Somewhere in Africa
January 5, 1945

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your Christmas Greeting and also for your package. It arrived in good shape but slightly late as I have been transferred to a new base within the last month.

I have been overseas for just one year and expect to return home sometime in April.

Recently I have been made an instructor and check pilot on C-47’s and C-46’s. Our job here is to give blind flying ratings and transition to copilots in the North African Division of the Air Transport Command. They are turned out as first pilots and go back to their bases to fly passengers and freight throughout Africa, the Middle East and into India.

When I return I shall call in and see all you good people.

Happy New Year to you all and let us hope that soon we may enjoy a reunion together.

Sincerely
James F. McCabe
Class ‘39

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Somewhere in North Africa
January 29, 1944

Dear Friends,

I received your nice Christmas present of cigarettes a few days ago. My mail finally caught –up with me, here, after chasing me half way around the globe. Thank you so much for remembering one of the “Ole Boys[”]. I especially appreciate your present because cigarettes over here are rationed and each one counts.

My job over here is flying vital war materials and passengers for the Air Transport Command to the Near East as well as through Africa. I am now pilot of a C-47, a twin engine cargo plane made by Douglas Aircraft. With luck I expect to get an assignment on the new C-54 which is a four engine cargo plane which grosses around 60,000 lbs.

This country is rather “sad” after being used to the good old U.S.A. At last we have something to look forward to – returning home after we have “polished –off the boys” and this mess is over.

The people that make up the population here are mostly Arabs and French. They are at ----------

I have gotten to be quite a novel fan of late because that is all there is to do for diversion as the whole town is “off limits” to all American Service men.

There is quite a nice American Red Cross Unit here. They even have hot showers for all the “boys” as well as good sandwiches and coffee and an occasional show with real live white girls fro the States to sing and dance for us. [Transcription ends]