1946-FIVE (5) Handwritten Letters-US ARMY Gen'l in Philippines-Shooting LOOTERS!

1946-FIVE (5) Handwritten Letters-US ARMY Gen'l in Philippines-Shooting LOOTERS! (image 3/[null, null, null, null])

1946-FIVE (5) Handwritten Letters-US ARMY Gen'l in Philippines-Shooting LOOTERS! (image 4/[null, null, null, null])

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FIVE ( 5) 1946 Post-WW II Letters Army Gen'l Describes Lifein Philippines We Are Shooting Looters! The Huk Guerillas are All Over -- Probably 30,000 Strong Lots of Lawlessness -- Car Stealing in Manila! General Hazlett Might Be Retiring -- -- NO RESERVE -- -- Major General Albert Cowper Smith (1894-1976) was born in Warrenton, Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1917 -- along with future generals Mark Wayne Clark, Mathew Ridgway, Joseph Lawton Collins and H. Norman Schwartzkopf, Sr . He was assigned to the 3rd Cavalry in April 1917 and served with the First Army in France during World War I. After the war, he was an instructor at the United States Military Academy from 1922 to 1926, and then attended the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas from 1926 to 1927. In August 1934 he entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas , graduating in 1936, and then he remained there as an instructor until he was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In April 1941 he joined the 4th Armored Division , and in July 1942 was assigned to command the 37th Armored Regiment at Pine Camp, New York. In November 1942 he was designated Commanding General, Combat Command "A", 14th Armored Division , and in July 1944 assumed command of the division and accompanied it to Europe, where the legendary 14th Armored Division became known as "The Liberators." You can read more about Smith's "Liberators" on Wikipedia by searching "14th Armored Division." Smith would ultimately be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Ribbon, French Legion of Honor, Maouin de Goumier, and Croix de Guerre with palms. After the war, Smith would serve in the Philippines , and then Japan , before returning to Washington D.C. where he would spend the remainder of his career as the Army's chief military historian before retiring in 1955, having proudly served his country for his entire life. Item Description -- Please Read CAREFULLY -- No Return Here are FIVE ( 5) vintage 1946 handwritten letters in ink, written between June 21 and October 28, 1946. T he writer is Gen. Albert Cowper Smith , and the letters are written to his wife Mary, who is temporarily living in San Francisco. Smith, at the end of World War II, was assigned to a U.S. Army base just outside Manila in the Philippines, and reported to General Harry F. Hazlett. You can see his fascinating bio below . All letters come with original mailing envelopes. All envelopes are either opened at one end, or from the top. Each sheet is approximately 8 x 10" , and between one and two pages in length. Each is in near-mint condition , and the writing is bold and clear, and easy to read. He ends each letter signing "C." During 1946, the Philippines is in a state of near-civil war, now that the Japanese invaders have been repelled by American forces. The communist Hukbalahap (Huks) will cause problems for the next eight years ( see info below ). Description of each letter -- READ CAREFULLY -- No Return! 1) June 21, 1946. This is on " Headquarters 86th Infantry Division, Office of the Asst. Div. Commander , APO 450." (It is the only one of the five on letterhead). It is two full pages in length on a single sheet of paper (written on both sides). Some excerpts: " The quarters that we are building are rather crude & it will be like camping out , however we won't need much furniture and very little else..." "I am taking George Shea & Gen. Hazlett to the Army-Navy Club for dinner... the servant question is going to be a peculiar one. There are loads of them, but not well trained & they want 4 pesos a day..." ********* 2) August 2, 1946. One and one-half pages , one sheet. Some excerpts: "The temperature has been delightful for the last six weeks -- it varies between about a low of 73 to a high of about 85 & the nights are fine for sleeping." And...... read more

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1946-FIVE (5) Handwritten Letters-US ARMY Gen'l in Philippines-Shooting LOOTERS!

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