banner_sm Home Letter Archive Diaries Images Links Email Interviews Research Class Mission Statement Guestbook
VE Day
Hover mouse over links to view summaries of letters.

Back to Letter Archive

Higgins - May 7, 1945
Today the war here finished. I can’t seem to grasp it. This stillness is as bad as all the noise. It seems like a great weight on ones shoulder that can’t be shook off. Yes I’m well, not a scratch through it all. Only my soul is battle scarred. I’m much thinner, but I feel fine. The weather here today was beautiful, the first nice day in weeks. I think God arranged it that way. No one seems to know what is going to happen. I’m just praying. If you get a chance to, put in your word. Show no easiness on these people here, they must be guided by a firm hand and a fair one. Their minds are twisted into a terrible condition.

Winter - May 5, 1945
Well Darling for the first time over here I feel like the war might be over. I haven’t read a newspaper for so long & haven’t heard a radio either but last night May 4th at 9:20 pm in this large ruined city of Germany somebody hollered, “The war’s over.” So in this yard where my caboose was, all the engine whistles, 45 automatics, 03 rifles, switchmen’s horns & flares were going full blast. At 9:25 pm just five minutes later, the roundhouse started all engine whistles & pistols. At p:30 pm the whole town sounded like the front lines. I’m telling you the tears run right down my face as all I thought of then was you. After my little cry I went back in the caboose & got my 45 automatic pistol and fired 50 rounds right into the sky. It was a feeling I’ll never be able to explain but I was happy. No one knows for sure yet if the war is really over.

Anderson Interview
Can you describe your feelings on V-E Day? Well, uh, [chuckle] Washington D.C. went crazy. I mean, everybody was…it’s one of those indescribable things. Everybody was out on the streets, they were dancing, they were singing, horns were blowing, sirens were going, and it was something you had to be there to appreciate. You just can’t imagine how excited everybody was. People that didn’t know one anther were hugging and kissing and just acting crazy. It was a wonderful, wonderful day. And of course, it went on through the week. Everybody was excited, the boys started coming home. You’d go to Union Station and see families waiting for people that were coming back from the war. It was a time like no other.

Booker - August 31, 1944
Have civilians decided it is alright for American soldiers to keep on fighting over here after Germany falls? We will need more than ever, when Germany collapses, all the strength of our home front to put a speedy ending to the war over here.

Bordner Interview
When the war was over I went fishing with a hand grenade. I threw a grenade into a stream and caught a pike. The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944. My wife and I were married exactly one year latter. We went back to Boston on our honeymoon and Floyd was still at the Army hospital out at Ft. Debbons, so we went out to see him.

Triesler - May 1945
Today we heard the news. The beaten Wehrmacht has surrendered. For us here this is an anticlimax. We’re been out of the war for several days. And tonight, in our Alpine resort hotel, there is no celebration, no drunkenness. This is being taken so quietly almost casually because since this drive of ours started 23 days ago, the speedy end has been inevitable. I’ve delayed writing pending a long letter of these last few days, which I shall start tomorrow. [I will write about] how our regiment captured 7,000 Germans, forced a whole German Corps to surrender, etc.


This site and its content are Copyright © 2006 Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. Please read our Acceptable Use Policy for more information. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the webmaster.