"Progressive" historians have often been accused of being "unpatriotic," or of "rewriting history" to maintain political correctness. The historians, on the other hand, admit to only to being historians. They feel that it is their task to provide all viewpoints of an event, not just the American one. The controversy around the 1995 exhibition of the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is testament to this difference of perspective.  The museum's curators wanted to display the famous bomber in an educational manner, not taking sides and presenting the results of the attack from a Japanese point of view, as well as an American one. But World War II veterans and the Air Force association had other ideas. They felt that this particular aircraft so vital  to American cultural myth that the only way one could think of displaying it was as a memorial to the pilots, President Truman's brave decision, World War II veterans, and America itself.

One of the results of the arguments over the Enola Gay was the general "reawakening" of opinion among the veterans of  the Second World War about their place in history.  The most numerous veterans of any American war, they have always enjoyed influence and popular support, but, now as their numbers begin to be thinned by time, they seek to remind a very different nation of "their" war's place in history. This war was America's war, "the best war ever." The conflict pulled the country out of the Depression, and was, many feel, very good for the country. Our enemies were an evil movement headed by a megalomaniac madman bent on world domination, in concert with a country which had launched an "unprovoked" attack on American soil.  Hate was a simple matter and the job to be done was easy to understand and to justify with all the emotional power of patriotism.  So believed my grandfather, William Chase [figure 1], who served in the European Theater from August 1944 to November 1945.

Bill Chase kept in as constant a touch with his wife as the mail service would allow while he was overseas, and there exist in the family over two hundred, very long and detailed letters.  I have chosen about a hundred or so of these letters and present them, along with photos, newspaper articles and biographical information, as his posthumous (he died in March, 1968) "war diary." This project is important to me in two ways.  First, as an historian, it provides a valuable way to examine the thoughts and feelings of a typical soldier in the great crusade to make the "world safe for democracy." The letters, which have lain unread since they were sealed in an artillery box fifty years ago, are informative, amusing, thoughtful, and reflective. They offer a glimpse at the way Bill's feelings about the war, the army and the people he encountered evolved and changed as the Allied forces went on to victory over Germany. Further, they are of the moment.  Unlike a memoir composed years after years of reflection, Bill's letters were written months, days, even hours after events occurred, thus avoiding the distortion or mutation that time or later developing motives produce on one's memory. Second, it has allowed me to get to know my grandfather who died years before I was born. This also changed the basic tone of this work, as I was not able to talk to Bill and see how his feelings might have changed in the past fifty years.  For me, his letters are his memory.

I have edited the letters quoted below for clarity and syntax. At times, I have even re-written small sections to make them more readable, as often he was just writing down what came to mind without bothering to edit, as is usual in most letters. Where I have done this I have not changed the emphasis of Bill's feeling, just a word or phrase he used to express those feelings. This is not a piece which seeks to judge, rather, as I stated earlier, it is a window into a man's thoughts and an example of how my grandfather's experiences influenced his perception of the war he was fighting. His own words tell most of his story.  And most importantly, his story is his memorial.

William Gundry Chase was born on June 5th, 1912 in Depue Illinois. His father, March Chase, was the Superintendent of the Depue plant of the New Jersey Zinc Company. His mother, Margery Lambertson, was a member of the prominent Gundry family in the Wisconsin mining town of Mineral Point. The Chase family lived in Chicago and St. Louis for a short time, and, in 1920, moved to Ardsly-on-Hudson in New York. Ardsly was where Bill spent the rest of his childhood, attending two local private elementary schools, Repton and Briar Cliff Manor. In 1926, when Bill was fourteen years old, his mother died, and Mr. Chase moved his family into New York City. That fall, "a very unhappy, young teenager" was sent off to Connecticut to attend the Hotchkiss School. Bill graduated from Hotchkiss in 1930 and went on to earn a Political Science degree from Harvard in 1934.

Bill first became interested in railroads as an elementary student (he had to commute to Repton and Briar Cliff by train), but it was at Harvard where he realized that his big interest was transportation. The summer after graduation, Bill went to work for the Commercial Solvents Corporation. His father was now the Vice-President in charge of Research at CSC. Bill began as a laborer, rolling whisky barrels at the Newark, New Jersey warehouse. In the spring of 1935, Bill joined the CSC executive training program, possibly to get started on a career, or to please his father. The course sent him to Terre Haute, Indiana, which is where he would meet his future wife.

