Herbert Dierkhising Letters from WWII

1. 1942
1.1. HD-1942-4-3: Camp Cook, CA (120 miles from LA): 1st letter to Dolly Zierden; 4 nights on train
arrived March 22nd, 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean and beginning of 8 weeks of basic training
1.2. HD-1942-4-26: Camp Cook, CA
1.3. HD-1942-5-10: Camp Cook, CA: Basic training studying guns and trucks
1.4. HD-1942-5-25: Camp Cook, CA
1.5. HD-1942-5-31: Camp Cook, CA: Went to church with a gun and gas mask
1.6. HD-1942-6-20: Camp Cook, CA
1.7. HD-1942-7-2: Camp Cook, CA
1.8. HD-1942-7-19: Camp Cook, CA
1.9. HD-1942-8-3: Camp Cook, CA: Truck driver
1.10. HD-1942-8-20: Desert Maneuvers, CA
1.11. HD-1942-9-9: Desert Maneuvers
1.12. HD-1942-9-20: Desert Maneuvers
1.13. HD-1942-10-4: Desert Maneuvers
1.14. HD-1942-10-22: Desert Maneuvers: Received cookies, still sleeping on ground, spent 2 day in
LA and met some girls
1.15. HD-1942-11-5: Desert Maneuvers
1.16. HD-1942-11-16: Desert Maneuvers: Asked Dolly how is her boyfriend
1.17. HD-1942-12-15: Camp Cook, CA: Back from Furlough in Minnesota
1.18. HD-1942-12-24: Camp Cook, CA: First Christmas away from home

2. 1943
2.1. HD-1943-1-5: Camp Cook, CA: Larry Koetter is no longer at Camp Cook, moved to Fort Knox
2.2. HD-1943-1-15: Camp Cook, CA: Made 300 mile trip to Fort Ord
2.3. HD-1943-1-27: Camp Cook, CA
2.4. HD-1943-3-23: Camp Forest, TN
2.5. HD-1943-3-31: Camp Forest, TN
2.6. HD-1943-4-10: Nashville, TN
2.7. HD-1943-4-18: Nashville, TN
2.8. HD-1943-5-13: Tennessee Maneuvers: Truck tipped over, he was not driving
2.9. HD-1943-5-23: Tennessee Maneuvers: Drove 67 miles in a black out
2.10. HD-1943-6-6: Tennessee Maneuvers
2.11. HD-1943-6-15: Tennessee Maneuvers
2.12. HD-1943-6-24: Nashville, Tennessee: completed maneuvers, shipping out to Pine Camp
2.13. HD-1943-7-2: Pine Camp, NY: likes the new camp & thanked Dolly for the prayer book
2.14. HD-1943-7-9: Pine Camp, NY
2.15. HD-1943-7-15: Pine Camp, NY: Talks about Brother Martin in California; 16 months in the
Army
2.16. HD-1943-9-10: Pine Camp, NY: 5th Armor Division; asked in Dolly still wants to receive his
letters
2.17. HD-1943-10-1: Pine Camp, NY: Harvested crops for 3 weeks; replaced by Italian POWs

Herbert Dierkhising Letters from WWII

2.18. HD-1943-10-9: Pine Camp, NY
2.19. HD-1943-10-17: Pine Camp, NY
2.20. HD-1943-10-27: Pine Camp, NY
2.21. HD-1943-11-6: Pine Camp, NY: Letter from Brother Al from North Africa
2.22. HD-1943-11-12: Pine Camp, NY: Got to be in the scene of the movie This is the Army with
boxer Joe Lewis (fight scene other side of the ring)
2.23. HD-1943-11-21: Pine Camp, NY
2.24. HD-1943-11-29: Pine Camp, NY: Attends dances in New York, not like the dances in New
Munich
2.25. HD-1943-12-9: Indiantown Gap, PA: Vmail
2.26. HD-1943-12-18: Indiantown Gap, PA: Heb hopes to be home form New Years
2.27. HD-1943-12-24: Indiantown Gap, PA: Christmas Eve; Furlough home 12-29

3. 1944
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
3.5.
3.6.
3.7.
3.8.
3.9.

