April 19, 1945 is a turning point and you can feel it.
For Solly, like most G.I.’s, he has passed through heavy fire, survived, and is momentarily at rest. There has been mail call and Solly is elated. By this time, according to the Map, Solly’s company has passed through Burgstadt, Germany and is out past the farthest, most eastern edge of the last campaign.
Solly mentions P.M., the Brooklyn newspaper, once again in this letter.
The Solly in this letter, as well as in future letters, knows and appreciates guns and writes Dave that he is boxing up and shipping him a Nazi bayonet and a 16 gauge shotgun.
In this letter Solly also talks about his camera for the first time and having recently shot a roll of film but not sure what to do with it next. Censorship is a given and probably not something you think about when you are in combat and on the move, but now that they have a brief pause, or as Solly says they are “sitting on their fannies”, censorship must feel intrusive to him all over again.
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Love Solly 
This is going to be a long comment. Not only did Solly send us the shotgun but he also send a single shot 22 caliber rifle. The shotgun was not a 16gauge but rather a 12gauge. We were advised that it could not be fired because of the way the barrel was made .( Wrap steel rather than solid). Both guns went to me and traveled with me every place I went. Because the shotgun couldn’t be fired I worked the gun by reblueing the barrel and sanding and re-staining the stock. It was quite beautiful and it hung on the wall of my house in Woodstock. Unfortunately the house was burglarized and the shotgun was stolen. The 22 was not. There is a saving grace. The idiot who stole the gun attempted to fire it. It exploded in his face and he was seriously injured,,,, Praise the Lord. One day if my daughters will permit I would like to teach my grandchildren, as my father taught me, how to safely fire a rifle. He taught me on the 22. The rifle can be viewed in my Woodstock house. All are invited.
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