After V-E Day, the war may have been over, but Dolph's service was not. Like millions of American servicemen, he spent months in occupied Germany, waiting and hoping for orders to go home.
Military Government
The American zone of occupation was governed by the Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS), headquartered in Frankfurt. Dolph worked in various administrative capacities, including a stint in Berlin after the war. His letters from this period reflect the frustrations of military bureaucracy and the desperate desire to return to civilian life — and to Jean.
Denazification
One of the primary tasks of the occupation was denazification — removing former Nazis from positions of influence and holding war criminals accountable. The Nuremberg Trials, which began in November 1945, represented the most visible aspect of this effort. Dolph met British officers who had testified at the trials and heard firsthand accounts of the proceedings.
The Long Wait
The demobilization process was slow and frustrating. A point system determined who went home first, and Dolph — who had arrived late in the war — didn't have enough points. His letters from late 1945 and early 1946 are full of schemes to get home: civilianization (accepting a civilian government job), lobbying through Senator Russell, anything to reunite with Jean. He finally processed home in late May 1946, taking a nine-hour course on "How To Be a Civilian."