Friday, 23 February [1945] Auw, Germany
Up at 0600. Just another day. Very little activity, Enemy or otherwise. Plenty of planes overhead. The Germans get very little rest. One of our planes inadvertently dropped a bomb near the 1st gun section. No harm done. Studied our maps for a while tonight. Hit the sack at 2200.
Saturday, 24 February [1945] Auw, Germany
Up at 0700. The weather is clear and not too cold. Our mail clerk, CPL. Donald Martin, is going back to the states for a 30 day furlough.1 Corporal Donald Martin was a member of the B Battery, 549th AAA, 87th Division, U.S. Army. Goetz’s good friend, he left a fragment of his own wartime diary with Goetz, who inserted it at the back of his loose‐leaf diary. See Diary Inserts, Insert 45
, for a copy of the furlough order. He will be gone about 90 days altogether. The war will probably be over before he returns. I know of no one I would rather see get it, other than myself. I will miss him. We often shared the same room and he was not only good company but a great help. He has been working in the office for about two years and knew the routine as well as I did. Our Bn. was allotted one furlough, through a process of elimination. He finally won out. I certainly envy him. Many more planes again today. The 1st and 9th Armies kicked off this A.M. Soon the whole front will be moving again. I hope this is the deciding round. I am ready to go home. No mail for a couple of days. Hit the sack at 2000.
Sunday, 25 February [1945] Auw, Germany
Up at 0700. Shaved and had breakfast by 0800. We have been at Auw for 21 days. Expect things to start rolling here in a day or two. Weather remains clear and moderate. Sunday does not differ from [continued on next page]
