Part II: In the War
9. Heidelberg and Hamelin Occupation
10. Mannheim, Gmund, and Lauda Occupation
Illustrations
Figure I-1. Carl and Fred with Dorothy, c. 1930
Figure 1-1. Carl’s Miami transcript
Figure 2-1. Tank Destroyer Center letterhead
Figure 2-2. Enlisted Men’s Service Club letterhead
Figure 2-3. Camp Maxey letterhead
Figure 3-1. Queen’s College letterhead and envelope
Figure 4-1. Camp Shelby letter and envelope
Figure 4-3. USO letterhead
Figure 5-1. V-mail, December 1944
Figure 6-1. V-mail, Belgium, January 1945
Figures 7-1. Second Reich and Weimar banknotes
Figure 7-2. Fashions from Germany
Figure 8-1. East of the Rhine letterhead and envelope
Figure 8-2. B. Sprengel & Co. letterhead
Figure 9-1. Schützengilde Hameln
Figure 10-1. American Red Cross letterhead
Figure 11-1. Reims letter and envelope
Figure E-1. Remainder of 3rd Platoon, July 1945
Photographs following Chapter 5
Harry Lavin and Wurstmeisters, early 1920s
Carl and Fred, 1928
Extended Lavin family, early 1930s
Late 1930s, and Leo is happy
Carl’s 1942 Lehman High yearbook photo
Carl in uniform, Camp Hood, Texas, July 1943
Home leave before shipping to Britain
Photographs following Chapter 8
The 84th Division in the Battle of the Bulge
84th Division: From the Siegfried Line to the Elbe
June 1944. A happy GI wearing the only decoration worth wearing: Combat Infantryman Badge
Hannover as found by the 84th Infantry Division
The 335th welcomes you to the Rhine
Krefeld, Carl’s final battle
President Truman reviews the 84th
Jack Benny
Foreword
My troop ship to Europe was different than Carl Lavin’s. Our ship embarked from New York in a convoy of Liberty Ships and, after only some two days at sea, there was a minor collision between two of the ships in the convoy. Not much more serious than a scrape, perhaps, but the damages were such that our ship had to return to New York Harbor. Unbeknownst to us, the good citizens of New York assumed we had returned from the Front, and laid on a heroes’ welcome. We did not have the heart to tell them we had only been at sea a few days and had never seen combat. Eventually we were dispatched after repairs to the ship and I joined the 84th Division in Europe. Carl did not join our division until Christmas
