Below you will find a list of all letters of Orvin E. Nelson that he wrote during the Battle of the Bulge. Nelson was in both M and I Company of the 10th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. He was one of the replacement officers after the Battle of Metz. Nelson had signed up for the war from Chicago, Il. Before he left he married his wife Jeanette. Nelson wrote her almost every day.
For Nelson the Battle of the Bulge started on December 21st 1944. On that day his regiment arrived in Luxembourg and faced the first Germans part of the 212th Volksgrenadier Division. Upon his arrival he was in M Company (Heavy Weapons).
These letters help me in discovering more information about the 5th Infantry Division soldiers. Especially their thoughts, emotions and the way they looked at the war. To finish my project this page will serve to honor Orvin E. Nelson. I want his letters to be available all over the world so that others can grab a sense of what mail writing on the front line looked like during World War 2.
To me, Nelson is a very special person. He’s a true inspiration for showing the love he has for his wife Jeanette who he married in 1942. She is his biggest spark of hope in surving this war.
Highlighted:
- December 12th 1944: ‘Not even a jerry can hurt me.’
- December 17th 1944: ‘Flat beer from Metz.’
- December 28th 1944: Cold K Rations on Christmas Day
- December 31st 1944: A foxhole and ten blankets
- February 17th 1945: Fresh milk since the States
Read all of Nelson’s Letters here!
December 1944:
- December 1 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 2 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 3 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 4 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 5 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 6 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 7 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 8 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 9 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 10 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 12 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 13 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 14 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 15 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 16 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 17 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 18: 1944 Scan / Transcript
- December 19 1944: Scan / Transcript
- December 21 1944: Scan / Transcript (Arrived in Luxembourg, Battle of the Bulge)
- December 24 1944: Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge written on Hill 313)
- December 28 1944: Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- December 30 1944: Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- December 31 1944: Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
January 1945
- January 3 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 4 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 5 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 7 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 8 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 9 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 10 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 11 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 13 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 14 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 16 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 17 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- No Letters. On January 18 Nelson participated in the Sauer River Crossings
- January 22 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 23 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 25 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 26 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 27 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 28 1945 Scan / Transcript (Battle of the Bulge)
- January 29 1945 Scan / Transcript
- January 31 1945 Scan / Transcript