For those who, like me, did not experience the 2nd World War, it is difficult to get a precise idea of the feelings that those who had experienced the war on their own skin must have felt. I imagine it is equally difficult to understand what our elders or the military felt when, finally, there was the announcement of the end of the war.
However, sometimes life reserves (please) surprises and so, while you wander around the stalls of a flea market in search of old postcards or old books, you may come across a relic that takes us back in time, to the years Of the war. In my specific case, exactly to the days when the end of the Second World War was announced.
The writer is Corporal Paul S. Luotto, on duty at the 161 ° Regiment stationed in the Philippines, an American (signal) transmitter in service at one of the radio stations in the Pacific, from what I understand. The surname, Luotto, and the very fact of having found the letter in a market in Rome, suggests that the corporal, or his family, was of Italian origin.
The letter is addressed to his mother, Andre Luotto, in Brooklyn and is dated 4 September 1945. Below is a second one, dated 9 September but sent along with the previous one.
I will try to report as closely as possible what the corporal writes to his mother, about the parts that I have managed to understand and which in some way have to do with the end of the war.
4 September 1945
"Dear mother, I am sorry for not writing you as I should have, but it is one of those times when nothing can happen that we can talk about, at least I haven't attended school for several weeks. I'm working on the radio.
I very much appreciated the many letters you and dad wrote to me.
I can understand how much you have been driven by the sudden end (I imagine the end is always sudden) of this war.
We jumped from astonishment when Japan first asked for peace.
The screams began to make their way from tent to tent in the company area.
It was around midnight and we were a little annoyed by those drunkards of ... who prevented us from sleeping.
When the news reached our tent, boys, we screamed!
So we dressed (some of us put on our trousers and shoes as best we could) and replaced the drunken neighbors until we were drunk too."
Of course it must be a nice relief, knowing that the war is over, that you can start to hope for the future, that you can go home.
"But when the day of victory was finally proclaimed ... our main concern and interest was to try to understand when we could go home.
You were probably informed by the newspapers that the 25 Division is in charge of the occupation of the Japanese island of Kyushu. On the island there is the ancient city of Nagasaky, I know because the broadcast headquarters has camped on this site."
The letter continues with greetings to mother and brother Eugene, as well as a comment on the difficulty in studying the Japanese language.
9 September 1945
"Dear mum, this is the first letter I write without thinking about censorship, and it's a real pleasure!
In recent weeks they have been very loose even if officially the censorship had to be observed as always. I was very surprised to find that what was said last time about the movements of the 25th Division has not been censored."
Censorship, in war, is a common thing, I would say necessary, to prevent important information such as moving a unit, force data or operating conditions, from ending up involuntarily in the hands of the enemy. It may seem detrimental to one's freedom but it is a necessary thing and in the Second World War the American army exercised it.
"As mentioned, we have been planned to occupy Kyushu within a month ... We are about to receive new equipment ...
Regarding those with my degree, we will be paid ten dollars a month. The US occupation currency, 15 yen will be used for a dollar of occupation.
If a Japanese were found in possession of war equipment, he could face a sentence of twenty years in prison until sentenced to death.
We must behave conveniently but rigidly, otherwise they will not respect us ... I forgot to tell you the most important news. If you look at the address you will notice that I am now in the headquarters of the 161 ° Regiment ... the only thing I don't like is how they wake us up in the morning ... But when you hear a howitzer blow from 105, you wake up and you run around. The first morning I almost had a shot!"
Reading these few pages led me to investigate the events that took place in those distant years, so I discovered, among other things, that the 161 ° Regiment will in fact return home on November 1 1945, replaced by the 4 ° Infantry Regiment.
I like to think that soon after, Corporal Paul S. Luotto was able to return to his parents' home in Brooklyn and enjoy a well-deserved rest.
