Letters from Clarence F. Miller: Btry C 535th AAA Bn 1943 - 1945

War & Navy
Departments
V-Mail Service
Official Busines
Postmark: US Postal Service Aug 8, 1944

From
Cpl. Clarence Miller
Btry C 535th AAA wpns Bn
APO 230 of Postmaster
New York, NY
Inspected by: US Inspector 31657
Alo(?) Hennesey(? Same as above)
France July 30, 1944

Dear Friends
I received your letter and was glad to hear from you again. I am sorry for not answering sooner but will try & do better next time. I don’t care much about writing V mail but it is all I have. I ran out of airmail envelopes.
Well I am glad to hear that you are all ok. I suppose you are busy with the harvest by now. The Grain over here is about ripe there is mostly wheat raised here very little oats. The land over here I think would raise some good crops if these French would work it right. You were saying about Hybrid corn well I had a chance to have a try at it before I got in the Army when my boss planted it, but we are in a cooler climate there in Wis so we didn’t have ripe corn that year but we did have a lot of stalks for the silo. You were asking about Marie well I got a letter from her tonight & she is OK. She is going to quit her job in the foundry in Milwaukee & going back with her folks in Neillsville. They plan on moving the first of Sept. Well I haven’t much more to write so I guess I will close. Hopeing you the best of luck.
A Friend
Clarence M.

[Paul's comments: OK, this explains the switch to V mail. Love it! Most interesting comment in this letter to me is about Marie working in the foundry. She is Rosie the Riveter in person! Very little info about him, except that he is experiencing the French countryside and farms]
 
MontyB said:
Good stuff, sounds like we might be close to solving this mystery.

Which is a pity as I enjoy this sort of thing.
Click to expand...

"The suspense is killing me! I hope it lasts." - Willie Wonka

I don't think we are anywhere close to solving anything. We've actually solved a ton of it, and even now with what I have, I could fill in things extensively. The biggest missing piece as of before was kids, but I've found a few.

However, while his daughter will solve some of the mystery, it will likely create a lot more questions, and we can keep going.

And even without, we can start thinking about other aspects of the story. I love this new aspect of Marie working at the foundry. We know now that they didn't end up together, but I wonder if there is anything that can be learned about her?

See? More mysteries!
 
Well, well, well...

Gall, Marie (Marriage - 16 June 1945)
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Gall of 21st street, Neillsville, announce the marriage of their daughter, Marie, to Joseph N. Vetrano, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Vetrano of Cudahy, on June 16, in Saint Frederick’s church, Cudahy.
Click to expand...

OK, so in his July 30, 1944, he is still getting letters from Marie, but by she is married already on June 16, 1945.

Let's see how this plays out.
 
crazytanker said:
You mean 1944 the second time? Or is 1945 correct?
Click to expand...

No, it's 45.

In the fall of 44, she is moving from Milwaukee back to Neillsville.

Now, even though he doesn't comment on the status of the relationship at that point, she is still writing to him.

However, 9 months after moving back to Neillsville, she is marrying someone else.

He does talk more about his relationship with Marie and breaking up with her in the future letters, but as of right now, we haven't heard anything like that. Grandma is still asking about her. So things are going to happen very fast.
 
One odd thing so far is that I have not found his obituary all of the rest of the family have them yet I can find no trace of his post military life other than the marriage of his children.

I get the impression that he lived a pretty quiet life.

I have also noticed that there are at least a couple of "Donald Millers" all around the same age but from different families in the area.
 
Update: I've received a response from his daughter. At the moment, I am just bringing her up to speed on what I know and asked a couple of questions.

Apparently there are something like 8 children, and Anita is 97 years old.
 
pgwenthold said:
Update: I've received a response from his daughter. At the moment, I am just bringing her up to speed on what I know and asked a couple of questions.

Apparently there are something like 8 children, and Anita is 97 years old.
Click to expand...

Well hopefully this will fill in the blanks for you.
 
