letters2

Back to George Henry Line I certify on my honour that the contents of this envelope refers to nothing but private and family affairs....signed ..G H Line	Letters Home 1944
The map shows George`s approximate route from Sicily and through Italy. It is known that he spent some time in both Ancona and Cattolica on the eastern coast and in the Po valley. Click on the map above to see a full size version.
The War		The Letters
12th January - Italy. US 34th division takes Cervaro and moves towards Cassino.		....I am hoping that the war will not be long before it is over.....so perhaps 3 or 4 months time might make a lot of difference.......well, Dad, they talk about the slums in London, but they are nothing compared to the places out here....it`s a wonder how they exist in such conditions, the children knock about in bare feet and rags and are always asking for bread and biscuits....
1st February - Italy. The allied troops are unable to advance at Anzio because of heavy losses		.....well, Dad, here I am still in transit camp. I went through CRU and came back here with my movement orders to go back to my unit. Just as I was due to go back they got me on a guard and during my tour of guard duty there was some trouble with the prisoners and so I have been held here for a Court of Inquiry......
10th February - Italy. The British are driven back from Aprilla at Anzio		.....I am still in the transit camp, no word yet as to when I can get away from here but hope it will be soon........I see in the "Union Jack" some of the Bishops at home are complaining about the bombing Germany is getting, they reckon they have had sufficient. They are certainly getting their share now.....
29th February - Italy. Four German divisions begin another offensive against allied troops at Anzio but fail to break through.		....well Dad, I am back in my company again and very glad too. Had a bit of a rough journey in a goods wagon, it was wet and cold......by the way I was not needed on the Court Martial, all the prisoners pleaded guilty so we had our stay all for nothing....anyway I am hoping that the war will be over this year.......
19th March - Italy. General Alexander decides losses are proving too great at Cassino. Unless decisive gains are made within the next few days the assault will have to be abandoned		........I see they have got to the stage where they are now discussing what sort of suits we are going to have when we are demobbed. From what I have read about them they sound very good. I hope they take a bit of time in fitting us for them and not look at us and just chuck us what they think will fit.........
19th April - More than 2000 allied bombers drop more than 4000 tons on targets in Germany		....just at the moment the wireless is on and the chaps in my room are chatting and reading....nobody giving me much help in what to write about. There is a lot I could say but censorship regulations tie you down.......
25th April - Germany. An RAF Bomber raid reaches Munich by flying over Swiss airspace and side-tracking German early warning systems		....I see they are going to start censoring all mail coming from home now...be a bit of a big job....I hope it does not cause any delays.....
7th May - Norway. British Home Fleet carries out operations off the Norwegian coast as part of deception strategy over intended allied landing site in Europe		.....just at present I am working on my own. I am at the Military Mission to the Italian Army. I have about 20 Italians working under me. They are not much of a crowd and do not believe in getting on with a job.........
21st May - France. More heavy raids hit targets in Northern France also low-level fighter attacks on convoys.		....we can find plenty of ways of passing the evenings away. I fixed some flag poles up here at the Mission and showed the Colonel how to hoist the Union Flag and break it at the top, just a half-hitch and a pull on the rope.He was an American Colonel and luckily it all worked OK. I also put the Stars and Stripes up, a bit of a sensation here and all the people turned out to see the show, looked like a Victory parade. I think the chaps were a bit worried here in case it meant a parade taking them down at night. The Yankee Colonel said it usually took three men to put up their flag but I showed him how one man could do it just as well...........
29th May - 400 US bombers raid German synthetic fuel works		......on leave.....I went to an ENSA show called Services Cocktail which was on the radio to England, did you hear it? It was not very good but passed an evening away........
11th June - France. Carentin and Lison fall to the Allies.		....well, Dad, I see they have at last started on the big show (D-Day) and from what news we can glean out here they seem to be doing pretty well one way and another.....let`s hope this is the last phase of the war.....
4th July - 617 Squadron of the RAF bombs caves housing flying bombs 30 miles north of Paris. The Limestone caves are untouched		........I was surpirsed to hear that Cis (Amelia Line, his wife) and Sheila had gone to Ilminster again. I had a letter from Cis, she tells me she spent a fortnight in the (bomb) shelter. I had no idea things were as bad......
30th July - France. US troops secure Avranches. British troops make good progress at Caumont further to the East		.......I am sorry to hear about the house getting knocked about ( a bomb or V1 rocket drops nearby) and hope it is not too bad, anyway it must have been very near and a good job Tom (his brother) and yourself were away at the time.....the place I am in now is in an awful state, devastation everywhere and houses flattened to the ground, Jerry has made a mess of things and carried out demolitions very thoroughly.....I have just heard some news about the British troops advancing about 50 (miles?) in France, if this is so it is good news and might help to stop their new bombs ( V1 rockets or "doodlebugs") that are causing so much trouble..........
