November 2007 27
were to a steady girlfriend, and sometimes there were Jr., the Desert Training Center ranged from Boulder
to organized programs, such as those sponsored by City, Nevada to the Mexican border and from Phoe-
the Young Women’s Christian Association and the nix, Arizona to Pomona, California. The average Janu-
Young Women’s Hebrew Association. Often times, ary temperatures were officially reported as near 70
as I remember hearing from my mother, the letter degrees F. According to stories from my father, it al-
writing was just a way to keep in touch with the neigh- ways seemed hotter to the troops on the ground as
borhood boys in the service. The envelope shown in they rode inside tanks or on self-propelled howitzers.
figure 6 was mailed by a “90 Day Wonder”. Based The contents of the illustrated envelope must have
on having a college education, among other things, a also been hot, as the lucky soldier’s girlfriend closed
WWII draftee could receive an appointment to an the flap with “SWAK and SWL” (Sealed With A Kiss
Officer Candidates School (OCS) program. The Army and Sealed With Love). It was so hot, in fact, that
program was at located at Ft Benning, GA, for the there are scorch marks and an auxiliary marking
Marines at Quantico, VA and for the Navy at various “Damaged By Fire/Enroute/Jan 15 1944”. With no
sites. The term “90 day wonder” was given to these other markings, it is difficult to determine when and
junior military officers during WWII, and derives from where this damage occurred, whether it was at a sta-
the fact that these OCS appointees completed the tion or onboard an RPO.
officer’s training school in only 90 days. They were
pushed through training because of the heightened
Figure 8 illustrates two envelopes from just before
need for officers during the war, in contrast to the
and just after the largest sea borne invasion in his-
cadets or midshipmen at the service academies who
tory. Three million troops carried by 6,900 vessels
spent four years being prepared to lead.
and protected by 12,000 aircraft landed on a stretch
of the Normandy coat on June 6, 1944 to begin the
Meanwhile, the cover in figure 7 was a hot one in attack on “Fortress Europe” held by the German Army
many ways. It was mailed in January 1944, addressed since June 1940. The cover postmarked June 5 is from
to a soldier in training at the Desert Training Center a soldier in the 18
th
Infantry Regiment, 1
st
Infantry
California-Arizona Maneuver Area (DTC-CAMA). Division. The “Big Red One” led US invasions in
This facility was created when the War Department North Africa and Sicily before landing at the Easy
realized the necessity for troops to be well trained Red section of Omaha Beach. This was the most
under harsh conditions to withstand the rigors of battle heavily fortified section of the invasion area, manned
over rough terrain and in inhospitable climates. At this by the best German Coastal division (the 352
nd
) in
point in the war, the most imminent involvement of Normandy. Consequently, Omaha had the highest
land battle for US troops was expected to be the North causality rate of the initial invasion. The soldier was
African desert. Created by General George S. Patton obviously aware of his possible death, and likely
wanted to let this special girl know that
he was thinking of her. The good news
is that he received the Combat Infantry
Badge for his D-Day action, and sur-
vived.
The other cover, dated June 6, 1944,
was mailed to a paratrooper in the 508
th
Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of
the 82
nd
Airborne Division. Dropped
behind enemy lines in the predawn of
D-Day, the task of the 508
th
was to seize
the bridge over the Douve River, at Pont
L’ Abbe. The regiment fought as infan-
trymen for the next 33 days and blocked
off advances of reinforcements for the
Figure 7
Axis forces defending the French coast.
was a hot cover in many ways. Mailed to a soldier in training at
the Desert Training Center, it has scorch marks and an auxiliary marking
On July 13 1944, the “Red Devils” re-
that might be related to its contents.
turned to England after suffering 1,061
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