Back to letters; now that I have contacted the family, I want to get them typed up ASAP so we can give them the letters

War & Navy
Departments
V-Mail Service
Postmark: US Postal Service Aug 19, 1944
Cpl. Clarence F, Miller
Btry C 535th AAA Wpns Bn
APO 230 of Postmaster
New York, NY
Censors Stamp
Passed By US Examiner 31657
Lt Harmway(? Same as above)
France Aug 8, 1944
Dear Friends
I received your welcome letter & was glad to hear from you.
Well I suppose you are busy with the grain Harvest & it won’t be long & you will be picking corn again. Time sure goes fast don’t it? How does the grain run this year? There is very little grain over her no corn at all. I know it is too cold for corn. There pasture is good but I don’t know what they will feed their stock this winter. The farmers are just starting to make hay over here behind the lines. I can’t blame them for not starting when the bullets were flying around.
Are you having storms up there?
You asked if I were ever around Madison & Columbus, Wis. Yes, I have been there often while I was trucking to Milwaukee & Chicago.
Well I can’t tell much of what is going on around here so I will have to close for now. Hopeing you all the best of Luck.
As ever Friend
Clarence


[Paul's comment: we are the beginning of a stretch of content free letters; some hints to things (there is action going on) but mostly comments about growing crops because of censors]
 
(no envelope)
Cpl. Clarence F. Miller
Btry C 535th AAA (AW) Bn
APO 230 of Postmaster
New York, NY
Passed by US Examiner ???
Lt J Mulbush (?; different from above)
France
Aug 15, 1944
Dear Friends
Well it is getting time to answer your letter don’t you think? I am sorry I didn’t answer sooner.
I suppose you are busy with your harvest of corn it won’t be very long & it will be time for it. You should see the way the French people harvest their grain. They still cut it all by hand & tie it in bundles. They sure have a lot of work without a binder. People in the states could do 5 or 6 times as much work in a day with their new Binders and Combinds. It sure is funny the people still stuck to there old ways of work and living. They sure would be surprised if they would see what in the US in line of farm tools.
The land seems good & rich, I haven’t seen any corn over here yet. I think the climate is to cold for it. Well I guess I will have to close for now. Hopeing you all the best of Luck.
A Friend
Clarence Miller
 
(no envelope, not V-mail)
Belgium
Nov 1, 1944
Dear Friends
Well I guess I better answer your letter. I am sorry I didn’t answer sooner but you know how hard it is when one is busy. How is everyone there at your place? Fine I hope. I am OK, only I sure wish this war was over so I could get back to the states. I am tired of this country always seeing people & can’t speak to them very few can speak English & the boys aren’t supposed to talk to any one so it makes it kind a bad for the boys in a way.
I suppose you have a hard time trying to din hired help now that most of the boys are gone. Was there a lot of corn this year? If there as I suppose some people will be husking corn in the winter as long as the corn crop is still in the field. Do you have many hogs this year? What’s the price this fall? They sure haven’t been sending much pork over here. It has been a long time since I had good pork. We have a lot of bacon but it usually is so salty it is hard to eat it. I guess the cook don’t like to let it soak over night to get the salt out. The cook is got his troubles just like the rest of us. I sure wouldn’t want to job of being a cook. It is hard to please every one in the Army so a cook really has a hard time.
I received a letter from my mother & she said she was feeling a lot better. I was glad to hear that she was better. She works to hard & worries to much. I often told her that worrying never done any good, but I guess she can’t help it she is nervous & she also worries a lot. Well I guess I will have to close for now hopeing you all the best of Luck.
As ever a Friend
Clarence
M.


[Paul's Comment: the 535th is now in Belgium; it's been 3 months since the last letter in France; could be lost, or could be army responsibilities]
 
Cpl Clarence F. Miller
Btry C 535th AAA (AW) Bn
APO 230 of Postmaster
New York, NY
Postmark: US Army Postal Service APO Nov 24, 1944
Passed by: US Examiner ????7 (Lt ?? Harmony (this looks right))
Belgium
Nov 21, 1944
Dear Friends
I received your welcome letter so I will answer it while I have the time. The time sure does go fast here. It is almost Thanksgiving it don’t seem like I been gone from the US that long. But it won’t be long & it will be a year that I been over here.
I am glad to hear you had a good crop of corn this year. It will help with the war any way. There will be a lot of people to feed over in these countries. How much is corn per bushel this fall? I don’t think I could make very much money picking corn it would take me a day to pick a wagon box full. I have seen some good pickers while I was down there on my vacations in the good old days. I been wondering how much longer it will be before I can do that again. I don’t suppose it will be for a long time yet the way it looks now.
You asked if I knew Ed Huinker from Greenwood. Yes I use to know him when I was about 10 years old. But that was about 19 years ago I don’t believe I would know him now if I would see him. I went to school with his kids when we lived in Greenwood.
Well I think I will have to close for this time. I will try to write more next time.
As ever a Friend
Clarence

