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

A Selection of Excerpts
Third Year
August 1944

Letter No. 300.

Latvia, Wednesday, August 2, 1944
My dearest H...!

Today, I finally find a moment to write you a quick letter. It has been a long time, but there was simply nothing to be done about it; we were on the move almost constantly. Well, it’s not all that bad; the main thing is that I’m still doing well. I’m still healthy and in good spirits, and the only thing I’m missing here is my dear, sweet, wonderful wife.

My beloved, sweet, wonderful H..., I thank you with all my heart for your lovely letter from July 13th, which I received with great joy a few days ago. Yes, you surely haven't received any mail from me for a very long time now, and I can well imagine that you’ve been worrying a great deal about me.

Oh, my dearest, precious darling, I really ought to be back with you by now. I miss you so terribly much. Oh, my sweet, precious darling, how are you doing? You’ve been in your new job for two weeks now.

How do you like it there? Is there a lot of work? And what about the air raids? Lately, there have been so many reports of air attacks on southern and southwestern Germany. Oh, and you also wrote to me about bombs dropping very close by. Well, perhaps they weren't even meant to land there. It’s just a stroke of luck that nothing happened.

My dearest darling, it is really not good at all that the food still doesn't taste right to you. But hopefully, things will change for the better now. That simply won't do; otherwise, you will become too thin and too weak.

My beloved wife, I wish you all the best and the very best of luck from the bottom of my heart today.
Sending you thousands of heartfelt greetings and tenderest kisses in eternally faithful love,
Your happy husband

Letter No. 301.

Riga, Friday, August 4, 1944
My dearly beloved, sweet wife!

For once, I have enough time to write you a longer letter today. Yes, my dearest, precious darling, I have a great deal of time on my hands for the next few days. You will surely be surprised, but it is actually true. Now, please do me a favor: don't get a fright and don't worry, because there is absolutely no reason to. On the contrary, you can be glad, because for a while now, I am completely safe.

My dearest wife, since yesterday I have been here in Riga at the German military hospital. Now, you’ll want to know why? Well, it’s really not that bad. I haven't been wounded, and nothing else has happened to me either. The doctors aren't quite in agreement yet about what I have. I’ve had a fever for six days. It hasn't been particularly high, but it has been quite irregular. The highest reading was 39.6. This morning it was 37.2, and this evening it was 38.2. On top of that, I feel a stabbing pain or pressure in my chest when I breathe. According to the X-ray, my lungs are healthy; there is just some congestion. Apparently, the bronchi are inflamed. So, it’s something that should be cleared up here in a few days.

My dearest, precious darling, you really don't need to worry about me. This is the only place here where I can be well. The only place I could be better off is with you.

My dearest, sweet, precious girl, let me describe my day to you. I woke up around 7 o'clock—in a lovely white bed, in a beautiful, large, bright room. Then I washed up at my leisure using nice warm water.

Oh yes, I made the bed first, of course. Then came coffee with four slices of white bread, butter, and jam. Afterward, the doctor came for his rounds, and following that, I went to the treatment room for an examination. When I got back, there were two more slices of white bread with butter, plus some meat broth.

I slept again until lunchtime. Then we had boiled potatoes, meatballs, and gravy, with semolina pudding and fruit juice for dessert. After the meal, I went for a fluoroscopy. At 3 o'clock, there were cookies and cocoa, and at 5 o'clock, two slices of white bread with butter and two with sausage. Along with that, a mixed salad with mayonnaise—containing cucumbers, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and beans. It all tasted wonderful. And on top of that, you get waited on here.

We have nothing but Latvian nurses here. Some of them are quite pretty, but my dearly beloved treasure need not worry. The only feeling they intensify in me now is a great longing for you. Oh, if only you could be here with me during this time. That would be wonderful. Mind you, I would only truly recover once we had reached the point where we could both go home together.

