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

A Selection of Excerpts
Second Year
May 1943

Letter No. 81.

May 2, 1943
My beloved H...!

Please forgive me for only writing to you again now. Unfortunately, I’ve had very little time over the last few days. ...

My dearest darling, I am still doing well, and I hope you are doing quite well, too.

On May 1st—yesterday, that is—the Russians tried to give us a hard time, but they got a bloody nose for their trouble. Well, that ought to hold them for a while. Now they know—and have felt it keenly—that we are standing firm here and won't be bluffed. ...

Letter No. 84.

May 10, 1943

... Now, my beloved sweetheart, you’d better sit down if you happen to be standing. Here goes. Tell me, what is it actually like? Oh, why am I even asking? It’s quite something. It’s a matter of height—specifically, 10 meters of vertical clearance. Oh, I suppose you want to know what this is all about. Oh, I’m so excited. I can’t even remember everything I wanted to write to you.

Now, my darling, jokes aside. So, you think I don’t need to get promoted on your account—that there’s plenty of time for that. By that, you mean getting married, since that’s what I alluded to in my letter. What on earth is that supposed to mean? Have you never actually thought about becoming my wife as soon as possible?

Well, it’s high time you got used to that idea. Or perhaps you don’t want me anymore? I don’t believe you could—or would—do such a thing to me. Well, we shall see how things turn out. For now, it’s a case of wait and see.

My dearest sweetheart, listen closely to what I’m about to tell you. First, there will be leave this summer and a wonderful reunion. Second, the war will end this year. Third, we’ll come home soon after, and there will be more leave. Next year, England will be finished off, and that should mark the end of the war.

As for what comes fifth— you can probably guess. There will be leave again, and since the war will be over, we can get married. Then it really is high time—otherwise, you might end up liking someone else better after all, or perhaps you’ll feel it’s taking too long. So, what do you say? I’m pretty crazy, aren’t I? Oh, my dearest darling, I’d love nothing more than to marry you on our very next vacation. ...

Letter No. 86.

15 May 1943

... Please forgive me for not writing to you for a few days; unfortunately, it wasn't possible any sooner. The Russians have once again become aggressive and attacked us. We are still on alert, but things have just quieted down a bit, and I must quickly use this time to write a few words to you. ...

Hopefully, the Russians will calm down again—I’d hate for there to be another delay in my leave. Oh, I’m afraid I have to stop for today now, as I have to head out again soon. ...

Letter No. 89.

May 19, 1943

... Today was another gloomy day. It has been raining almost continuously since 3 a.m. Otherwise, though, everything is fine. After all, the Russians hole up in their bunkers in weather like this. ...

Letter No. 90.

May 20, 1943
My dearest darling!

Today has been a glorious day once again, and on top of that, I had quite a bit of time to myself. Oh, my darling, how wonderful it would be if I could finally spend a day like this with you again.

You know, as gloomy and desolate as this Russia is, there are still some very beautiful and charming parts. Right now, we are lucky enough to be stationed in a rather lovely area. Today, after the meal, we conducted a rapid-fire drill.

Afterwards, I visited a comrade. It was a very pleasant afternoon and evening. From our position here, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to our battalion command post. It is located on the east bank of a river about the same size as the Neckar near Heilbronn. It has a rather deeply cut riverbed. My comrade and I took a lovely walk there; we strolled along the river during a magnificent sunset and sat for about an hour on a huge boulder washed up by the water.

Oh, my dearest darling, how much more wonderful it would have been if I could have been there with you. There was such a glorious peace. The birds were singing so beautifully that one could certainly forget the war for a while.

Oh, you know, my beloved darling, I get along so wonderfully with this comrade—it’s as if he were my brother. With him, I can talk about anything and everything and truly open up. He is the dearest and most valued comrade I have met since then.

Well, my dearest darling, what do you think his profession is? He is studying theology to become a pastor. Yes, and even though he is Catholic, I get along splendidly with him—in every respect. ...

Letter No. 92.

May 23, 1943

... The sun smiled down all day from a clear sky. This morning, I went to the sauna first and had a proper good sweat. Oh, you know, my darling, afterwards you feel like a new person. You feel free of everything and truly full of energy.

Afterwards, I had a great lunch—noodles with goulash and pudding. It tasted absolutely delicious. After the meal, I went for a lovely Sunday afternoon walk. Oh, it was so beautiful. At first, I was alone, with my thoughts with you. ...

Letter No. 94.

May 25, 1943
... We are having very beautiful weather here now, too. Unfortunately, though, there is one downside: we are once again plagued by swarms of mosquitoes.

My dearest darling, You can hardly imagine what a nuisance it is. You don't find gnats in such numbers back home. Here in Russia, all kinds of vermin exist by the thousand. These endless swampy areas are a veritable breeding ground.

We always seem to have the luck of being stationed right next to—or actually inside—one of these swampy areas. Last year it was that terrible swamp and primeval forest by the Volkhov, and this year isn't much better.

Well, this time will pass, too, and the mosquitoes will eventually disappear. We do have fine mosquito veils that protect us quite well. All we're missing is a pair of leather gloves, since the little devils sting right through wool gloves. But let's leave the mosquitoes alone now and write about something else.

My dearest darling, since you just wrote about the cinema, I’ll do the same. I actually went to the movies today, too. Even though it was just a cleared-out Russian apartment with room for only 80 to 100 soldiers at most, it was still very nice.

They showed the film *Truxa*, which I really enjoyed. Oh, it was at least a nice little change of pace.

Letter No. 98.

May 30, 1943

... So, our comrades' evening took place yesterday. It was very nice, and for a few hours, we forgot all about the war. I had a bit of a heavy head this morning, though, because it was very late by the time we wrapped things up.

But now, my dearest sweetheart, I want to tell you the latest news from here first. It isn't exactly the most cheerful news, but it is certainly very significant.

My commanding officer has signed me up for a training course at an NCO school, starting on July 10th. It’s taking place in Poland, on the route between Kraków and Lublin. So, the first thing is that I’ll be getting out of Russia for three months. Now, it’s certainly nice to get out of the danger zone for a while, but there is a catch to this that doesn't suit me at all.

Just imagine—I could have gone on leave right around the beginning of July, but that’s exactly when the course starts. Oh, it’s unbelievable. Now I might have to wait until October or November before I can finally be with you. I hardly think there will be any leave during the course.

Oh, my darling, I would much rather come to you and skip the course. But orders are orders. I really ought to be grateful to my officer for giving me the chance to get ahead. It’s not his fault that the course starts at this particular time, after all. ...