The website - https://www.timelines.ws/20thcent/1945.HTML - reports that on March 2, 1944 the American flag was raised again over Corregidor, with General Douglas MacArthur and members of his staff present. MacArthur, commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, reluctantly fled his headquarters on the rocky Philippine island of Corregidor in March 1942 as the Japanese closed in. MacArthur praised the gallant but futile defense of Corregidor as "an inspiration to carry on the struggle until the Allies should fight their way back" and vowed to return one day. On February 16, 1945, elements of the U.S. Sixth Army began the assault on Corregidor, and after furious fighting, MacArthur made good on his promise."
Meanwhile that day at home "Mystery fans remember this day as they gathered around the radio set, listening to the Mutual Broadcasting System as Superman encountered Batman and Robin for the first time. The cartoon character was created by Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel at DC Comics."
https://www.tumblr.com/northoftheroad/186978156990/in-october-dc-starts-publishing-superman-smashes reports that:
"The (Superman) radio serial has earned a place in the Superhero comics Hall of Fame, not only because it introduced Kryptonite, editor Perry White and Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen. It's also where Superman first met and teamed up with Batman and Robin. It happened in The Mystery of the Waxmen, March 1945 ... Superman finds an injured Dick Grayson in a rowboat and realises he is Robin. Robin has contacted Superman to ask for help in locating the missing Batman, who – it turns out – has been sealed inside wax alloy and turned into a wax statue."
"March 5 - 1945
My dearest Ellen,
It seems like a long time since I have written to you so I figure I had better get started again. I have been receiving mail from you quite regularly and again I wish to express my sincerest appreciation. I received mail from a few of my buddies and they're still doing all right.
There have been no new developments as yet, so I guess I’m set here for a few months yet. It’s not bad now as we got us some work to do and therefore our boredom is over. Getting work to do makes you feel better it seems unless theres too much of it. We are anticipating a flood condition around here soon as we are only a few miles from the junction of the Miss. and the Missouri. The Mississippi is only two miles down the road in back of us and the Missouri is about four or five alongside of us. It won’t harm us just cause a terrible inconvenience for all hands, I guess.
To continue now about St. Louis. After a few nights out it’s still a nice town and I’ve seen a few good-looking women, not many though. What a shortage to have nowadays. I went across to East St. Louis in Illinois, and what a town that is. I’ve never seen anything like it except in the movies. It’s wide open and no holds barred. Gambling is wide-open in all the joints. They have slot machines one armed bandits especially all over the place. I was a sucker for a dollar. I didn’t know enough to quit when I was ahead. My buddy and I have now visited every big spot in town and we are having a pretty good time. Its inexpensive to go out around here as prices are very reasonable.
I'll have to cut this short as I have clothes in a washing machine, and someone is yelling for it.
I miss you honey, honestly, but I guess I’ll manage – I’ll have to so till I hear from you.
All my love
Always
John"
The same website as above states that on March 7, 1945 the US 9th Armored Division crossed the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany, using the damaged but still usable Ludendorff Bridge. This marked the 1st incursion of Allied forces into Germany. The bridge was the last of 22 road and railroad bridges over the Rhine still standing after German defenders failed to demolish it. US forces were able to capture the bridge.
I found a letter from March 1945 - I can't make out the exact date but it seems to fit in this time period as the previous letter written on March 5 was a Monday so I am including it here. There is no envelope with it to check for a postage stamp.
"Tuesday March ?
My dearest Ellen,
Hello again! I've finally got into the swing of things around here and it's strictly a racket. It's so much of a racket that it's boring. We've been here now since last Saturday and have done absolutely nothing at all. The fact is there isn't a blessed thing to do. Just two of my crowd came up here two more are at Lambert field the parent base of this field. Down there, they have plenty of work but too much stuff to take if you know what I mean. In other words it's no good. We went on liberty with one of the guys last night and all he did was cry the blues to us the whole evening. Since we know the officer up here this kid wants us to try and get him up here with us.
We went to St Louis last night and had a pretty good time. We have to return early or else stay out all night. I have no intentions of staying out all night around here. Another thing I noticed but definitely, I've never seen so many homely gals in all my life. A good looking girl is a rarity around here so you stop worrying about me being vamped. If I stayed on my good behavior in Philly I know I have no alternative around here. Prices are very inexpensive around here and you can have a good time on a couple of dollars at least we do anyway.