[Paul's comment: I don't have time to look into Ed Huinker right now; the name is familiar to me, though; a quick look shows he was my mom's great uncle]
 
Clarence F. Miller
535th AAA (AW) Bn
APO 230 of Postmaster
New York,NY
Postmark: US Army Postal Service APO Dec 2, 1944
Passed By US Army Examiner ???57 (signed by McHughes – very clear)
Airmail 6 cents

Dear Friends
I received your welcome letters & sure was glad to hear from you again. How is every thing with you? Fine I hope. I am OK, only tired of all this mud we have to put up with over here. I wish it would stay froze it sure would be a lot better if you would. Well this is Dec all ready & it won’t be long & it will be Xmas. Time sure goes fast don’t it? I sure hope next Xmas I can be home to enjoy it that is what most of us are waiting for. There may not be much left for us fellows when we get back but I think most of us will enjoy ourselves one way or another. The 4F may have there way now but we will have to change them when we get back. All I want is to start a home for myself & then I won’t care what happens. Just a place that is peaceful & quiet.
You asked how Marie likes it back home. Well she didn’t stay there long. Just long enough to help her folks get settled in their new home. She couldn’t find a good job so she went back to her old job in the foundry she was getting good wages so I can’t blame her. Well I suppose you have your fall work done now & can take it easy for the winter & get rested up for next summer. Well I guess I will close for now. Hopeing you the best of Luck & a Merry Xmas to you all.
As ever a Friend
Clarence
M.


[Paul's Comment: Belgium is muddy; he's really getting homesick. Another comment about Marie. She didn't stay long in Neillsville, and went back to the foundry in Milwaukee. Still no discussion of any issues between them]
 
OK, this is a history section, so maybe we can sort this out. Can we track the locations of his outfits now? So what was going on in the time they went from France to Belgium?

Note the date on the last letter, Dec 1. It's just a couple of weeks from the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, and the Port of Antwerp is just opened up. Where was Btry C of the 535th at that point? Can anyone figure that out?

That is the end of the letters from Clarence in 1944. We'll have to wait to see what happens in 1945.
 
pgwenthold said:
OK, this is a history section, so maybe we can sort this out. Can we track the locations of his outfits now? So what was going on in the time they went from France to Belgium?

Note the date on the last letter, Dec 1. It's just a couple of weeks from the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, and the Port of Antwerp is just opened up. Where was Btry C of the 535th at that point? Can anyone figure that out?

That is the end of the letters from Clarence in 1944. We'll have to wait to see what happens in 1945.
Click to expand...


I know that on the 13th of December 1944 the 535th was in action around Krinkelt Belgium and at this point that were attached to the 99th Infantry Division (11 Dec 1944-9 May 1945).
 
Last edited:
MontyB said:
I know that on the 13th of December 1944 the 535th was in action around Krinkelt Belgium and at this point that were attached to the 99th Infantry Division (11 Dec 1944-9 May 1945).
Click to expand...

So is it correct to say that they were moved to Belgium to be part of the 99th infantry?

I don't know about military organization, so I'm just thinking that they were brought in to provide AAA support for the infantry. Is that at all in the realm of reality?
 
pgwenthold said:
So is it correct to say that they were moved to Belgium to be part of the 99th infantry?

I don't know about military organization, so I'm just thinking that they were brought in to provide AAA support for the infantry. Is that at all in the realm of reality?
Click to expand...

It is correct to say that the 535th AAA show up in the 99th Infantry Divisions order of battle as being attached to that division from the 11th December 1944 until the end of the war.

Prior to that they were part of the 11th AAA group which shows up in the 70th Infantry Division order of battle.
 
Krinkelt is a borough of Rocherath/Büllingen in the north of the province of Liège at the German border and the US troops there received the full weight of the attack of the 6 SS Panzer Army in december 1944.
 
lljadw said:
Krinkelt is a borough of Rocherath/Büllingen in the north of the province of Liège at the German border and the US troops there received the full weight of the attack of the 6 SS Panzer Army in december 1944.
Click to expand...

Wasn't the 6th Panzer army commanded by that criminal Sepp Dietrich .
 
JOC said:
Wasn't the 6th Panzer army commanded by that criminal Sepp Dietrich .
Click to expand...

Nope I am pretty sure his title in December 1944 was SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer it wasn't until 1946 that he became a criminal but yes he did command the 6th SS Panzer Army.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top