22 Apr April 22, 1945

Letter
from: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler.
April 22nd, 1945, France, Sunday, 7 p.m.
Noteworthy: Dad describes French farms.

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

Back from my weekend in Paris and although there still is no mail and no
further news as to my status here, guess I’ll write and give you all the
lowdown about my very nice trip to Paris.  We rode there and back in GI
trucks, about a two-hour trip.  Not too bad as we could get a good view
of the country.  Being just a country boy at heart, I am always interested
in seeing the country as well as what is going on in the cities.  All the
farmers were out working their fields and that is an education in itself
as they do things so much differently than we do them back in the States.
I still can’t figure out whether it’s because of just being backwards or
the Germans took everything they had and now these poor French farmers are
using anything they can scrap together to get work done.  Anyhow, the
machinery they use is very old, of a style used many, many years ago and
mostly all pulled by oxen and horses.  Occasionally, there is an old Ford
Sun tractor, but that’s very rare.  This is pretty good farming country
around here and everything looks good.  Wheat is about six inches high
and nice and green.  Much of their oats is up and also sugar beets.  They
grow no corn, I guess.  Here, as in all of the rest of France, the people
have clustered together in hundreds of very small villages.  I still can’t
figure out whether it’s because the land is owned by a few large landowners
and the average person just works the farm or if it’s for some other reason.
The houses are all built of stone and brick and are very old.  As old as
they are, the architect is very exceptable and the buildings usually are

in pretty good condition.  That is those that have not

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gotten in the road of the war.  They usually have no basements and the
first floor is on the ground level and usually is concrete or stone. Very
damp and cold and never too clean.  What gets me is how close they build
them together.  Usually there are 15 or 20 houses built on each side of
a highway wall to wall. They have all the room in the world but yet they
build them wall to wall.  Very often there is a high stone wall around the
whole thing.  I guess that must be for protection.  That wall doesn’t stop
our artillery very well though once we got zeroed in on it.  The people
aren’t much different looking than ours back home.  They don’t dress as
well, don’t look quite as healthy.  They walk or ride a bicycle instead
of riding in automobiles.  And quite often wear wooden shoes like the
kind I sent Ronnie.  In the cities like this one here or Paris about the
only difference is they’re usually a little better off and once in a
while we see an automobile.  In Paris, this time, I saw a lot more
automobiles than last trip in there.  I guess things are getting better.

We arrived there yesterday a little before lunch. Got a room in a fairly
nice hotel taken over by the Red Cross.  Had a good size room with two
single beds, clean sheets and hot running water.  A real luxury and all
our meals at the hotel not bad either.  These provisions are something
new the army has given men on <? pars> and it really is pretty nice break.
The room cost 30 francs which is 60 cents and the meals 10 francs each.

I even had some ice cream, my first since leaving the states.  Also some
real Coca-Cola and of course we had a little wine, a very little <? eham
paggi>, some <? conjac> and that’s about it from a drinking standpoint.
You see I’m still very conscious of my stomach. Saw a

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very good French stage show yesterday afternoon.  And last night we went
to the Allied club.  I say we, there were four of us who went in togather

from this camp and they proved very good companions.  I came from the last
camp with them, also from England.  At the Allied club we watched the dance
a while, also a short floor show, had a couple of Coca Colas and then went
in to the Stage <? Dow> Canteen, which I had heard as much about but really
found very disappointing.  There was a fair orchestra and a nice dance floor.
That’s about all. Since I’m feeling my age these days I didn’t do any
dancing.  Preferred watching anyway as it was interesting watching the way
all the many different soldiers from the different countries dancing. There
were soldiers from USA, England, France, Poland, Australia, Russia,
Czechoslovakia, Canada and others including India and Africa.  Some of

those were in their native Army robes.  After that went back to the Red
Cross read a little and retired. Got up about 8:30 a.m., had breakfast and
then went back to the Alied club where I was able to buy this handkerchief
I saw in closing and a cheap box camera ($9).  It takes size 120 film so
send me all you have and all you can get.  There is some film here but it
is very hard to buy.  Guess you can hold off sending my camera now.  At
least until I find out what kind of pictures this one takes.  After that
saw a show, ate lunch, and at 3 p.m. came back.  Of course we did a lot
of walking, rode the Metro (sub) for miles and miles and saw quite a lot
more of the city.  I still think Paris is a nice place.

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I am sending you some more papers in a separate envelope. I send these
because some of them, at least, I want you to save and then I figure you
might like to see how we get our news over here and what kind it is. The
war looks good from here to me but realize that if the Germans want to
hold out until the very end it can easily last another six months even
more maybe.  However I’m optimistic enough to still believe that it may
end very soon now.  Don’t know why I should feel that way though as from
everything I hear after talking to the boys just back from the front and
from my own personal experiences I know the <? Hussies>  are still very
tough and as fast as our armies are moving of late we still are losing
a lot of good men and suffering many casualties which from that the Germans
are still fighting with something besides words.  Not withstanding all
that, victory is definitely in the air and it can’t come too soon.

Well how’s my little Ronnie tonight and it certainly would be nice getting
a letter or two from both of you. It’s been so long again now that I almost
seem like I’ve never heard from you.  Maybe I’ll get a whole bunch of them
some of these days again and have to spend a couple days reading them.
Could even use a package or two.  Well I can wish or dream.  Perhaps
someday everything will catch up with me.  That’s about it for tonight

my dears I miss you both very much and I hope you are both well and not
having things too bad.  All my love to you both forever.

Daddy