I haven't had any mail from you since I left Philly but I haven't given up hope as yet. On my part I think I've been doing real well. I hope I can keep it up. Here('s) hoping. I miss you honey and since that Quonset deal fell thru I miss you more. Oh well life is long I guess. I have to close now as I have a few more letters to write and clothes to wash. By the way two of our three washing machines are busted so - scrub scrub scrub.
My love always
John"
"March 8, 1945
My dearest Ellen,
Hello again. I received a few of your letters and figured I should get hot with my pen and answer them. There isn't much doing and things remain about the same. I'm working pretty steady and I'm glad of it as it keeps one busy and when your busy your mind doesn't get confused with rumors. This place is really like an advanced base as the only news we get out here is over the radio. I don't believe I've seen a newspaper since I left Philadelphia.
I guess people around here just don't do any reading at all. Maybe all the paper news is bad anyway so I'm not missing anything. What keeps me in suspense is the fact I can't follow Terry & the Pirates and the indefatigable Dick Tracy. I followed them regularly in Philly in fact it used up all our AM in the shops. No work till the comics were scoured for adventure.
Back at the Grove things aren't going too well. I got a letter from Oleo and he said they were all getting shipped out or getting set to do so. Oleo said he'd be gone from what he heard by the 15th. I guess I didn't do bad, most of their assignments are abroad escort carriers and down in South America. After here I don't (know) where I'm going so I guess I had better shut up and not jinx myself.
About Joe Walsh's picture, that really goes to prove this is a really small world. Perchance did Joe have a cigar in his yap or is he abstaining for the duration?
As far as St Louis is concerned well I guess I've given you a fair description of it with more coming when I view it real close. I must say it's still in it's infancy as far as the east is concerned but growing. I've found me a hang out that we visit at least once every time we go out. Not a bad spot with a pretty good floor show. The chorus isn't bad but its far from good. Four (4) girls, count them make it up!
Well honey I've got to buzz now so take it easy till I write again.
My love always - John"
I wonder what the deal was with Joe Walsh's picture? He would eventually marry my father's sister Katherine/Sis.
I remember reading the Dick Tracy comics when I was a kid. The website https://harveycomicsdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Dick_Tracy reports that "Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977."
I don't remember Terry and the Pirates but the website - http://libraryofamericancomics.com/product/terry-master-1/ explains that: "Terry and the Pirates debuted in October 1934. For the next twelve years, Caniff would weave a spell of exotic adventure, sex appeal, and humor. The cartoonist set the strip in exotic China, where historic events occurring in the region during the 1930s provided the raw material from which he blended fantasy and reality to create an extraordinary graphic narrative. The series introduces young Terry Lee, his adult pal Pat Ryan, their sidekick Connie, as well as an array of unforgettable brigands such as Captains Judas and Blaze, and the two toughest women to ever sail on the China Seas: the alluring Burma and the inimitable Dragon Lady ...
"No cartoonist has so heavily influenced his medium as has Milton Caniff, and no comic strip has had more imitators than Terry and the Pirates. Terry and the Pirates was read by 31 million newspaper subscribers between 1934 and 1946. "
March 9: The US firebombed Tokyo (the attack was code-named Operation Meetinghouse), with heavy civilian casualties.
March 10: Some 300 American B-29s bombed Tokyo overnight with almost 2,000 tons of incendiaries killing some 100,000 people. Meanwhile Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs damaged the Manhattan Project's Hanford Site in Washington State slightly, but caused no lasting effects.
The website - https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/happened/it-happened-here-japanese-balloon-bombs-found-in-yakima-valley/article_511d864b-8e49-5fb1-aa6f-6ef29cfbf796.html - reports:
"In World War II, Central Washington, like other parts of the United States, was under an aerial attack from Japan. Instead of long-range heavy bombers, these raids came in the form of balloons, some of which were found in the Yakima Valley — and one had the potential for triggering a nuclear meltdown at Hanford. The balloons were part of a Japanese plan to demoralize Americans, divert resources from the war in the Pacific and restore face that was lost with the first U.S. bombing raid over Japan ...
"That same day (March 10,) one of the balloons almost triggered a nuclear catastrophe at Hanford, where plutonium was being refined for the first atomic bombs. A balloon struck a power line from Bonneville Dam that was supplying electricity to Hanford, knocking out power needed to run the reactor’s cooling system. But the plant’s never-before-used backup system kicked in so quickly that heat did not rise in the reactor ...
"The government initially censored all news of the balloons, instructing journalists not to report any of the sightings or what was found. The goal was to avoid panic among Americans, as well as deprive the Japanese with information about how their project was proceeding."
