Dear Mum and Dad (Mr. and Mrs. Harold Learnard, Washburn):
Now that the fighting in Africa has ceased the censorship has been lifted, so now I can tell you my actual experiences since departing from the States up until the present time.
En route overseas, we were constantly on the alert for enemy submarines during the entire 15-day journey across the Atlantic. All ships in the convoy were totally blacked out each night. We practiced abandoning ship and received instructions on what to do in case of emergencies. Life belts were worn at all times. After a few days at sea we were informed that our destination was French Morocco, Africa. Days were spent studying maps of the terrain and the beaches at which we were to land. We did not know what type or strength of opposition would contest our landing. Guide books on the customs of the people of North Africa were issued to every soldier, which gave us an inkling of the type of people we were about to meet.
The night before our landing the men were huddled below decks ready for the call that would put them into action. We felt a certain pride knowing we were among the first American troops making the initial landing on North Africa. At 4:00 a. m., Sunday Nov. 8, 1942, the signal was given for the men in my group to disembark. In total darkness we climbed down the ship's cargo nets into the bobbing assault boat below. The sea was choppy as we started toward the shore and as the African shoreline drew closer it seemed as though all hell broke loose as the Navy opened fire on enemy gun emplacements. The enemy retaliated with their fire power and the sky looked like a Fourth of July celebration. As we came within fifty yards of the beach we encountered heavy machine gun fire and were forced to go over the side of our landing boat with our equipment into the heavy surf and swim ashore. Hitting the beach, we were strafed by Italian aircraft. We pushed inland to Fedala and were in that area until the signing of the armistice.
After guarding the outskirts of Fedala for a week we hiked 40 miles to Rabat. During our month's stay at Rabat, which consisted chiefly of guard duty and reorganizing, we were permitted to visit the capital and also saw the sultan's palace, which was very interesting.
From Rabat we moved to Oujda by rail some 365 miles. We stayed at Oujda approximately four months, during which time passes were granted. A service club was one of the best spots for American soldiers, and American movies could also be seen.
Our next stop was Arzew, Algeria, which was near the city of Oran. We had barely got there for training when we were put on a six-hour alert to fight in Tunisia. Our orders were received and we were off by truck convoy to Tunisia. The Tunisian campaign ended shortly after we were called into action. Saw quite a few German and Italian prisoners in Tunis and Bizerte, and they all seemed relieved that their fighting days were over.
This brings us up to the present time, and, of course, censorship begins again. All I can tell you now is that we are having a very rugged training schedule.
Well, folks, it's about time for "chow," so will sign off for now. Hope to hear from you soon.
Lots of love
Weldon
(Pvt. Weldon B. Learnard)