My dear, just imagine for a moment that the war is over.

A Selection of Excerpts
First Year
December 1942

Letter dated: Dec. 6, 1942

My beloved H...
Today is already the Second Sunday of Advent, and we are in the midst of an offensive. Please forgive me for only writing to you again now, but I certainly didn't have any time before this.

Dearest H..., thank you so very much for your letters dated November 21, 23, 24, and 26. It gave me great joy when we received the mail yesterday. It was the first time since November 27.

Dearest H..., I just want to briefly tell you how we have been faring lately. On November 27, I had to go to our maintenance company to pick up a new radio. I returned on the evening of November 28 and ran into my comrades along the way. Then we had to march until the evening of November 30. On the morning of December 1, our first attack began at 6:45 a.m.

Dearest H..., on that very day, my thoughts were entirely with you. How wonderful it would have been if we could have spent your birthday together. But unfortunately, that was not possible. We attacked from morning until 6 p.m., taking one village after another. It was a real joy to see the Russians fleeing before us.

Unfortunately, it was very cold, and we had to sleep out in the open without blankets or a shelter sheet. At first, it was bearable; our winter gear kept us reasonably warm. But then we had to move on, constantly following the Russians. We reached our objective on the fourth day. We were relieved, because here we could at least occupy a bunker again. Three nights out in the open amidst snow flurries—that’s enough to wear a person down.

Now the Russians are trying with all their might to retake their position. They have already suffered heavy losses and are repeatedly being beaten back. They have lost 30 tanks in just three days. We are hoping now that we will soon be relieved and able to spend Christmas in a quiet position—or at least have a decent holiday.

How wonderful it would be right now if, instead of being in my cold bunker—which has no stove—I could be somewhere with you in a warm room. I always loved those evenings when we would sit by candlelight, listening to nice music on the radio and sending greetings to our loved ones. Sadly, that is over for the time being...

My dearest H..., we read with indignation about the brazen, mean-spirited actions of the Tommies. I do hope they don't come too often and that nothing happens to you. Just make sure to go straight to the cellar, for it is always safer down there than up above. It would be terrible for me if anything were to happen to you.

My beloved H..., you need not worry about me. I am careful, and hopefully luck will continue to smile upon me. After all, luck is what one needs most here. Well, I hardly think my luck would run out now, seeing as the greatest stroke of good fortune befell me during my leave.

Dearest H..., I hope the three-kilogram parcels didn't burn up. That would be a great shame—less because I wouldn't receive them, but because you have to go without essentials yourselves to send them off. That makes a parcel like that at least twice as valuable. Well, let's see if they arrive.

My beloved H..., it’s already 9 o'clock now. I’ve been interrupted again. I’ve just finished eating. Our field kitchen is about 8 km behind us, and the road it travels along is under enemy observation. That’s why lunch always arrives in the evening. Today, we even had pudding for a change. ...

Letter dated: Dec. 13, 1942

... Perhaps we’ll get some peace and quiet yet, though the chances are very slim. Well, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll make things as nice and cozy for ourselves as we possibly can. ...

...Hopefully, we’ll be lucky enough next year to spend Christmas together. But who knows what might happen between now and then? We might even be in England by that time. You never know. Things often happen faster than you’d think. There’s a long time to go before then, though, so let’s not worry about it yet. Whatever happens, happens. There’s nothing we can do to change it anyway. For the time being, the main thing is that there are plenty of leave passes available and that I might soon be with you again—because that is my greatest wish, and it always will be. ...

Letter dated: 15 Dec. 1942

My dearest H...
I’ve just managed to find a dry spot and want to scribble a few lines to you quickly. The weather here is terrible; it’s been "raining" here for two days. We are in a swampy area, and you simply cannot imagine what it looks like here now. On the bright side, it’s quiet here at the moment, and there’s something to be said for that. Our only wish now is for it to get cold and freeze again. All our bunkers and positions are underwater.

Oh, dearest H... how wonderful it would be for us right now if I could be home with you. Then one wouldn't have to spend hours bailing out water just to have a dry place to lie down.

My dearest H..., Christmas is drawing ever closer, and soon this holiday will be over, too. This is already the second Christmas we are spending in Russia, and we hope it will be the last. The Russians don't have much fight left in them, and we firmly believe that they will receive the final blow in the spring and be finished off for good. In the meantime, we simply continue to do our duty and hope that everything turns out well and that we shall see each other again safe and sound very soon. ...

Letter dated: December 18, 1942

... After successfully completing our move, I am sitting at a table again this evening.

