Haven't written for an age but I've gotta put a few facts down. I asked for a furlough and got it. We spent eight days in Sydney and really had a wonderful time. Down and back was by train. Comfortable ride down but crowded coming back. Two M.A.C. were chosen for O.C.S. so I was out. Mail from June has been pretty good. The winter here is mild. Still wearing suntone. 2nd Front started four days ago. Have advanced to Caen. Big news - like election - at home. Ready to swing over to U.S.A.A.F.F.E. from 5AF any day and everyone is wondering who will stay and who will go?
I just got back from chow and have a few minutes with nothing to do. I am filling the role of File Clerk this afternoon. Things in Brisbane are getting pretty much back to normal as most of the troops are going north, slow but sure. We have just finished a batch of new regulations for USSAAFFE, which stands for the United States Army Air Forces in the Far East. We are to be the Administrative Headquarters of the combined Air Forces which are over instead of letting them all try to coordinate their actions. We have Biak in the Shouten Island Group and are about to hop on either Truk or on up toward the Phillipines. Most of the people seem to think MacArthur will try for the Phillipines first as he said "He'd be back" or something. Our Advance Ecehlon is in Nadzab and I expect to see the Headquarters of the Fifth Air Force to be transferred up there under General Whitehead. General Kenney will be the Command General USAAFFE I suspect. He comes over to our office quite often to see Colonel Simpson. Colonel Simpson is a fine guy for a Colonel. He is an old Optical man who grinds lenses for a hobby and so I have something to shoot the bull with him about. He is in like a burglar with General Kenney and takes his plane to Sydney once in a while. He recently tried to get the control of the hospitals for the Air Force but MacArthur stopped it. He is still trying though.
The offensive in Europe is still going swell. I have about four maps beside me now of different sizes with the play by play description. It is kind of like a football game on a cloudy day when I used to caddy and decided to stay home and hear Notre Dame play Ohio State. We are definitely cutting off the Cerbourg peninsula so we can have that big port to land heavy stuff. Then we'll head straight for Paris. I expect a landing in Denmark or Holland too right away as we haven't used half of the stuff that we have waiting over there. Colonel Klausner went back to the states day before yesterday after a couple of years overseas. He says he might call on dad if he gets to Salt Lake. I have eight months overseas service completed on the 15th, which is in five more days, four more months and I have a year. I don't think the people back home realize yet just what happens when we go to war. Dizard and Hansen and I have great arguments on the system of fighting the present war. The gov't upped the National Debt limit to 260 billion the other day. We used to think it was terrible when it was 40 billion. A big depression seems inevitable to me. Will sign off now as I must get back on the beam. So long.
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