Charles A. Leet Letters, 1945

File — Box: 4253.005, Folder: 014

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of six letters from Charles A. Leet, in Luxembourg, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, to his friend E. P. (“Ted”) March in Grayville, Illinois. The letters span from January 1945 to July 1945, during World War II. In his first letter, he tells his friend, Ted, that he is no longer on the front lines; he is now a battery officer. He enjoys being in Czechoslovakia and states that it is a beautiful country. He, as well as most of the officers, has “picked up enough German to get by.” Charles is later moved to the position of Battalion Post Exchange Officer. He states several times that he is ready to come back to the States, but there’s “quite a number ahead of me.” He also mentions that he feels sorry for these people and wishes more people could be like Americans because “our form of living is so far better than any other in the world.” He writes that he was in Normandy, but he did not join his division in time to get the Normandy Battle Star. In his last letter, he writes that he became the commander of a PW Camp with several thousand Germans.

Dates

1945

Creator

Leet, Charles A. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

Charles A. Leet was a lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II. He was stationed in Luxemburg and Germany, according to these letters. He had several different duties during the war. He mentioned he was on the front lines and was glad to be moved to the position of Battalion Post Exchange Officer. He states, “Getting this job is like a reprieve ten minutes before the execution!”