Slit Trench

"A tank ran over a foxhole I was in."

August 23, 1943   
Camp Croft, South Carolina
Sunday

Dear Folks,
Well, here it is Sunday again, and being that I haven’t written anybody for the past two weeks, except home, I’ll have to write a few this afternoon and then go see “So Proudly We Hail.”  I saw “The Human Comedy” last night.  Good acting, but I thought it was far too sad.

Friday, I had a new experience happen to me.  A tank ran over a fox hole I was in.  All part of a course in Defense against mechanized attack.  How to destroy a tank and all that.  We’ve also been doing quite a lot on Techniques of Fire.  That is the way a squad of men fire on an enemy position.  Getting into concealed position & understanding the fire orders.  Just like those landscape targets I told you about, only using the real countryside. 

Friday nite we went on a practice bivouac. We went off in a dense woods & pitched our tents while it was just growing dark.  Then we had to dig a slit trench 2 feet wide, 2 feet deep, 6 feet long.  Nobody dug it that deep however because it was so dark we couldn't even see the dirt where we were digging (no moon) & because there were big roots running all the way thru the earth.  It was really funny.  Everybody was falling & stumbling over the holes & bumping into the trees.  And when we got ready to move out we had to hold on to each others pack until we reached the Troop Trail.  Then, marching home in the dark on that trail was really a scream. 

Next week we’re going to have village fighting.  In preparation for it, we practiced on our own Battalion barracks.  The Battalion is arranged like this.  I’ll make a better picture.  Well anyway half the company took C & D & the other half took A & B.  We crawled under the barracks, threw grenades (firecrackers in potatoes) & rushed the building.  There were some stationed in the barracks representing the enemy.  They blockaded the doors & things like that.

Got your box this noon & was I glad to see those plums.  They were out of this world.  Don’t know what I need for next week except fruit, bottle of glue & couple of packages of gum.  I got a box from Madeline yesterday.  Toll House cookies, candy bars & potato chips.  Those cookies were very good.

About Dave’s letter.  I can’t imagine what the surprise could be.  I guess you’ll just have to wait.  I bet Mom was glad to see the company drop in on her.  If they’re still there when you receive this letter, give them my best. Well, so long for now,

Love, 
Ben