Bill only stayed with CSC for about a year.  During Christmas of 1935, Bill and his new fiancee, Frances Ross, returned to Ardsly to visit his sister Sally. While there, he had an interview with the President of the New York Central Railroad. "I remember [after the interview]" says Frances, "his telling me, brash young man that he was, that he said to the president, 'Sir, I would like to sit at your desk some day!'"⁽¹⁾

This was obviously the job for Bill Chase. The president suggested that, if Bill really did want to work for the railroad, that he get in touch with the Vice-President in charge of the Big Four Division, in Cincinnati, and ask for a job. Bill did just that, and, by the time he and Fran were married in April of 1936, he was the "Inspector of Transportation," and lived in Terre Haute.

In 1937 Bill joined the 53rd Engineer Railway Operating Battalion Reserve, later redesignated the 718th Railway Operating Battalion in 1941.⁽²⁾  Frances believes that Bill decided to join the Battalion, more as a social adventure than out of any real desire to be a fighting soldier.  In 1937, after all, few in the United States were thinking about a second World War. But when the 718th was activated in 1943, two years after Pearl Harbor, Bill was as patriotic as most Americans. The railroad could have obtained him a deferment from any service, but Bill felt that "if his unit was called up, it was up to him to go." Taking part in the war probably seemed like an honorable thing, as his father was head of the Explosive Division of the War Industries Board during World War I, and two of his great-grandfathers had served the Union in the American Civil War. Even though he had two young children, his wife supported his decision.  Recently, she remembered that

He was healthy [and] we were financially independent, so he didn't have to worry about his family. I know he hated to miss seeing the children change and grow-up, but he really wanted the adventure, and didn't blame him--excitement was in the air. We both felt it was important that America get into [the war] and help get rid of Hitler. When it became apparent that Britain and France [did need] our help, we felt we had to get into it.(3)

Bill's brother-in-law, who worked for CSC, was not allowed to join the service. He remembers that "everybody was swept up in the affair. It was shameful to be a civilian. I remember this clearly. I was [one]."⁽⁴⁾

Upon activation, Bill reported to Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, for basic training. Only days before his unit was activated, Bill had graduated from the Officers Training Camp at Fort Slocum, New Jersey, with the rank of Captain. His position for the duration of his service in Europe was Captain of Company C, the Operations Company of the 718th.  His letters below tell this part of the story in his own words.
 

On February 22, the battalion was transferred to Camp Claiborne, in Louisiana, for technical training. The family followed, living at nearby Le Compte.  The technical training consisted of the unit operating the Claiborne & Polk Military Railroad, or, as it was more commonly referred to, "The Worlds Worst Railroad."⁽⁷⁾This training at Claiborne lasted until the 15th of July, when the order to move was given. The battalion departed that day, by train, for Camp Miles Standish in Massachusetts.⁽⁸⁾ The battalion's stay at Camp Standish was very brief, and on the 23rd of July they were taken to Boston and there they boarded the Mount Vernon, bound for England.
 

This is the last letter Bill would write from the States. This section, excerpted from a longer letter, gives a good sense of his feelings. He knew that the call for Embarkation would come at any moment, and that, at last, he is about to begin his great adventure.  But, at the same time, the letter makes perfectly clear that he is worried. On the 21st he had only been away from his family for six days, and yet he still made to feel "homesick" by Taps. He knew that it would be a long time before he would see Frances and the children again. What were his thoughts? Did he think about the possibility that he might not return?  His next letter was written at sea.

