Mr. Bellman, apparently a Jewish American soldier serving in the “MG Co 110 Inf”, writes home to his sister and brother-in-law describing his thoughts just before embarking for his return home and he also describes an artillery barrage in which he was wounded and nine of his comrades were killed:

“My Dear Sister,

I let you know that I received your good long letter tonight and I cant tell how much I appreciate such a good letter … your letter found me in good health in le mans in a big camp and we stay hear till we leive for embarkation and that wont be so long any more we are the second division to sail in May that will be a nice time to sail and a nice time to come home… we got y.m.c.a to go and show and movie ad church and I was in church on Sunday and then I whent to here the log band and then I met my cousin Emanel just think how glad we were to meet each other… I stayed till they call quarters he is in the 109 inf co A and this week  they whent to the range and we go next week and he still writes to his girl he told me his girl wrote him and ask him what he was doing she said suspose killing cooties well they are awful amails they are never satisfied but we got rid of them and he said that Maggie peiffer died I almost couldn’t believe it.

Well you ask me about the French girls I don’t think they are so nice some of are and they love the soldiers and so many get married but I am sure I don’t … we live here in barrags and we are pretty comfortable and got good beds to sleep and we drill and do lots of detail wark around the camp and today I was on K.P. it was doing all day… we get pretty good eats … Well I see some boys are coming home already I think we are coming home soon those that came home are causals and in placement there are only a few fithing division that whent home and they have been over hear 18 month and my old outfit wont go till sept ore in oct because its regular army this is the old national guard division… I know I got good old frends back home and I sure have a lot in the army and some of them wer kill the night I got wounded there were nine kill and 33 wounded I was wounded at 130 in the morning in a town the name was St Agnia and I got my first aid in about an hour and half after I got wounded I whent to the first aid station myself and got dress and I often think how lucky I was to get out alive and I cant understand it yet those 75 wer coming in like rain and the houses were all knock down and it was sure a sight to see and here some wer prating and som curse and some harled for help … all I wanted was my gass mask one the right of us was all gass we couldn’t get the amblance till in the morning and the roads were so full of holes that that I almost couldn’t keep my self on the streacher and I sure was full of pain and I lost every think I had except what I had in my shirt pockets…” [sic]