Open Works

Title

Letter from Ingolstadt, 1945 December 13

Creator

Robert D. Davis

Files

Creation Date

12-13-1945

Keywords

letter, correspondence, army, World War II

Subject

World War, 1939-1945; Letter writing; United States. Army

Description

Davis writes about Ursala's (Runte's wife) reactions to Runte being arrested. Davis mentions that during the war Ursala lived as a fugitive. He tells his parents not to worry about Sonner spending money on a watch for him because he took it from a S.S. Lt. Col.Davis says he wants to get something for his parents and he may get a furlough to Switzerland. He about Brady and Keller's levels of competency in German. Davis describes his meal schedule and spending evenings at Runte's house. Davis also writes that they put some communists in jail.

Transcription:

Robert Davis 18107121

Co. F, 3rd MGR G237

APO 403

% Pm. N. Y.

About Runtes

U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 9 DEC 15 1945

VIA AIR MAIL

Mrs. R. L. Davis

1619 Boston

Muskogee, Okla.

13 December 1945

Dear Mother and Dad:

There were a few questions in your last letter Mother, that I thought to answer now while its in my mind to do so.

About the remarkable Runte family first. Naturally Ursula raised hell about her old beau being arrested; not to me, but to Runte and Sonner. In fact she banned Sonner from her house for about 6 weeks. Wen things started to get hot lately, (^and) politically speaking, they are very hot, then Sonner came back, since it was impossible that Runte’s inly friend in Ingolstadt be banned from his house. Now they are on the best of terms, because I explained to her that the beau was arrested on my order. Yes, Ursula does stay at home while we are out on these midnite and post-midnite hunts. It is a little risky, but after all of the terrific dangers that she has lived thru’ the last two years, she doesn’t even think of it. A complete novel, and what a novel, could be written of those two’s adventures in the last few years. During all their adventures in Berlin they lived there in the underworld, and lived very dangerously. Had they been caught at their various offenses; forgery, illegal travel, absence without leave, and her actually a fugitive from justice (she refused to work, was assigned to the army as a WAC abroad, and ^then disappeared—whereupon she lived a criminal existence for 1 ½ years until the Americans came—and living as a fugitive in a Germany where everything depended on ration cards and passes (to leave town for a day, for example) was no circle), not to mention the very horrible air raids they went thru’ in Berlin and the Rhineland, had they been caught at that, they would have both been hung. So she has a very realistic outlook on things. There are guns in the house, and she knows how to use them. So there’s nothing to worry about on that score.

Don’t worry about Sonner spending a lot of money to get me a watch: he took it off an S.S. Lt. Col., who was very nice about giving it up. I would like very much to be able to get something for the Runte’s, but its hard to do in the way of clothes because their sizes are different here, and I’ve never been able to correlate them with our sizes. What you could send me are cigarettes and coffee, always. because we drink coffee over there very nite, six of us, and it goes quick.

I think I’ll be able to get a furlough to Switzerland in a few weeks.

Brady went to ASTP just like I did, at Stanford University. He completed the full 9 mos. course, and speaks very good German. People are always astonished when they meet us the first time with Runte, because we both speak pretty good German. Hanes and Keller came from a Pennsylvania Dutch family where Plattdeutsch was spoken (dialect), and speaks very respect-able German, as far as conventional needs go. Hanes has been in Germany now 13 mos, and altho’ ungrammatical, has a good enough vocabulary to express himself in every way. Above all, both of them can understand German when spoken.

Our laundry is gathered each Wednesday and sent out to be done by the Krauts. Its very cheap, maybe a dollar a month. Our meal schedule is: Breakfast 8:30 to 9:00, Lunch 12:00-1:00 and supper 6:45 p.m. (too late, I think.) Brady and I eat several meals a week with the Runte’s: we spend 7 evenings out of 7 seven with the Runte’s. Occasionally I have a date with the girl friend, the actress, afternoons, or take her over to the Runte’s in the evenings—Its a good life, but a busy one.

The Communists have pulled a few tricks—the same old typical German denunciations. We landed a few of them in jail, but they had the town upside down the last few days.

Love, Bob