My dearest treasure, how are things with you? If only I could be with you. The time drags on so terribly. Ah well, the main thing is that we may see each other again safe and sound very soon. With this hope and firm trust in God, I will close for today. Sending you the warmest greetings from the bottom of my heart and a thousand kisses, in eternal faithfulness and love,

Your husband
Please keep writing to my old number; I’ll be back there soon anyway, and the company forwards the mail to me here. It’s only 40 km away.

Letter No. 302.

Riga, Saturday, August 5, 1944

...
My dear, precious darling, there is nothing new here otherwise. Oh, it is simply wonderful here. The radio plays all day long. Outside, there is glorious sunshine. Everything is so beautifully quiet and peaceful here. If the wounded weren't here, one certainly wouldn't notice the war at all.

The day passes very pleasantly. One takes one's pills and swallows one's medicine, and otherwise tries to get well again. At 3 o'clock this afternoon, I'm having an X-ray taken. I'm curious to see what the result will be.

My dear, sweet, good darling, apart from that, I am very bored here. I could really use my dear little wife right now for company. Oh, that would be lovely. But as it is, I can only converse with you via the long detour of paper and pen. That is very nice too, of course, but the other way would be so much, much nicer.

But we hope that this will happen quite soon anyway, for it won't be long now before we reach the point where our enemies no longer know where to run. Even if it doesn't look that way at the moment, you will soon see that I am right about this. ...

Letter No. 303.

Stackeln, August 8, 1944

... In the meantime, I have been transferred to another military hospital. So far, I am not feeling any better. I still have a fever of between 38 and 39 degrees. Oh well, that will pass too. ...

Letter No. 305

Stackeln, Saturday, August 12, 1944
My dearly beloved little treasure!

Today is Saturday once again. Oh, my dear, good, sweet, precious wifey—when I think of how wonderful it was three months ago! Back then, we still had the greater part of our beautiful, happy leave ahead of us. Today marks the 66th day since I had to say goodbye to my dearest, kind-hearted wife. Oh, how terribly long this time has already felt to me—and yet we have put, at most, only a quarter to a fifth of the waiting period behind us.

Under the circumstances, it might take longer, or perhaps not quite so long. It is impossible to say right now. The war could come to a very swift end; after all, the most massive and all-out efforts are underway on every front.

Well, our enemies will soon see what’s in store for them. The main thing is that we both come through this safely and can eventually celebrate a truly joyful, happy, and wonderful reunion. I hope with all my heart that, with God’s help, this will be granted to us.

My dearly beloved wife, how are you doing? I hope you are keeping well and healthy. I am feeling better now, too, and I think I shall return to my company in three or four days.

For today, my dearest treasure, receive a thousand heartfelt greetings and the tenderest of kisses,
from your eternally faithful husband.

Letter No. 308.

Stackeln, Thursday, August 17, 1944
My dearly beloved wife!

I have just returned from the cinema, and I am in exactly the right mood to write you a little letter. What’s more, your faithful fountain pen has been thoroughly cleaned and refilled today. So, nothing stands in my way—shall I "bore" you a little once again?

Well, my darling, sweet, and enchanting angel: the film was quite nice and was titled "Love Comedy." It was a funny sort of comedy that—like almost all films—ended with two happy, reconciled couples.

However, I am firmly convinced that those people were nowhere near as happy as the two of us were when we were together during my last leave. That is certainly true for me, and I can hardly imagine it being any different for you.

Oh, my dear, sweet, kind-hearted wife, I am so happy and content when, in a quiet hour like this, I can be with you completely in my thoughts. Then I relive, over and over again, the wonderful, immense happiness of our time on leave.

Just last night, I had a wonderful dream again. Our wedding played out before my eyes once more, and I saw every detail as clearly as if it had actually been real...

Ach mein liebster süsser Goldschatz, ich habe ja so furchtbar grosse Sehnsucht nach Dir. wenn ich nur Deine lieben Bilder ansehe mit Deinem so süssen entzückenden Mund, Deinen wunderschönen treu­en Augen, dann möchte ich am liebsten die ganze Welt umarmen vor lauter Glück. Immer wieder kommt mir dabei die frohe Erkenntnis, dass ich doch die schönste, beste, liebste und treueste Frau der Welt bekommen habe.

