Letters 61 - 65

On D-Day June 6, 1944, these were the songs that hit the charts on BBC Radio out of London

These were the songs on the BBC hit record chart on the 6 June 1944 and would have been heard by Eddie Cowley with the broadcast of the invastion in the news.

1 Berlin Or Bust — Sam Browne and the Six Swingers
2 The Last Post
3 Roll Me Over — Primo Scala
4 On The Sunny Side Of The Street — Tommy Dorsey
5 Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet — The Squadronaires featuring Beryl Davies
6 McNamara’s Band —Geraldo and his Orchestra with Johnny Green
7 Command Patrol - RAF Dance Orchestra
8 Bless You — The Inkspots
9 Opus One — Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra
10 In The Mood - Glenn Miller
11 The Trolley Song — Judy Garland
12 I’ll Walk Alone — Ambrose and his Orchestra
13 The Dreamer — Henry Hall and his Orchestra with Eva Bynon
14 Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby — Skyrockets Dance Orchestra with Denny Dennis
15 There Goes That Song Again — Adelaide Hall
16 Till The End Of Time — Perry Como
17 The Grand Old Man — Max Miller
18 It Might As Well Be Spring — Dick Haymes
19 That Lovely Weekend — Geraldo and his Orchestra
20 Don’t Fence Me In — Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters
21 Mairzy Doats and Dozy Doats — Lou Praeger and his Orchestra with Paul Rich
22 There’ll Always Be An England — Sam Browne
23 They're Either Too Young Or Too Old - Carroll Gibbons
24 The Vic'Try Polka - Joe Loss and His Orchestra
25 Lilli Marlene - Marlene Dietrich
26 White Cliffs Of Dover - Vera Lynn

Letter # 61

Pvt. E. Cowley 42025054
Hgts.Co. 1st Bn. 301st Inf.
A.P.O. 94
Camp McCain Miss.
The Cowleys
35 Woodside Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Zone 20
Predicted “D” Day
Monday, June 5, 1944
Dear Mom,
I’m sorry I’ve neglected my writing lately but they’re really keeping us busy down here. Today we put on a real show. Our battalion attacked a fortified German position. I had a swell view of the whole thing from our gun implacement on the top of a hill. We fired everything the Infantry has. The tanks with their 75’s were on line with us & the 105 & 153’s from the artillery layed down a terrific barrage. It was quite a sight to see all the weapons in action. The mortars threw down a smoke screen & the Infantry moved right up a hundred yds behind the heavy fire. They used machine guns, flame throwers, demolition squads, bazookas & of course our anti-tanks guns were there too. Incidentally I fired live stuff for the 1st time.

Last weekend I went into Greenwood & had a pretty good time. Am planning on going to New Orleans week after next. Have applied for a 2 day pass & would really like to see what New Orleans looks like while the opportunity is here.

For the last couple weeks I’ve been thinking that the invasion would start June 6th (tomorrow) Looks like I was wrong. I’ve taken out an a 25$ bond to be sent home every month as soon as I start overseas. Went in swimming in the Greenwood pool Sat & enjoyed in quite a bit. Am surprised to hear the kids are going in so early out at the lake. Well, its lights out so I’ll say so long for awhile.
Love to all,
Eddie

Letter # 62


Pvt. E. Cowley 42025054
Hgts.Co. 1st Bn. 301st Inf.
A.P.O. 94
Camp McCain Miss.
The Cowleys
35 Woodside Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Zone 20
More about D Day
“D” day, June 6, 1944
Dear Mother,
Well the big push is on at last. Bet Dad has had his ears glued to the radio & that globe of his. Maybe pretty soon we’ll be able to throw that globe out the window & think of home & just home. It must be quite a show they’re putting on over there. I’m damn glad my name isn’t “Fritz” & that’s no kidding. It’s the end of huns for generations to come. Kinda wish I was over there with those “guys”, but imagine you’re darn glad I’m where I am. Don’t know what I’ll tell my kids when they ask me where I was on “D” day.

You know I knew when this was going to happen. I was taking a 25 mile march one night last week when all of a sudden something told me the invasion would be on Tuesday & I told the fellas that when we woke up Tues. morning the radio would be announcing the invasion & sure enough the radio woke me up with the invasion cry. Think I mentioned it to you in the letter I wrote Monday.

Well, just thought I’d drop you a short note and I want to remind you to keep praying for those G.I.’s that are going in the hard way. Good nite folks!
Love to all,

Eddie

Letter # 63
Pvt. E. Cowley 42025054
Hgts.Co. 1st Bn. 301st Inf.
A.P.O. 94
Camp McCain Miss.
The Cowleys
35 Woodside Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Zone 20
June 17, 1944
Dear Mom,

Just got in from the field yesterday and have been cleaning equipment until now. Have just been put on detail so I’ll have to leave --- Continued on June 19th.

Well, I suppose I just got in again, spent the weekend in Greenwood. Celebrated Fathers day by sleeping in the Greenwood Fire house, which incidentally is air conditioned and very modern. Just before I went to town I had some salt tablet with my dinner & felt pretty sick so I went right to the firehouse as there wasn’t any rooms left in town. The fireman were a good bunch of guys & gave me a swell bed & I’m feeling fine now. Told them Dad was a Fire Captain up in Buffalo & I think that helped me get the bed. They didn’t have a ping pong table however so I didn’t stay.

