"[Lot of 4 - World War II - 2 Photos and 2 Typed Letters Signed by U.S. Army Officer Matthew Ridgway]",

This lot includes two letters written and signed by General Matthew Ridgway and addressed to Theodore Humes, each accompanied by a photo. The first letter, dated 23 July 1980, lists the Corps under Ridgway's command during World War II and includes a black and white photo of dead soldiers lying in the snow during the Battle of the Bulge. The second letter, dated 23 October 1980, describes Ridgway's experience on 3 January 1945 at the crossroads at Baugnez, near Malmedy, Belgium, where he "noticed the numerous mounds of snow in that field, but having no inkling that each covered the body of one of our men murdered by the Germans, I did not investigate, and only learned later what the snow concealed." This letter is accompanied by a color photo taken in July 1980 of the area described in the letter, captioned by Ridgway on verso. Ridgway was a US Army Officer who led the 82nd Airborne at Normandy and succeeded Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe in 1952. Humes served in the war in the Ardennes Campaign and later in life became the director of the Security and Exchange Commission under Nixon.

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Condition: A

Very minor soiling. The signature on the second letter is lightly smudged.