train platform a man wanted to take my bag. I wasn't sure whether he was supporter or taxi driver. He carried my bag up and down steps to the taxi stand. A taxi took me to the form hotel on the banks of the river across from the city center.

The hotel was modern, new, and busy. My room was very nice with a nice bathroom and a television with a couple of English-speaking stations. TNN had the latest world news.

The concierge told me what number bus could get me to old town. I joined a throng of sightseers and shoppers. One could spend many hours wandering about the shops. The one shop a woman said, “if you need help I speaks Polish and English.” She lived in Chicago and after her husband died she took her nine-year-old son back to her homeland. She had been born and raised in Kraków and thought it was nice to visit the place where she was born and raised. She would be glad to get back to the conveniences of America.

August 19, 1998, Wednesday

In the morning I rode a bus in the direction of the large market on the other side of the river. It again took two buses to get there. Two men from Holland warned me about pickpockets and about wearing a fanny bank because it was easy for anyone to cut the strap. There were many booths most of which had clothing for sale. The grounds were crowded with people. I worked my way between the booths. There were a few booths carrying souvenirs but that wasn't what the market was about. The people came to buy clothing and shoes at a bargain price. The market only stayed open in the morning and early afternoon while I was there many were boxing up their goods.

In the afternoon I rode a bus to the old town. They're the merchants were compared to sell to the tourists, who came from all over the world. There was much Amber-necklaces rings and ear rings. There were dolls, wood carvings, art paintings, outdoor restaurants and hotdog stands in the shadow of buildings. Some of the buildings dated back to the 13th century.

In the courtyard horse-drawn carriages were for hire. Surrounding the square were the beautiful old buildings, each with individual architectural style. It was a shame to think of bombs from the sky wrecking the special treasures many buildings had to be rebuilt after the war 85% of Warsaw was destroyed during the war much of it has been rebuilt

In the evening back at the hotel I prepared my luggage for the train ride to Kraków.

.

August 18, 1998, Tuesday

The buffet breakfast included in the room price was quite adequate with a variety of fruits and salad vegetables but no eggs cooked to order. As usual, I made myself a salad for lunch. At 945 a young good looking woman came into the lobby carrying a sign that said “city tour.” The van type tour bus and driver were waiting outside. The tour lady sat in the front seat by the driver and using a Mike explained that buildings and monuments as we drove along. Another woman from the hotel and myself were the only ones on board. It was interesting. We walked in old town and stopped at a shop for ice cream cones. Excellent ice cream! We entered St. John's Cathedral, which was destroyed along with 85% of Warsaw. But since the war it has been restored. On many of the bombed out buildings the restoration was continuing.

We went through the summer palace of King Augustus. We saw many priceless paintings and furnishings. And we went to the ghetto to see Memorial to honor the victims of the Holocaust. It was a pleasant three hours well spent.

The railroad station was not far from the hotel so in the afternoon I walked there to give my real ticket. They were about 15 ticket windows all busy. I didn't know which window to go to so I asked for help at the information desk. I didn't know which window to go to so I asked for help at the information desk. The men there rode out in Polish information I would need to get a ticket. The woman working with her computer issues be a ticket. I looked it over and thought the departure date was wrong. When I got the woman's attention I complained. She spit out a series of Polish words at me. A woman waiting in line behind me showed me where I was reading the date in the wrong place. I gave both when an apology a smile and they smiled back.

I tried writing in the afternoon I rode a bus to the Main market. My first bus turned off the way to the market so I got jumped off and climbed into another. At the market all the booths were closed without a soul around. I took a return bus back to the Sobieski hotel and walked a block to a restaurant with outside tables. The weather was good all day with no rain and warm enough to be comfortable. It was pleasant eating out in the open.

August 17, 1998, Monday

Most of Monday was spent on the bus from Tallin to Warsaw. Most of the passengers were young backpack people. Several were from Berlin, two girls were from Canada and some from Poland. There was a couple of Pols with their three-year-old daughter and an older Polish woman named Lydia, who spoke fairly good English and worked as a tour guide. She talked to me about giving me a private tour of Warsaw but it sounded too expensive. She did talk to my taxi driver about price and gave him my hotel name. It was difficult to communicate with taxi drivers. One driver took me to the airport after I told him to take me to the bus station. Another took me to the American embassy after I requested old town.

The bus driver was talkative but she didn't speak English. One girl or a sure where the Canadian logo. I asked her if she was a Canadian. She said no, only her shirt was Canadian. I never discovered what nationality she was.

The taxi ride to the Sobieski hotel was short and I thought too expensive. The hotel was a four-star hotel and had all the amenities of a good American hotel. At the tour desk I made arrangements to take the city tour in the morning.

On the ride south to Warsaw through the countryside we passed through miles of national forest in both Lithuania and Poland. There were interesting told him polls somewhat carved figures of local figures in folk costumes. The poles were intricately carved and some brightly colored.

The land was flat and was being cultivated for many crops. It appeared to be fertile and productive land. We saw almost none of the picturesque horse-drawn carts of the past. Modern machinery was in evidence everywhere. Some of it looked pretty old but serviceable.