Today in the Written Richert Record: Robert to Lydia 27 April 1945

Friday, April 27[1]

Dear Lyd[2],

The news of the Fall of Verona certainly rang well in my ears. I’m become acutely aware of the strategic importance of most major north Italian, Austrian & Bavarian cities, and as you must know Verona was the southern terminal of the Brenner pass which means Italy is as good as cut off from Germany. After the fall of Bologna the Fifth army really made beautiful progress. I think I can tell you now that in a nine day stretch, I flew seven times there when the 15th [3] was acting as a tactical air force in support of our ground troops. They were some of my most interesting flights.

On a recent flight our pilot got a nasty facial injury which could so easily have been fatal with an inch or so difference. As it is it wasn't overly serious but very painful.

We landed at it emergency field in Yugoslavia and our one night there was quite an experience. American soldiers are still a novelty of coarse American M.P.’s[4] were nonexistent. A few of us went into town & it was quite an experience. I had always thought of the Yugoslavians were like the Italians only more so, darker & even more foreign. The people were largely fair & blue-eyed the houses more like American because they were newer & set in yards, & although the city was bombed a lot the people seemed less dirty & sullen than the Italians.

As we were wondering around rather abstractly, a real old cadger called out to us in something resembling American & it had turned out that some 20 years ago he had been in the States. Being Amerikanskis we were something of a novelty & a crowd was soon gathered around us, mostly partisan soldiers.

At first glance they look like limeys because their uniforms were the same as a British, the British I guess evidently supplying them that but they all had a red star of their (sic) caps[5]. They were quite impressed by our Colt 45 pistols, which really is quite a weapon, and we were quite impressed by the heterogeneous collection of pistols they had but more impressed by the hand grenades tucked in their belts. No one spoke English & none of us spoke Yugo but I soon found out that several spoke German, & I was soon surprised how adept I was at making myself understood in German[6]. I could talk care of all the important gestures we had and could indulge in little pleasantries & intricacies of conversation.

Two of them offered to guide us around a bit & were going to take us to a dance but when we got to the building, although the crowd had gathered & the musicians were there it was called off because there was no electricity.

Instead they took us to a little inn or wine cellar that seemed to be a gathering place for the men in their off hours. The wine was very black & week but they all seem quite gay and singing all their own songs. Then they wanted us to sing our national song, I guess they meant our typically American song and you'll be surprised to know it was the beer barrel polka they had in mind so we sang and they joined in on the tahrahdeedahaye’s. Although our G.I.’s are much better paid, fed & clothed than them they had wonderful spirit & you couldn't help feeling they knew what they were fighting for & for them it is something real & close. They made a good impression on me but I'd be like the correspondents who know Russia after one night in Moscow if I should make conclusions on one night.

We hated to leave as early as we did but we had to get back to the airstrip on the road in a very foreign country where transportation was uncertain[7].

There I’ve written so much I’ve hardly any space left you thank you for the latest box that arrived – the Tshirts & stationary.

Love,

Bob[8]

[1] Postmarked 28 April 1945

[2] Addressed to: Mrs. Walter Smith, 1856 Vista del Mar, Hollywood 28 Calif.

[3] 15^th Air Force

[4] Military Police. There was often antagonism between regular servicemen and the MPs as the latter were often seen as preventing the former from having off-duty fun.

[5] Most likely Communists from Tito’s partisans.

[6] Robert’s father was a native German speaker. Much of the family correspondence is written in German until WWI.

[7] Riding back to the airbase was probably an interesting story, too.

[8] Return Address: Lt. R.B. Richert 02071698, 99 B.G. 346 BS., APO 520 c/o P.M., N.Y.C.