26th August - France. General Charles de Gaulle returns to Paris. A triumphant parade is held in the city.		....the old tomatoes certainly have done well again. Out here they make a sort of sauce with them, they lay them on dishes in the sun and they seem to turn into what looks like ketchup, must be one of their main dishes here as they seem to make a devil of a lot of it. How is the house going these days? Have you had the damage repaired?..............
9th September - Belgium. The Canadians walk into Bruges and more progress is made in southern France.		....I have been on the move again ....I managed to get a very nice bed for myself here, it is all springs and is a real luxury. I am in a jolly good billet....must have belonged to some wealthy fascist.......can`t say anything of where we are or what we are doing but it is all very different to what we have been used to......
23rd September - France. The Canadians take Boulogne. The fight at Arnhem (A Bridge Too Far) continues.		..It is good to hear the black-out is being lifted and is a good sign although in the news I hear they are sending occasional bombs (doodlebugs) over so I should think it would be as well for Ma and Kit (his sister) not to rush back yet (to London from Woking)....
29th September - France. The Canadians battle to take control of Calais.		.......there is a lot of talk of demobilisation schemes and bringing out a new battle dress complete with collars and ties (what an army), I don`t know if anything will come of it at all. Our platoon officer, Sgt and a sapper were all mentioned in dispatches last week...............
7th October - France. US Army makes progress around Metz and Luxembourg		.........went to the pictures last night and saw "The Lady Vanishes", not bad, I also saw some pictures of the "Buzz Bombs" ( V1 rockets or doodlebugs) in action, certainly knocked the old place (London) about a bit......
14th October - Germany. The death is announced of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. No mention is made that he was forced to commit suicide following the July bomb plot against Hitler.		....the demobbing business caused a bit of discussion for a time, everyone was out finding what group they belonged to, although when they found that out it did not help much because the war is not yet over and now I see they expect to run into quite few months of 1945......I see they are still sending bombs over (to London) , I should have thought they were finished by now.......
15 November - France. Free French Forces attack German positions at Belfort.		....we are on the move again. I hope we get some decent billets for Xmas, the ones we have now are very draughty having no doors or windows and the weather is very bad as well, snow is beginning to appear......things are not moving very fast on this front and it is heavy going all the time, everywhere there is mud and water and in many cases the roads are flooded.....
22nd November - France. Metz is now in Allied hands and in southern Holland most of the Germans have been cleared out.		....we have moved lately and are in some jolly decent billets. In my room I have a very modern wardrobe and a table, also a fireplace. We have all got spring beds which we have picked up in our journey up Italy.......I see on Coy. Orders a list of all our names in our respective age groups, the Coy. has notified records how we stand, I see I am well on the top of the list. I am in group 17..... we are getting our livestock in for Xmas, we have chickens, geese, turkeys and a pig and we now look more like a travelling farmyard than anything else so we should be alright for grub....... just had a bit of excitement here, we were all at dinner and Jerry glided in and let two (bombs) go, one each side of us. We all made a dive under the tables, luckily it did not upset our dinners.....it is now eight weeks since I had a day off.....
4th December - Germany. Air raids against V-2 launch sites destroy only two rockers		.....they seem to be pushing well into Germany these days, going much faster than they are here. I am expecting to hear any day now that it is all over.........
14th December - Final preparations are made by von Runstedt for what became known as the "Battle of the Bulge" in the Ardennes		....I saw the ship I came out on a few days ago on the news film, she was the Arundel castle, this time she was all white, not like the colour she was when I came away......I should be going on leave soon to either Florence or Rome, Rome is the favourite....the other day I went down ( to the beach ) with my Platoon Officer with my rifle and a Bren and fired at various targets on the sand, about the best way to get the hang of a rifle and much more interesting than drill firing.....
21st December - The Germans decide their offensive in the Ardennes is serving little purpose despite some outstanding successes		....we are all about set for Xmas now, we have all our Xmas fare in and it remains to see what the cooks make of it......I have just been reading a very good booklet called "The Good Years to Come" written by D H Barber, an officer in the Pioneer Corps, used to be in the Engineers. It was written in the desert and is an outline on what is wanted after the War.........it is astonishing at the great number of rivers there are on this side of Italy and all the bridges have been blown up. One of my pals who has recently been posted is on bridging work and it is tough going working in the dark and up to your knees in mud............
31st December - In the Ardennes the Allies recapture Rochefort. Hungary declares war on Germany.		.....I have been to quite a few shows lately......last night I saw Maurice Wynnick of the Dorchester Hotel and it was really a tip-top show. The O.C and our Platoon Officer went with us and we had the front row of seats booked for us, bit unusual but coming over 40 miles to see the show might have made a bit of difference......some of our chaps have gone home on a months leave, they are the ones with 4 years service overseas......so here`s hoping I will be seeing you all in the New Year...........................