Letters to Imogene

Book excerpt: Three career Army officers, the author’s father, grandfather and uncle, are thrust into the global struggle to save the world from Hitler’s Nazi empire. United by their love of Imogene—daughter, sister, and wife—their letters to her and her replies chronicle the personal side of war. Imogene’s father, Major General Donald Stroh, initially the assistant commander of the 9th Infantry Division, later commanded the 8th and 106th Infantry Divisions. Her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Stumpf, commanded a battalion in the 9th and later, a regiment in the 106th. Their campaigns began in North Africa in late 1942 and concluded in Germany nearly three years later. Imogene’s brother, Captain Harry Stroh, was a P-47 Thunderbolt flight leader in the 362nd Fighter Group who at times flew close support missions for both the 8th and 9th Divisions in Normandy and Brittany. Letters to Imogene includes insights into the personalities of some of the war’s luminaries: Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and “Lightnin’ Joe” Collins, among others. The family narrative is rife with hardship and humor, courage, heartbreak, and triumph, and their letters present a unique and compelling window into the lives of those who fought and won the Second World War.