Dearest H..., I want to briefly tell you how we’ve spent the last few days. After combat engineers blasted and excavated a hole in the ground for us, we set about building our new quarters. We built a small house—albeit out of boards only about 3 cm thick. It is 3 m long, 1.80 m wide, and 1.70 m high, housing three men and two radio stations. On the outside, it is well insulated with hay, straw, and then earth. The interior is lined with blankets and shelter halves so that the heat from the small stove stays inside the room.

An Advent wreath and fir boughs give our home the necessary Christmas atmosphere. Even though we have to remain at our post here over the holidays, it is still something quite different from what we’ve known before. We can actually celebrate a bit here, provided the Russians leave us in peace.

Yes, my sweet darling, you learn every trade here. We build everything we need ourselves— and that means pretty much everything there is. But I’d rather pitch in hard for a few days and have somewhat comfortable quarters in return.

Now, my beloved sweetheart, I have some very welcome news. My First Lieutenant told me yesterday that he wants to send me to a training course. My name has already been submitted. Now the regimental commander will decide if I get to go.

Dearest H..., please keep your fingers crossed for me that I get lucky. I would be sent to the Warsaw area. And for a full three months, too. Spending some time—during the coldest part of the season here—in a nice barracks is, after all, significantly more pleasant. ...

Letter dated: 20 Dec. 1942

... The Russians are quite quiet now. They are currently busy building a new position. That gives us a bit more peace and quiet, too. My dearest darling, it is so wonderful when we sit in our bunker in the evening. It is quite calm outside; only the storm howls its eternal song. At this time, I always sit at the table or on my bed by the faint light of a candle, and my thoughts wander to you, my love. Time and again, this is the best hour of the day. ...

My dearest darling, are you really being spoiled so much? It can't be all that bad, though, since there is hardly anything to be had anymore. ...

... I’ll close for today now. I have to go on guard duty soon, and it’s been raining for half an hour. (Crazy Russian weather) ...

Letter dated: December 23, 1942

My dearest H...
Now there are only 24 hours left, and then we will celebrate Christmas here. It is the second Christmas on Russian soil—far away from my beloved, yet in my thoughts, very close to you. But even if the celebration turns out somewhat meager and humble compared to a Christmas of peace, we are nevertheless happy and overjoyed by the many kind gifts from home and from our Führer—gifts that truly make this celebration beautiful for us.

It will be a beautiful and quiet celebration for us, shared among a circle of loyal comrades; at the same time, it serves as a vow to devote all our strength to protecting our homeland from ever having this celebration destroyed.

My beloved H..., right now my thoughts are with you—and with our parents—more intensely than ever. Every soldier here likely feels the same way. Above all, there is a burning longing for the lovely domestic happiness that awaits us back home. It is a deep yearning for you, my one and only deeply loved treasure. And so, I feel certain that during these days, your thoughts are with me just as much. ...

Letter dated: Dec. 27, 1942

... First, my heartfelt thanks for your lovely letter of Dec. 16, which gave me such great joy. It arrived right on Christmas Eve.

Now, my dearest H..., we spent a very pleasant Christmas Eve. We received cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, liqueur, and half a bottle of sparkling wine. Plus chocolate, a *Stollen* cake, hard candies, and small pastries. It really was quite a lot of good stuff, and we celebrated quite nicely, too. The only thing missing was you, my sweet darling. But in spirit, I drank the sparkling wine together with you. ...

... Unfortunately, we had the bad luck of having to march on the first day of the holiday. It is Sunday now, and the clock already shows 9:30. That march really wore us out, as the roads were heavily iced over—and covering about 30 km every day, at that. But that’s not going to break our spirit.

We have now taken up a very quiet position and are quartered in a nice, large bunker. We’ll have a fine New Year’s Eve celebration here. The only downside is that we have to walk about half an hour to get to the field kitchen. Well, it makes for a nice little stroll. The only thing missing is the right company. ...

My dearest H..., if I’m lucky, I might already be on my way to Warsaw by the time this letter reaches you. That would be wonderful. Once I’m there, I’ll do everything I can to make it all the way back to Germany. ...

Letter dated: December 31, 1942

... My beloved H..., yes, I still remember exactly how I said that perhaps we would be together again by Christmas. Unfortunately, quite a few things got in the way. In the military, after all, everything is very uncertain. Well, hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to get away for this training course; that would be a huge step forward. ...

...let us hope that the new year brings us plenty of pleasant things. But whatever may come, we will always stand our ground and faithfully do our duty, for we know what we owe to the homeland and to our beloved Führer. Yet our faith in the homeland and our faith in those dearest to us will always give us strength, fortify us, and help us achieve victory. ...