Original WWII Letter Lot 5 Pieces Sgt Charles H Bentley 134th Infantry Regiment For Sale

Type Comprehensive five 5 piece archive of original WWII correspondence including V Mail envelopes handwritten field letters and processed V Mail sheets
Sender Sgt Charles H Bentley 33534012 Co B 134th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Personnel Laboratory
Recipient Mrs Eugenie Bentley Senders Grandmother and Mr Charles W Bentley Senders Father DeWitt Virginia
Timeline June 1944 through May 1945
Condition Excellent vintage condition Crisp handwriting clear postmarks uniform age toning and original fold lines See photos for complete visual details
​FROM THE PSYCH LAB TO THE FRONT LINES A COMPLETE WARTIME ARC
This exceptional 5 piece correspondence lot offers a fascinating deeply personal look into the military journey of Sergeant Charles H Bentley of DeWitt Virginia Unlike common disjointed single letters this archive chronicles a rare documented transition from an administrative stateside testing lab into a frontline combat infantry unit pushing deep into Germany during the final months of World War II
​CHRONOLOGICAL TIMELINE OF THE COLLECTION
​ITEM ONE JUNE 10 1944 STATESIDE TRAINING ENVELOPE
An original V Mail envelope sent from Camp Pickett Virginia while Charles was serving as a Private First Class with the 2nd Personnel Laboratory a unit specialized in administering psychological and clerical testing to new recruits Sent to his grandmother Eugenie
​ITEM TWO UNDATED LIKELY LATE 1944 HIGH SPIRITED NOTE TO DAD
A complete unfolded V Mail letter sheet addressed to Dearest Dad Charles writes a masculine cheerful note telling his father he is doing great catching up with old buddies and giving warning to update his address soon because his unit is preparing to move out Signed uniquely Your Boy Chas H
​ITEM THREE JANUARY 16 1945 PRE EMBARKATION STAGING
A beautiful unfolded letter sheet written to his grandmother from APO 15730 near the New York Port of Embarkation Charles describes a relaxed night out writing Went down to the PX last night and had a few beers and met some more of my old friends He notes he is still in the USA but anxiously awaiting his final letters before shipping out overseas
​ITEM FOUR FEBRUARY 22 1945 THE SHOCK OF THE GERMAN FRONT
A rare handwritten 2 page fold out field letter datelined Somewhere in Germany Charles has been reassigned as a frontline combat rifleman with Company B 134th Infantry Regiment He writes a deeply homesick letter discussing paying his grandmother back a 26 dollar debt so he wont be broke when he returns In a stunning historic section he warns his family about the optimism on the homefront writing The war is not over yet we have a big job to do yet The people in the states think it is just about over but they dont know the half Signed Soul Chas H
​ITEM FIVE APRIL 29 1945 COMBAT EXHAUSTION AND THE HOPE FOR VE DAY
The final letter in the lot written just over a week before Germany surrendered Now promoted to Sergeant Charles writes from the front lines apologizing for his silence because he simply did not have time to write Expressing the weariness of the infantry he notes I sure hope this war will be ever soon and let all of us come home
​ABOUT THE SOLDIER AND PROVENANCE
Sergeant Charles H Bentley survived the final campaigns of the 35th Infantry Division across Europe Returning home safely to Virginia after his discharge he married Hazel Mae Chappell in 1947 raised a family and enjoyed a peaceful civilian life until his passing in August 1978
​This lot represents a magnificent cross section of various military postal formats and tells a complete historical story making it a centerpiece collection for WWII collectors military historians or museum archives
​TAGS KEYWORDS
WWII Letter Lot V Mail Collection 134th Infantry 35th Division Combat Infantryman Germany 1945 Camp Pickett Virginia Military Ephemera Old Paper Americana Handwritten History Camp Staging Personnel Lab Family Archive V E Day History Frontline Soldier