The Atlantic crossing was made in nine, rather uneventful, days. The men crowded in fairly tight, and required "a coordination of breathing at times, so that everybody would expand their 'Mae West' at the same time." The "Mount Vernon" docked in Grenock, Scotland on August 1st, and the battalion took a long train ride to St. Mellons, on the Welsh-English border.⁽⁹⁾
 

2 August, 1944 Somewhere in England My Dearest Francy: Well here we are finally landed in England and the country is certainly beautiful. We had quite a train ride yesterday and saw a lot of the country. There is something about England that really gets into your blood and it is as charming as ever. All along the track you would see kids and women waving at the American Soldier boys and they would hold up the babies to get a better look. The kids would hold up their fingers giving you the "V" for Victory salute or the thumbs up sign. It was obvious that they had been in contact with the Yanks before, as they were all yelling for chewing gum which is a favorite with the children. As we all had "K" rations for lunch we had enough chewing gum and a little candy for them and it was well received. There seems to be a most obvious lack of men in the streets and you see the women doing just about every kind of work imaginable, even to working in the round-house, on the milk wagons and on the buses. The stores look more or less full, but when you try and buy anything you soon find that just about everything must be purchased with a ration stamp. We have a nice camp--all our own--and so far we have not done much more then recuperate from our trip. I imagine that they will put us to work before long.

The 718th did not stay in England for very long. On August 9th, the battalion was moved to Southampton where they stayed until the 13th. That evening they were taken by trucks to the port and began the Channel crossing (Bill gives a very detailed description of this trip later on). The first units of the 718th disembarked on the Normandy coast, at the famous Utah beach, on the 15th, and that evening had established headquarters at Folligny [Map1]⁽¹⁰⁾

Folligny was the first place that Bill and his battalion got their first taste of combat conditions. As commanding officer, Bill was required to censor the Company's mail, as well as his own, thus many of his experiences are only hinted at, although he would end up describing some of them at a later time. But one can still sense the feeling of excitement in his writing. He seems to be a bit in awe of his situation, and has yet to encounter any real problems or difficulties with his men.
 

The 718th remained at Folligny until the 15th of September, when they moved to Bar-le-Duc. Unlike Folligny, where the GI's operated the railroad by themselves, in Bar-le-Duc they operated a "Phase II" railroad. This meant French operation under US Army supervision.⁽¹²⁾Several long letters describe this experience of cultural exchange, as well as providing word-pictures of wartime France.
 

19 September, 1944 Somewhere in France Darling Mom: Well, we have moved again and today I received a letter from you which was dated Sept. 6th, so you can see that my mail is sort of slow getting to me also. Our trip here was uneventful if it was a bit slow. We saw quite a good bit of France, and in spots it really is beautiful. Some towns look just the way you think they should, and just the way you have seen in paintings and pictures. In all of the towns there is a either a canal or slowly meandering river. Hanging over the streams are the inevitable willow trees and, usually, a kid sitting on the bridge fishing--that is when he isn't yelling for "bon bons" or a "Cigarette pour Papa" from the passing GI's. Today when I had to make a trip out on the road I passed an old man who was sitting on a stool alongside a canal, fishing. When I returned about five hours later, he was still there and I could see no fish for his efforts. The towns around here have not been touched, with the exception of a few bridges that the Germans blew up in their efforts to stop the on coming Americans. I am picking up a lot of French R.R. terms and they can understand just about everything that I want to know about the R.R., but it is still difficult for me to understand them. The local Chef de Gare is a very pompous little Frenchman who, at present time, has a very harried look on his face as we try to keep things running. About twice every day he calls me into his office, sits me down on a plush chair in front of him, and explains, very slowly, with very clear diction, just what the score is and I do my best to enlighten him as to just what we want and expect. There are all sorts of officials around a French R.R. station. There is the Chef de Depot, Roundhouse Foreman, Chef de Gare, a combination of super-duper yard master, dispatcher and general flunkey--who, evidently, has a lot of authority. Then there is the Sous Chef de Gare, who is the "yes man" for the Chef de Gare, and whenever you ask him a question he has to run to his boss to get an OK or an answer. He hangs around like glue and tries to understand all that we are doing and are talking about. Then there is sort of an extemporaneous job which they give to a flighty Frenchman who is all dressed up in a blue uniform and cap and runs around the station with a red flag and a whistle, which he keeps tooting at all the trains. Every time an engine or train passes, it stops at the Gare, and the Chef de Service (the man with the whistle and red flag) comes running out, waves his flag a couple of times and blows his whistle. At which time two things happen; the train or engine moves, and all the GI's in the vicinity yell, at the top of their lungs, "Fall Out!" which causes our flighty little Frenchman no end of embarrassment...and much amusement to all the rest of the Frenchmen who, I think, deep down in their hearts, think that he has a silly job. On top of all this there is a Sous Chef de Service, who runs around after the little man with the red flag and the whistle and acts very important. However, on top of all this, there are a lot of other Frenchmen wandering around all dressed up in blue uniforms, and, in a later letter, I will let you know just what they are supposed to do, so far I have not found out. The food we are getting now is not as good as we had before as we are eating operational rations, which are mostly canned. When I get out of the Army, I don't think that I will eat another canned thing as long as I live!

