1LT Arthur Tyler A Co. 37th Tank Battalion APO NY 09012 [right]Jean Tyler 27 Cranberry Dr. Watertown, NY 13601 8 July 1944[/right] My Dearest Art, Tell me you are still in England. I am in no hurry for you to rush into this disastrous war. I know this Mr. Hitler person is not a nice guy and the war has to be fought, but why does it have to be you? Please promise me, you will come home. I don’t want to hear about any terrible battle you have been in or any risk you may have taken. Just promise me you will come home to your loving family. Your son Robert took his first steps last week. It was big. I know some people do things in their own time, but you may remember Jonathan started walking at 11 months. Robert appears to be a bit slower at this. He did say, “dada” yesterday. He obviously misses his father and would like to see you. Jonathan asked about you too. Your mom is hosting a cooking contest in Albany next weekend. They are using the American Legion hall, bringing in tables and stoves and ovens specifically for the contest. She is really excited about this, loving to be right in the thick of it. I hate to tell you this, honey, but your dad had a stroke this week. He is fine and back on his feet. He just needs to take things slower. But you know your dad. He can’t slow down. He should probably resign as Ward Representative for the Common Council in Albany. I know he has held a political office in the city for the past 16 years, but he is pushing 60 and maybe he should consider retirement? I know you like to keep up with the New York Yankees. They are not my team. Go Boston! But since I love you, I will tell you the Yankees are currently in third place in the American League. They beat the St. Louis Browns in St. Louis yesterday. I listened to the game on the radio while the boys played. Nick Etten hit a home run and Johnny Lindell drove in three runs with a triple in the ninth inning to win it. The score was 4-3. It was a real nail biter. It seemed fantastic to pull out the win so late in the game. I hear Robert crying. I must wrap this letter up for now. I hope you stay safe and come home as soon as you can. I Love You! Jean [u][b]23 July 1944[/b][/u] The morning brought a rude awakening. Elements of the 2nd SS Panzer Division (Das Reich) hit us hard. It was their Tigers C Company bumped into at Perriers. We are no longer facing a Wehrmacht Infantry Division. These are veterans of the Eastern Front. These German SS soldiers facing us today fought against the Russians at Kursk last year. I recall reading an article on that battle. It was the largest armored engagement of the war. The Germans fielded 3,000 tanks while the Russians had over 5,000. Some of the engagements were at closer than point blank range. This is going to be a tough few days. They are supported by the remnants of the German 6th Falschirmjager Regiment who fought against the paratroopers of the 101st Screaming Eagles on the days following the D-Day landings. [u][b]24 July 1944[/b][/u] I was not able to write any more in my journal yesterday. Like I predicted, it was a busy day. The 2nd SS Panzer hit us early yesterday morning. I lost three tanks in the first hour. They brought up a mix of Panther and Mark IV tanks as well as a few SPs. Their numbers were close to equaling ours. The Assault gun platoon claims to have taken out three of their tanks. But the end game was such that we were forced to move back to La Plattiere, just over a kilometer north of our earlier gains. By 1900 hours last night the company was dug in at La Plattiere with seven Shermans, three Hellcats and five halftracks remaining. We lost five Shermans, two Hellcats and one halftrack. Personnel losses in yesterday’s action was 14 tank crewmen dead, and 19 wounded. We lost five infantrymen dead and six wounded. The German Panther was really challenging. I have a lot of letters to write. I do not look forward to that grim task. I met with the Battalion Commander this morning. He has issued a new operations order starting tomorrow morning, we are making our drive towards Coutances. This is the beginning of [i][b]Operation Cobra[/b][/i]. Naturally, our 4th Armor Division is going to be at the front of the advance. We will be attacking the 2nd SS Panzer in some of the same places they hit us yesterday. The old man says our replacements will be available later today. I view this news as both good and bad. I would lie if I said we didn’t need the people or the vehicles, but on the other hand, these new guys do not know us and we do not know them. We won’t have any time to rehearse anything with them before we attack into one of Germany’s elite Panzer formations. I do not look forward to tomorrow. The old man was right on. We received reinforcements after dinner. We received five brand new Sherman tanks, two Hellcats and a halftrack. We got in 35 new tank crewmen including two Sergeants and three Corporals. We also received eleven Infantrymen, all of whom are Privates or PFCs fresh from the States. I submitted an award recommendation for the Silver Star with Valor for Technician 5th Grade Earl Ball, who was promoted just last week. We probably won’t see the approval on this award recommendation for another month or more. There were three other soldiers both Infantry and Armor submitted for the Silver Star and ten more for the Bronze Star. Let’s see if these guys get the awards I know they deserve. I mention Tech5 Bell because he is now mortar squad leader since Sergeant Tommy Baker and Corporal Norman Lee were both Killed in Action during the fight. Sergeant Baker is being submitted for the Silver Star (posthumously) also. Andy Holling was struck by shrapnel to his left thigh and was medically evacuated to the rear. Depending on the damage to his leg, he may lose it. Somehow Tech5 Bell survived the attack; lucky man. I had to transfer SSG Cox to a Platoon Sergeant Position. He is now tank commander in the second section in his platoon. I didn’t have a choice anymore with all the losses we took yesterday. I know he will do well. He is a solid NCO. I can get by without an Operations Sergeant for a while. I will ask the Battalion Commander if he has anyone at Battalion I could borrow. [u][b]25 July 1944[/b][/u] Both the 90th Infantry Division on our right and the 83rd Infantry Division on our left made forays into the 2nd SS Panzer Division to begin [i][b]Operation Cobra[/b][/i]. One hour after these two divisions engaged the enemy, the 37th Tank Battalion, led by B Company punched a hole in the enemy’s defensive positions. B Company got bogged down momentarily, but by 1300 hours, our A Company passed through the German position fighting with our B Company. I saw two burning Shermans as we bypassed their fight. We made it as far as Perriers and engaged a platoon of Tigers and roughly a company of German paratroopers. Our Infantry platoon dismounted, while our tanks provided them with supporting fire. A reserve company from the 53rd Armoured Infantry came up to support our platoon's assault. Fighting around Perriers lasted until 2200 hours with us holding the town and the Germans withdrawing to the south. The day’s losses included two Shermans, one of which had been in the company’s compliment for less than one day. I never knew the five soldiers who died in that tank. The other tank was led by 1st Lieutenant Roger Campbell. Roger was a graduate of West Point class of 1942. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant just last week. SSG Cox will replace Lieutenant Campbell as Platoon Leader. I am confident Staff Sergeant Cox can handle the Platoon at least until we get a new Lieutenant in from the Replacement Detachment. The stack of letters I must write is getting larger.