John Thune: “In early 1945, the mail situation was a big problem…”

“Letters were the only connection to home. In the absence of those letters, that was a real blow to soldiers already facing constant strain and danger. In early 1945, the mail situation was a big problem. Warehouses in Birmingham, England, were filled with a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail. It was estimated that clearing that backlog would take six months. Enter the six Triple eight.” (00:58–01:11)

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.