 

On October 12,  1944, the battalion left Bar-le-Duc, with battalion headquarters moving to Sezanne and A and C Companies moving to Revigny. While stationed at these locations, the 718th was required to supply General Patton's Third Army's long siege of Metz. The battalion operated under heavy fire, especially on the seventh of October. Despite a seven hour bombardment that day, the trains kept running.⁽¹³⁾
  

This is the first time Bill encountered evidence of the German "atrocities." His comment at the end is very telling, ". . . my feelings about the Germans had certainly taken a change." What were his feelings before this? Most likely, he just considered them "the enemy." His statement implies that he held no particular hatred for them as a people. He was fighting against soldiers who were getting paid to do their job, same as he. But when they attacked civilians in aseemingly meaningless revenge, then the Germans became "bestial." Probably, his feelings were greatly enhance by the fact that the Germans chose to kill children in their retreat, since it is easily discerned from his letters that he held a particular fondness for the young.
 

The battalion moved headquarters again, to Conflans-Jarney , on the 15th of November. This placed them within range of the German artillery fire from Metz.⁽¹⁵⁾
  

December 4th brought yet another move for the 718th. Their new headquarters were at Frouard, not far from the town of Nancy which the battalion would see later in their tour. This area of France was populated by a large amount of German speaking people and it was often suspected that they, at best, were unfriendly and at worst, spies. December would turn out to be one of the most difficult months that the 718th would face, as they became a vital part of the Allied victory at the Battle of the Bulge.⁽¹⁷⁾
  

One railroad historian, Carl Gray, notes of this Christmas that "the most noteworthy action was the Battle of the Bulge, when Von Rundstedt counterattacked the Third Army. In the thick of this action the troops of the 706th R.G.D. . . . Among those operating battalions directly involved in this action were the 718, 722 and 732 R.O.B."⁽¹⁹⁾The Yankee Boomer elaborated, saying "Assigned to the task of a railhead battalion in support of the Third Army, the 718th operated the advanced line in Patton's territory, moving as close to the front as possible."⁽²⁰⁾ Gray writes that "During the period of the [Battle] the 718 R.O.B. accomplished a rather remarkable feat in that they moved within forty-eight hours four divisions, including supply, of the Third Army laterally across the front into the south flank of the Bulge."⁽²¹⁾ The Boomer agreed, asserting that "this movement was so successful that units withdrawing from the line in the south received their supplies at railheads and were returned to combat without delay. Third Army spokesmen consider this a primary factor in the repulse of the Bulge."⁽²²⁾This was not all, for, as the unit's own historian indicates, there was the additional problem "of moving the Seventh Army, which was replacing the Third Army, and this was accomplished [by the 718^th] also without halt."⁽²³⁾
 

The letters of 26 and 29 January, 1945, begin to exhibit Bill's growing dislike for the Germans. Beginning with the atrocities he witnessed earlier, and most certainly impressed by the actions against them in the Bulge (which resulted in the death of some of the battalion's men--described later), Bill's feelings seem to have become an outright hatred. Although he mentions the Nazis as the culprits in the 26 January letter, it is obvious that he feels all of Germany is to blame, and should pay the price. These feelings would mellow, ironically, as the unit moved into Germany itself, as noted below.
 