March 12, Anne Frank, author of "The Diary of Anne Frank," died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp a month before it was liberated. When the British arrived in April, they found more than 10,000 unburied corpses. Some 14,000 of the prisoners found at the camp died within a few days.
March 15 V-2 rockets continued to hit England and Belgium.
This next letter has no date but the envelope was dated March 16.
"Sorry - No St. Pat's this year!
March ? 1945
My dearest Ellen,
It seems like a long time since I have written to you so I guess I will or I had better catch up but fast. Things have taken a turn for the worst in the last few days mostly due to my own fault so I have no one else to blame but myself. The other night while on liberty I lost my wallet with my liberty card, identification card your pictures and what have you enclosed plus about ten dollars. As a result of my carelessness I have been restricted to the base here for two weeks. I could have kicked my head off for losing it. The money angle involved was negligible as that is one of my minor concerns in life. My main loss was the contents of the wallet the various pictures and stuff that held a great sentimental value to me as you can probably realize. My great loss was my I.D. card and liberty card that caused this restriction to be slapped on me. Maybe its a blessing as it will teach me a lesson in security that (I) undoubtedly need. Well if that's the case I need it and I'm getting it now. I'll get over it though but I'll miss the liberty a lot.
Sunday night I got a wee bit daring believe it if you will and went to a burlesque show here in town. I had a few hours to kill and the show really did a good job on them. It massacred them.
I'm surprised at the men and women they let on the stage nowadays no fooling. They, if you forgive the phrase, stunk and I mean stunk. I've had my share of St Louis burlesque and it did(n't) appeal to me at all.
I'm glad to hear that Hannie is at last in the clutches of romance - or am I! At long last she has been captured by some overpowering male and she is now all a twirl. I wish her good hunting and plenty of success anyway. Well honey since I'm restricted I'll write more often so for tonight - adieu -
My love Always
John"
I wonder if Hannie had met Norman Huliston?
March 19 U.S. Carrier Task Force 58 conducted heavy bombing of important naval bases in Japan, Kobe and Kure. Fifty miles off Japan, the carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) was hit by two bombs, killing hundreds and disabling the ship for the remainder of the war.
Meanwhile also on March 19, Adolf Hitler issued his so-called "Nero Decree," ordering the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands. Hitler ordered a scorched-earth policy. Hitler had decreed that Paris should be left a smoking ruin, but Dietrich von Choltitz thought better of his Fuhrer's order.
"March 21 1945
My dearest Ellen,
Hello again. I guess it must be a week since I have written to you so I guess in order stay in your good graces I'll venture to write my weekly letter at least. I've received your mail in abundance or so it seems anyway and I'm sorry that I'm not answering as promptly as I should. Well here goes nothing.
As I told you in my last letter I am now on restriction and will be for another week to go. This staying in isn't so bad after you once get used to it but it's hell trying to get used to it. Most of my time has been spent reading books and magazines washing and the like in fact anything at all to keep me busy. I've read a couple of books during my stay including the last quarter of "gone with the Wind." By the way did you ever read it. Its not half as bad as they say. Poor Scarlett certainly was a wicked woman at least in the eyes of her contemporaries (notice the word). The other book "The Wet Parade" - Upton Sinclair, is all about prohibition and the people who were for it and against it. Its not bad but dry in spots. The funny part about it, the hero a prohibition agent was offered $2000 a week to leave a certain bootlegger alone and turned it down. That guy must have been a saint or I haven't any morals. He got killed in the end. All in all it wasn't bad. Tell your aunt Nellie I thank her for her kind remarks and when the time comes I'll try to live up to her expectations. It's getting real hot out here except when we have showers then it gets cold but summer is coming really with temperatures up in the 100's. Woe will be me - sweat & strain.
As for Hannie my heart felt sympathy is forwarded to her. She needs a break and I hope she gets it soon - anyway I wish her plenty of luck. I'd like to thank you now for your St Patrick's Day card although I didn't have a chance to celebrate at all just sit and twiddle my thumbs. As for your Hibernian Hall sentiments if I went into detail about those incidents I'd need a book to tell you how often I felt the same way. As for leave - uh uh. By the way I got recommended for staff duty as an instructor here so hold your hat.
My Love always -
John"
March 23 by this time it was clear that Germany was under attack from all sides.
March 27 the Western Allies slowed their advance and allowed the Red Army to take Berlin. March 29 the Red Army entered Austria. Other Allies took Frankfurt; the Germans were in a general retreat all over the centre of the country.
March 31 General Eisenhower broadcasted a demand for the Germans to surrender.
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