This is an awe-inspiring collection of more than 100 V-Mail letters written by a serviceman stationed in North Africa and Italy during World War II. V-mail letters were inspected and then printed on microfiche paper by the U.S. Army prior to delivery to the recipients.

This collection was lovingly stored in a File-A-V folder (also shown). The File-A-V folder was made by The Beckhard Line, N.Y. An enclosed Beckhard card says, "For the Family at Home For Those Overseas...A File For Treasured V-Letters."

Once a V-mail letter was written and folded it was either mailed in its original paper envelope or microfilmed, printed, and mailed, as these examples were.

The 'V' in V-Mail stood for Victory. The idea of using a 'V' as a sign to undermine the Axis morale was introduced in a radio broadcast from London in 1941.

While I haven't read all of the letters in this collection, the ones I have read mostly deal with personal matters and also touch on the war effort. These letters contain poignant remarks and vivid descriptions. In one letter, the GI tells a very exciting story about how "one of the enemy slipped into our tent and was causing trouble..." The GI goes on to say how he singe-handedly caught and killed the intruder. Later in the letter, he admits he was talking about a mouse, not an enemy soldier. He writes, "It was a Mouse I was talking about all the time..." Then adds, "Just practicing so when I get back home... I can tell some tall stuff about the war."