Censorship of letters, use of sources published after end of war:
Once the soldier goes overseas and into the conflict zone proper, all of his written correspondence
is restricted and censored to ensure that there is minimal chance that it can be intercepted by the
enemy and put to use against friendly forces.
The need for this secrecy largely disappears, however, when the war has been concluded for a
sufficient amount of time. For this reason, there are a number of publications available, some
of them written by the actual commanders of the units discussed in these letters, which can give
us some context and background to the otherwise restricted narrative provided by dad in his
letters. I have tried to use these sources to tell a story parallel in time to the one dad is
telling in his letters, to assist the reader in understanding what is happening around the
letter writer at the time he is engaged in the conflict.
- Jim Jr.