HD-1944-1-15: Indiantown Gap, PA: Returned from Furlough home; just received new glasses
HD-1944-1-26: Indiantown Gap, PA
HD-1944-2-8: Location Unknown: Secret location on East Coast
HD-1944-2-26: Location Unknown: Secret Location, landed in secret country
HD-1944-3-7: England
HD-1944-3-12: England: Received first letter from Dolly while in England
HD-1944-3-18-1: England: Vmail
HD-1944-3-18-2: England: 2 years and 2 months in the Army; received overseas medal
HD-1944-3-26: England: Only received 1 letter from Dolly; received a letter from Brother Al in
Sardinia, Africa
3.10. HD-1944-4-2: England: 2 day pass and saw a little of England
3.11. HD-1944-4-16: England: Heard from Dolly and Larry Koetter in the hospital
3.12. HD-1944-4-20: England
3.13. HD-1944-4-27: England
3.14. HD-1944-5-3: England: Vmail
3.15. HD-1944-5-4: England
3.16. HD-1944-5-18: England
3.17. HD-1944-5-21: England
3.18. HD-1944-5-27: England
3.19. HD-1944-6-1: England
3.20. HD-1944-6-10: England
3.21. HD-1944-6-15: England: Brother Martin is still stationed in the US
3.22. HD-1944-6-17: England: Vmail
3.23. HD-1944-6-23: England: Sweet letter
3.24. HD-1944-6-26: England
3.25. HD-1944-7-4: England
3.26. HD-1944-7-17: England
3.27. HD-1944-7-29: Unknown Location: Secret Location

Herbert Dierkhising Letters from WWII

3.28. HD-1944-8-1: Unknown Location: Secret Location
3.29. HD-1944-8-27: Somewhere in France: few close encounters and been luckier than some of his
buddies
3.30. HD-1944-9-8: Somewhere in France: tough battles
3.31. HD-1944-9-14: Somewhere in Luxembourg: on the way to Berlin
3.32. HD-1944-9-15: Unknown Location
3.33. HD-1944-10-10: Belgium: Battlefront
3.34. HD-1944-10-17: Belgium
3.35. HD-1944-10-20: Belgium
3.36. HD-1944-10-24: Germany
3.37. HD-1944-11-15: Belgium
3.38. HD-1944-11-18: Belgium: Driving a tank
3.39. HD-1944-11-30: Germany: Oles wedding
3.40. HD-1944-12-1: Germany
3.41. HD-1944-12-5: Germany
3.42. HD-1944-12-6: Germany
3.43. HD-1944-12-7: Belgium
3.44. HD-1944-12-31: Belgium: German counter attack

4. 1945
4.1. HD-1945-1-1: Belgium: Brother Al in France and Brother Martin in England; paid in worthless
German Marks
4.2. HD-1945-1-5: Belgium
4.3. HD-1945-1-9: Belgium: Thinks war will end this year
4.4. HD-1945-1-11: Belgium: Germans using fighter bombers; landed 100 yards from me
4.5. HD-1945-1-22: Belgium: Rumor was Russian 150 miles and US 250 miles from Berlin
4.6. HD-1945-1-30: Belgium: First time sleeping in a bed since in France
4.7. HD-1945-2-2: Belgium
4.8. HD-1945-2-3: Belgium
4.9. HD-1945-2-10: Holland: Overseas 1 year February 18th
4.10. HD-1945-2-12: Holland: Has to get rid of all letters; in church as it was being bombed
4.11. HD-1945-2-14: Holland
4.12. HD-1945-2-16: Holland
4.13. HD-1945-2-17: Holland: A gift that will last a lifetime
4.14. HD-1945-2-22: Holland: US bombers flying to bomb Germany; stood watching planes for 2
hours
4.15. HD-1945-2-22-1: Holland
4.16. HD-1945-3-6: Germany: Could not write sooner because of battle
4.17. HD-1945-3-8-1: Germany: Engagement letter
4.18. HD-1945-3-8: Germany: Receives letters from Brother Martin and Sister Rosalia that his
Father has died Feb 21, 1945
4.19. HD-1945-3-11: Germany

Herbert Dierkhising Letters from WWII

4.20. HD-1945-3-13: Germany: Dolly went to Fathers funeral on Feb 25th
4.21. HD-1945-3-18: Germany: 3 years away from home
4.22. HD-1945-3-21: Germany
4.23. HD-1945-3-22: Germany
4.24. HD-1945-3-24: Germany
4.25. HD-1945-3-27: Germany
4.26. HD-1945-3-29: Germany: Asked Dolly if she has received gift
4.27. HD-1945-4-10: Germany: Deep in German territory; in the 9th Army and had a close call
4.28. HD-1945-4-23: Germany
4.29. HD-1945-4-24: Germany: Deep in German territory
4.30. HD-1945-4-30: Germany: Deep in German territory; rumor Russia was half way to Berlin
4.31. HD-1945-5-7: Germany: The war is over and he got out alive
4.32. HD-1945-5-14: Germany
4.33. HD-1945-5-15: Germany
4.34. HD-1945-5-24: Germany
4.35. HD-1945-6-13: Bad Sachsa, Germany
4.36. HD-1945-6-16: Bad Sachsa, Germany
4.37. HD-1945-6-17: Bad Sachsa, Germany
4.38. HD-1945-6-25: Bad Sachsa, Germany
4.39. HD-1945-6-28: Bad Sachsa, Germany
4.40. HD-1945-7-7: Ldenbach, Germany
4.41. HD-1945-7-7-1: Ldenbach, Germany