


          This book is dedicated to Else Ausland,
          who patiently relived World War II with me.

          Also to the memory of my father and mother,
          who lived through the war with me and gave
          me so much love and moral support.          

                           ******

          Letters Home: a War Memoir (Europe 1944-1945)
          Copyright: 1993 John C. Ausland
                     Registration No. TX 3-666-630 
                     All rights reserved.
    
          This disk contains only the chapter texts. The pictures
          and maps are to be found only in the printed version,
          which is now out of print but available in some libraries
          in the US and Norway.

          You may freely distribute this version of the book, as
          long as no charge is involved. If you want to distribute 
          the book commercially, either in print or electronically, 
          you can contact me at the following address:
           
          Land Productions
          Sondreveien 4 Entry 2
          0378 Oslo, Norway



          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
          *                    WHO AM I?                      *
          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

          Before going further, perhaps it would be useful to
          tell you a bit about myself.

          I was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin on July 14, 1920
          and have spent much of my life on the move.  My father 
          worked for a railroad, and we lived at various times
          in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas.  In twelve
          years of schooling, I went to twelve different schools.

          After the war years in the US Army (more on this later),
          I spent four years at Princeton University.  From there
          I went into the Foreign Service, which took me to Germany,
          Yugoslavia, Australia, Norway, and Switzerland.

          In 1974, I retired from the Foreign Service and re-
          turned to Oslo, where I live with Else, my Norwegian 
          wife.  Here I have become first a writer and now a
          publisher.                                          
