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.

On view: 6 pages