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

A Selection of Excerpts
Second Year
November 1943

Letter No. 180.

The East, November 4, 1943

... Oh yes, my beloved little treasure, I am still doing very well. You can rest easy on that score. I am certainly taking care that nothing happens to me. The weather is still holding up, too. It is getting a bit colder, but it is still bearable. I haven't needed a coat so far. ...

You see, I have the opportunity here to be very affectionate towards someone—which keeps me in practice. I have two nice cats in my bunker: one white with black spots and one black with white spots. They are always with me. At night, they always sleep in my bed—which is where they are lying right now.

On top of that, I have a large wolfhound—a messenger dog. He gets along very well with the cats. At night, when I go on patrol, he always accompanies me along with his handler. So you see, I have good protection with me.

But none of that can help me overcome my intense longing for you. My thoughts are always with you, after all, and they never let go of you.

Letter No. 181.

The East, 6 Nov. 1943

... Time passes quite quickly here, as we are constantly busy. We are improving our position every day, so that the Russians can do less and less harm to us. I am doing quite well, too.

At midday today, I was even able to go to the cinema. I saw the film "Diesel," which I enjoyed very much. But even during the film, my thoughts were with you, and I missed you very much. ...

Letter No. 182.

The East, November 8, 1943

... The first snow fell here yesterday, though there wasn't much of it yet. Winter is slowly arriving after all. Well, it has to come sometime, and we are already used to it. ...

Letter No. 183.

The East, November 10, 1943

... We are a bit busier now. I will write to you later about the reason why. But you don't need to worry, as it is nothing out of the ordinary. Things are still quite quiet here for us. ...

I pray to our dear God every day to keep you safe, and I hope He stands by you just as He has always stood by me until now, guiding me safely through every danger.

My dearly beloved darling, I am afraid I must now write to you about something less pleasant. Unfortunately, a temporary ban on leave has been imposed for us. Well, it is surely necessary. I’ll tell you the reason later. On the bright side, things might move more quickly again later on. Let’s hope for the best. ...

Letter No. 184.

The East, November 12, 1943

My darling, sweet love, winter has finally set in here after all. We are currently stationed in a village as a reserve force and are enjoying a nice, warm room, for a fierce snowstorm is raging outside. Yet, all things considered, it is still bearable, as it isn't terribly cold just yet. Well, the cold doesn't bother me much anyway, and I am glad of that.

Here in our new quarters, I’ve already found a lovely little kitten. It has a wonderful silver-gray coat, just like a silver fox. That way, I always have a little darling with me. ...

Letter No. 185.

The East, 13 November 1943

... Today we carried out a rigorous field exercise. It was quite pleasant, though the weather could have been a bit better. The storm spared us earlier, but now it is howling fiercely around the house. ...

Letter No. 186.

The East, 16 November 1943
My dearest H...!

Today I finally get a chance to write again. Unfortunately, I haven't had time these past few days, as we’ve moved locations once more. As always, the order to march out came on Sunday. We marched almost continuously from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m.

We are now in a nice position—and, above all, a good one. It has been very quiet so far. Yet, as nice as our bunker is, it’s also a source of great annoyance. It is a bit too low, and I keep banging my head against the ceiling. Oh well, it’s not that bad. You get used to it, too. ...

Unfortunately, the weather has changed again. Rain has replaced the snow, and we are dealing with a great deal of filth and mud once more. That means a lot of work. One can only write during the night hours. ...

Letter No. 187.

The East, 17 November 1943
My beloved H...!

We have settled in here reasonably well by now and have a little more time again. ... It is quite quiet here, and it is perfectly bearable. ...

My sweet, precious darling—loved above all else—I have gained a nice, dear companion here, too. One of my men brought along a young German Shepherd puppy. He is a funny little fellow and feels very much at home with me. ...

MARGINAL NOTE:
Dearest H..., I am still in the same area where I was before my leave.

Letter No. 191

The East, November 27, 1943

... My dearest H..., please forgive my long silence, but one hardly ever gets a chance to write here. We have now completed many major exercises, during which we moved around a great deal. We are currently resting in a village, and I am doing very well.

My sweet, lovely, enchanting treasure, I have some happy news to share with you. The ban on leave has been lifted, and the first man left yesterday. I spoke with my commanding officer, and I want to let you in on a little secret.

If I’m lucky—and let’s certainly hope so—I’ll be able to get marriage leave from here, too. It amounts to about 10 days. However, I can only take it in conjunction with my annual leave.

So, if everything works out, I might be able to get 32 ​​days of leave next time. That would be wonderful, wouldn't you agree? ...

My beloved darling, tomorrow is already the First Sunday of Advent, and in four weeks we’ll be celebrating our third Christmas in Russia. Well, let’s hope it’s the last one, too. I would really love to be back home again by that time. ...

My dearest treasure, I am especially pleased that the enemy planes are leaving you in peace more often now, and let’s firmly hope it stays that way in the future. ...

I also heard our dear Führer’s speech. It was very good. Yes, Tommy will certainly get what’s coming to him—and not just a little, but a generous helping of it. ...

Letter No. 192.

The East, November 28, 1943
My beloved H...!

Today is Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent. Christmas is fast approaching now. An advance party left our unit this morning, and we will likely follow soon. So, another move. Well, it won't be a long way off. We’ve become so used to moving about once a week by now. The worst part of it all is just the constant packing and unpacking.

My dearest treasure, yesterday we had a major roll call, and in the evening, we held a comradeship gathering. It was very nice, and we spent a few happy and cheerful hours together.

Now I’m curious to see where we’re headed. Apparently, it’s an old and well-known location. That’s certainly a big plus. ...

My beloved sweetheart, I have one more request for you. Could you please go to the Schlienz stationery shop on the corner by the Horst-Wessel-Schule, give them my best regards, and ask if they could get these books for me: "Unter den Dolomiten" and "An der Engelsbucht" by Konrad Telman, published by Paul Franke, Berlin. ...