 

The "numbness" of war is beginning to set in. Similar to the reactions of "war" authors like Robert Graves or Seigfried Sassoon, Bill has stated the aspect of war which is probably the most incomprehensible to those who have never been there. How can one get used to the sights and smells of death? One will notice that Bill's antipathy to the destruction will increase in the coming months. Another interesting point in this letter is how Bill has decided that he does not want to come back to Europe with his family. Up until this point he has been fairly positive about his experiences, and wished to share them with Frances.  Bill never went back to the Continent, but Frances said that they were planning to return, but "we just didn't have the time! . . . He was still working, and only had three weeks of vacation a year! He died in March of [1968]. We would certainly have visited all those places if he had lived into retirement."⁽²⁵⁾Obviously time mellowed Bill's feelings about his experiences in Europe.
  

On the 3rd of March, a detachment of the 718th commanded by Major Savage [figure 8]⁽²⁷⁾Captain Bean and Captain Chase, moved the first train into Germany [figure 9]. The track along the route was brand new, laid next to bomb craters and shell holes, and the train was derailed three times.⁽²⁸⁾
 
  

The de-humanizing of the enemy is a very common phenomenon during war, and Bill was not immune to it. I do not know if he ever knew any Japanese growing up or through his work, but I highly doubt it. This probably made it easier to think of them as something less than human, and echoing the dominant wartime propoganda, he can easily compare them to rats. More than likely, Bill knew some people of German descent, and thus does not do this with them. He did refer to them as "beastly," but acting like a beast and actually being that beast are two different thing. Bill's feelings toward the Japanese were not permanent, however, as his family had a Japanese exchange student stay with them in the 1960's.⁽³¹⁾This may be attributed to to the fact that he never served in the Pacific Theater. While in Europe, Bill's anger at the Japanese was not one directed at them as a race or a society, rather just another factor which was keeping him from getting home.
 
 

14 March, 1945 Somewhere in Luxembourg We had a really bad day and night yesterday, but everything finally got back to normal this morning. Today I saw a lot of Polish, Bulgarian and Russian refugees who had been found in a German Forced Labor Camp. There, they had lived like animals for the last four years. There were women, children, old and young men included in the group. They were a sorry looking bunch, and such a hetrogenious group of people you have never seen. How ever they were the happiest persons you have ever seen. All the young men wanted to join the American Army and take on the Germans toute suite. They were carrying homemade flags, and every time that they would see any GI's they would salute them all, with a great deal of formality. Some of the boys who could speak Polish and had talked to them, made the remark that maybe fighting the war was alright if the results were typical of what they saw and heard today. They were the statements of the liberated and you could not have helped but feel what they must have felt in their hearts. Then to bring it home to me even more, I again saw some German prisoners, and though there was not much difference in their physical appearance--except for the dirty, grey German uniform--they had the spirit of the tired, the beaten and the completely whipped man. Though, I expect, relieved at being at the end of their miserable dream, which never came true. I firmly believe that the fight with the common German people is at an end, and all we are fighting now is the die-hard Nazis, but they certainly are tough. George Bachert was telling us about a Luxembourg woman who was living in one of the small towns that was run over by the Germans in the Bulge. Her ten year old daughter, eight year old son, and husband were all killed. Her house and all their belongings were completely destroyed. She very calmly told George that she would have no compunction in killing German children, especially the little boys. "After all," she said, "If you kill a snake, and then find a nest of little snakes, you kill them too. It is the same with the Germans."

 

The 1st of April began a series of movements which, when completed on the 9th, located the 718th beyond the German border, in the city of Mainz. [Map2] This location ended the battalion's "quarters on wheels," and they were billeted in buildings in the city.⁽³²⁾
  

As Bill was longer in Germany, his feelings about the Germans began to soften considerably. Looking at the common folk, he realized, as he said, that they were just tired and hungry people who are quite ready for this war to be over. He does not view these people as "Nazis," just "Germans." These feelings toward the German people will develop during the time the 718th has occupation duty, until, he (and many of the men) come to like and respect the Germans more than the French and the Russians, their former allies.
 