Received a nice identification bracelet from Bettee, but as usual I haven’t sent her anything as yet but am trying to keep it in my brain to get something. Guess I owe everybody a present, a letter or some other thing. Well, it looks like I’m not going to get that furlough I thought I might get. We’re getting ready to go to our staging area & turning all our equipment in for new stuff. Don’t think we’l see much action, if any. I’ve been taking every pass I could get but haven’t been able to get into New Orleans. We should be leaving this lousy South soon anyhow. Very few places are worse than Miss. so we can’t lose much. I’ll try & put a call in one of these nights so I can say hello to everyone.

I’ve been expending my artistic talents painting nick names & range charts on our 57’s lately. My gun is “One-Time-Only” a popular G.I. expression in the South.
Could you find out Bob Humphries address for me. I haven’t heard from him in over a years so I thought I might write. Ask Roy Woodmans mother for Roy’s address also (You can call her up if you want to). I’d like to hear from them at least once a year. Heard Bob was in action in the So. Pacific. Seems funny to be writing that about a guy who used to sing to me out at the lake. The kids are certainly growing up fast, aren’t they.

Bob Schultz was commissioned recently, guess that makes all the Dragons in service officers or non coms but me & to think I wanted to go to West Point.
How’s my little buddy Jimmy Piehardt doing nowadays?

Tell Rhoda (Hotlips) to drop me a little more of her line if you happen to see her.
I feel pretty good now, except that all the insults in Miss. have bitten me twice.

I’m afraid your hopes of getting me back to school in Sept. won’t be possible. I’d say I’ll be back at State in 46’ Once we get overseas & the war ends we may be delayed a year or two in getting back, but we won’t be if I can help it. Anyhow Peggy & I can go up to school together. This is the most I’ve written in a long time but I think we’l have more time to write from now on. Well, stay healthy all of you & don’t worry about Eddie Jr.

Love to my family,
Eddie

Letter # 64
Pvt. E. Cowley 42025054
Hgts.Co. 1st Bn. 301st Inf.
A.P.O. 94
Camp McCain Miss.
The Cowleys
35 Woodside Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Zone 20
Thursday, June 22, 1944
Dear Mom,

I’m on latrine orderly today so will have time to write letters, I hope. Very pleased to hear Dad enjoyed his holiday and wish I could have been home to help him drink his Ballantines.

Haven’t got much news this time as we aren’t doing anything but packing & having inspections. The war news looks pretty good right now & if our luck keeps up the war might be over in a year. Don’t know what they’re going to do with us over there but there must be some place that needs to be guarded. I’ve suggested Buffalo but don’t think the army will agree.

Don’t think I’ll be able to make New Orleans as passes are few & far between. Harry Matlimore is home on furlough until the 28th & I asked him to stop over at the house & pick up his pictures. Guess he is going to start his training in July.
We’re having corn on the cob for dinner tonight. One ear apiece will just about kill me though.

Are they swimming out at Hamburg this year? What are you going to do on Dad’s vacation. It should be coming up pretty soon or is he still confusing “Doc” Hartnett by talking about it in complicated mathematical formulas.

Well, chow time is dangerously close so I’ll sign off for awhile.
Love to all,

P.S. Hope Peggy has a good time out at the lake & I’m afraid she’d have a hard time putting George in a garbage can.

Letter # 65


Pvt. E. Cowley 42025054
Hgts.Co. 1st Bn. 301st Inf.
A.P.O. 94
Camp McCain Miss.
The Cowleys
35 Woodside Ave.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Zone 20
Postmarked, June 26, 1944
Saturday,
Dear Mom,

Well, another week has passed and I’m expecting to down to Greenwood tonight & tomorrow. Almost got a pass yesterday but we drew cards, just two of us & I lost. Can’t seem to have any luck on those passes.

Went into Greenwood Grenada last night & sent some things home by Railway Express. It doesn’t mean I’ve gone over or anything. It’s just that the captain made us get rid of all those things so we won’t be bothered with them when we do so don’t worry. You can give the field jacket & the pants to George if Dad doesn’t want them. The shoes should fit Dad as they’re 8 ½ D’s That’s his size isn’t it. Have plenty of underwear tops so you can put those back in my drawer along with my Dragon robe. Don’t think I would ever have used all that arid. Peggy can have my expert Infantry badge but tell her to take care of it as they’re hard to get. Also the hats. That blue braid should be put on the one with red.

Thought Dad might want to look over those manuals, Betty’s picture, the class letter etc.  Guess that covers most of the stuff so you know what to do with it all.

Haven’t been doing much of anything lately, not even much K.P. I feel fine & am getting pretty tan but we never take our shirts off so don’t get tan like I used to. Am thinking of calling home maybe next week if its all right by you. Let me know a couple nights which would be allright & I’ll try to get a call thru. Have to go to work for awhile. So long
Love to all,
Eddie

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Opus One Tommy Dorsey



On The Sunny Side of the Street - Tommy Dorsey