KIA Private Julius J. Bardoni WW2 Letters

Find A Grave Memorial# 56371053

World War II correspondence from Private Julius J. Bardoni, Wyandotte, Michigan, 1941 - 1944.

Some excerpts:

"This place they call 'sunny Italy' brrr, it's cold as ---- in the mountains and when you do get down it's always raining.... I've been overseas for fourteen months, seen action in Africa, Sicily, and now Italy while those slackers are still in the states. They'll probably use those guys in the Pacific but after it's over with over here I'll try to go along with those recruits.... Things have changed since I last wrote you. I've been on this beachhead since 'D' Day and it's been pretty hot at times but maybe not as bad as you might read about in the papers....

Say, are they still rationing gasoline around home, I'd be in a heck of a fix if I'd be lucky enough to get there.... Here's a little tip, get out of communication work because in the artillery it's no picnic, you'd be with the infantry as much as with your outfit if you picked the short straw.... Do your best and try to get in as a paragraph trooper of the chairborne command (ink to you). Cannoneer is your next best bet because you don't have to go on observation posts and be shot at all the time.... Since I've ben on this God-forsaken beachhead I don't much give a damn anymore. You're like a duck on a pond and everybody's shootin' at you. When you're up on the line you die about a thousand times a day. If your outfit isn't attacking you're being attacked and so it goes. I figure a guy lucky if he gets hit and goes to the hospital...."

Handwritten letter to his sweetheart, Phyllis Mlotkowski, of Wyandotte Michigan, from Africa, June 12, 1943. In part: "I have received only seven letters since I arrived November 8.... After we landed in Casablanca we fought for four days and it was all over and they asked for volunteers to go north to the front and I was one of them and I went throught just about all of the Tunisian Campaign. I was in five battles with this outfit, the 168th Infantry, perhaps that's the reason I wasn't getting my mail regularly.... My old outfit is asking for volunteers to come back and I did it again. I'll be back with them before this letter is delivered to you. It will mean more artillery fire and more bombs but I want this war over as soon as possible so we can be together again.... I've been in Tunis four time already and picked up a few souvenirs.... Honey, I love you more than ever but it's like I told you in my last letter, if you think you found someone you like better, well, hon, then you may do what you know is right. I couldn't hardly blame you because Christ knows how long this is going to go on...."

Handwritten letter to Phyllis Mlotkowski, from southern France, September 2, 1944. In part: "Ever since I've been here I haven't had much time for anything. Writing paper is as scarce as furloughs.... France is really beautiful and so are the women. The WACs wouldn't stand a chance with these girls. In my estimation France is better and will continue to be better than all of Italy before the war...."

Group of four picture postcards, 1941 - 1942, each including a message sent by Bardoni from various military posts in the U.S. The return addresses Bardoni use variously place him with the 7th and 168th Infantries.

Sadly, Pvt. Bardoni was killed in France. Here is his burial record which I found online

Name:	Pvt Julius J Bardoni
Death Date:	21 Nov 1944
Burial Place:	Departement des Vosges, Lorraine, France

Lonoke, Arkansas 1874

WARNING: THIS LETTER CONTAINS RACIST CONTENT.

Interesting 4 pp. letter dated Lonoke, Arkansas, Jun 29 1874, from E. K. Purdy, who was with his relatives, to "Addie," his wife.

Lonoke AR, Jul 1 postmark, to Mrs. E. K. Purdy, Schoolcraft, Michigan. The letter reads, in part, as follows: "Ed & his mother are broke out in patches as large as peas all over & water is a stranger to their hides. They say it is chigger bites, but it is filthy skin (chiggers is a small insect about the size of these dots [has drawn a circle of dots]), but one has not troubled me yet ... Jul 1 ... Yesterday was Election Day and I was crowded with darkies, White & Black all day ... I did not enjoy the barbecue. I did not go near the grove that day. The day before I went to see the trenches & see how they barbecued the meat ... I saw two trenches dug in the row 4 feet wide [by] 100 feet long each & 40 or 50 darkies filling them with wood & burning to coals. Then there was laid on boards, meat, pork, mutton & some goat or kid meat, ready for laying on the coals in the trenches. N-----s [crude racial slur for African-American people] all around dressing sheep & young N----s running off with all the insides, that should be eaten by dogs. Yesterday Edgar came near being crippled for life. He was repairing a pistol that was loaded & carelessly fired it off, shooting of 2 barrels, blowing his eyes and face full of powder caps & today he cannot hardly see. I was at work near him, but fortunately for me, the balls went through the side of the house instead of my head. The editor [of the local paper] asked him what his initials was, as he was going to put him in his paper in regard to the shooting yesterday. I told England [the editor] his name was simply Edgar Purdy & not publish me as the one hurt, as it might cause trouble to my friends and others & cause me trouble & him the loss of one subscriber. So that ended. Just before that I went into a store & bought a file & was asked politely if I could settle my account. I said I have no account. Being being your name is E. K. Purdy, is it not? Yes that is my name, but I don't owe you anything. Well it is on the books [as] E. K. Purdy. I said Edgar Purdy is the person. So ended that ... [complains of lack of privacy] some of your last letters I have preserved by hiding them in my bed ... Edgar's eyes look bad ... [signed] 'E'."

This letter is for sale on ebay Item number: 260529457056