3 May, 1945 Somewhere in Germany Darling Fran: Everybody is expecting the war to end over here momentarily, and by the time you get this letter all ought to me over, as there is not much left of the Germans. We got the news yesterday that Hitler was dead, most likely he has been murdered, and them on top of that, Mussolini has gone, and Goering is supposed to have left Germany with five million pounds, so you see they are fleeing the ship like a lot of rats. Last night we heard, that in Italy, there were over a million surrendered, and there is no doubt that Germany is Kaput and it is just a question of days before the officially call it all off. I think that one trouble is that they don't know just who to deal with, as Admiral Donetz had taken over for Hitler, while somewhere else Himmler is supposed to be in charge, Thus there is pretty good evidence that there is a split in the Party and everybody is taking steps to save their respective hides. The Germans hate Himmler, but they seem to have a lot of respect for Der Fuhrer. You can't really tell whether there are any real anti-Nazis or not. I have a German interpreter, which I use around the R.R., and I have asked him a few questions about the situation. He claims that he is a Social Democrat, which used to be the liberal government here. I asked him why they did not give up and he could not tell me, but he had two sons in the Army and one of them was a flier, who was disgusted because he could not fly anymore because there was no gas or oil. He said that the Germans should have given up last October, especially after they had lost, as he put it, the Rumanian oil fields, the Ukrainian wheat fields and the Norwegian ore mines. In one town where I happened to be, there was a statue to Horst Wessel [the Nazi "hero" who wrote their rallying song and who died in street-fighting in 1930], which had been dedicated by Hitler, and the local people decided to tear it down. They made all the local Nazis get a hold of a rope and pull on the monument until it crumpled down in a pile of dust. There was much applause, and you should have seen them kick those "supermen" around. It would have done your heart good.I think that most of these people are sick and tired of war, and earnestly want it to end once and for all.

  

This is an interesting and unexpected reaction to the end of the war in Europe. One would think that a soldier would be jubilant upon receiving such news, but, as Bill points out, it came as no surprise to anyone, and there was always the threat of the Pacific looming over their heads. Most of Bill's letters between 8 May and 15 August have some mention of his anxiety of not being able to come home. From as far back as 13 December, 1944 the news which the soldiers received regarding the Pacific was nothing but good. Bill, though upset back then when the rumor was that the fighting would last until 1949, did not really believe that prediction. And even though he is worried about serving in the Pacific, he is still supportive of his Army.
 

20 May, 1945 Somewhere in Germany Today we received our second battle star for participation in the battle of Germany. The first one we got was for the battle of France. So now if I ever get back home to appear in public again, you will not be embarrassed by my just having an ETO [European Theater of Operations] ribbon. There will be two stars in the middle of it, which makes it look much more official and at least gives people the idea that you did see some of the rough stuff and weren't just another behind the scenes unit. If we get an ETO Victory ribbon, which I doubt, I will soon look like a veteran. You probably have read about the non-fraternization rules that they have laid down over her, well they are causing lots of controversy, because you can't just get away from not dealing with these people at some time or another. There is the problem of the children. Under the present policy you are not even supposed to look at them ,and of course they gather around every time a GI shows up. They gather around your truck, or they come and walk around you when you are standing or sitting in a place where they can see you. It is my opinion that we are going to sell them more on this Democracy deal if we are at least kind to the children. A child forms an opinion about things that he never forgets, and if these German kids get the idea that we are great big silent men, who don't even deign to look at them, they will never forget it. After all, we are over her for two purposes, one of them is to let these people know that they can't go running around rampant over the world and get away with it. That has been pretty well proven right now, and they have all had a lot of suffering. This is the first time that a war has really hit them, not only by killing millions of their own kind, but destroying their cities and all their personal belongings. The second thing is to try and teach them the idea of freedom and democracy, which embodies, among other things, neighborliness, kindness and respect for other people and their ideas. These are certainly not hard things to sell anybody, as they are the things that everybody naturally wants, so for us to go around in pompous silence, with our good qualities locked up in our chest, seems a little silly to me. The Bn. has gotten very little publicity, even though the Third Army thought we were very definitely on the ball, and we chased them all over the map to keep them supplied. Even Gen. Gray [Director-General of the Military Railway Service] had to admit that we were one of his best, and we can thank the Major for that, as he has been a tough task master on occasions; get it done, and quick, no excuses.