My dearest, precious darling—please, please believe me, this is truly and honestly not flattery, but the sincerest expression of my feelings and emotions. I most certainly could never have found a better wife and life companion, nor a better mother for my children.

With God’s most gracious help, you have truly made me the happiest person in the world. I shall hold fast to this happiness forever and ever, and I will always devote all my strength to ensuring it remains steadfast, good, and enduring. Who else could have made my vacation as wonderful as you did? Nowhere else could I have found such peace, such rest, and such a powerful source of strength as I found with you. A thousand thanks to you for this, along with my solemn vow of eternal faithfulness and love. ....

Letter No. 309

Stackeln, Sunday, August 20, 1944
My dearly beloved wife!

I have kept you waiting so long again, even though I am still in the military hospital. That doesn't mean I’m doing worse, though; no, I’m actually doing very well. I am still fever-free and am here now just for "recuperation." The doctor said to me yesterday: "Well, things are looking up; just keep eating heartily, and you’ll recover soon enough." And I intend to follow that advice faithfully.

But now, to excuse my laziness in writing, let me tell you something else. The day before yesterday, I slept all morning and had such lovely dreams about you. At midday, I went for a walk in the woods—all alone (though, in my thoughts, I did have my dearly beloved little wife with me). The weather was glorious. When I got back for supper at 6 o'clock, I was invited to play chess. While playing, 10 o'clock rolled around so quickly, and by then it was too late to write, as the lights were turned off.

Yesterday, I was playing chess again in the morning, and in the afternoon, I fully intended to write to you. I had just gone for a short walk to help digest my meal—smoking a cigarette while I did so. You see, smoking is strictly forbidden in the room.

I was walking past the other house, unsuspecting, when suddenly someone shouted: "Hey, Gruber, where are you coming from?" And there at the window stood my old commanding officer— Captain Krausse, the one from whom we received the letter. Naturally, we were both overjoyed at this unexpected reunion; after all, we hadn't seen each other in over a year. Since we’ve always gotten along very well and he is a truly good comrade, we naturally had a proper reunion celebration. We had so much to talk about, and then my old captain even conjured up a bottle of good vermouth. You can imagine that nothing came of writing the letter after that.

But it was a very lovely afternoon and evening. We were together until nine o'clock, and then I headed home. By the time I finally finished my supper, it was naturally quite late, and I no longer felt like writing. But I hope my dearest "golden treasure" will forgive me and not be angry about it.

My dearest girl, my thoughts were with you during that time, too. We spoke about you as well. Naturally, my captain wanted to know how our wedding went. He sends you his warmest regards and wishes you all the best and lots of good fortune. We also talked a lot about home. He is married, too, and has two children. Oh, dearest H..., if only one could always have superiors like that.

My darling, sweet heart, how are you doing? Oh, I would really like to get back to my unit at last— if only for the sake of the mail. It is simply dreadful not receiving any mail for so long. The worst part is knowing for a fact that there is mail waiting. Well, it won't be much longer now.

And now, for today, sending you a thousand loving greetings from the bottom of my heart, and the tenderest of kisses
from your faithful
Lothar.

Letter No. 312

Stackeln, Friday, August 25, 1944
My dearest, darling little wife!

The time is almost here for me to leave this place. My departure has been delayed by a day; I won't be leaving until tomorrow evening. I am certainly curious to see where I’ll find my unit. When I left them, they were still in Mitau. I hope I don't have to search for too long, as that’s not exactly pleasant.

My beloved treasure, I’m doing quite well so far, though I miss my dear, sweet wife so terribly. There is only one remedy for this longing, and no doctor can prescribe it. Oh, if only I could go to my dearest wife instead of back to the troops! What immense joy that would be! Could there be anything more wonderful? If only there were a sudden *bang* and the war were over—or if I could suddenly find myself sitting at home right next to you. Sadly, that remains a wish that will never come true. There is no way I can get to you that quickly. But when the time finally comes, a period full of joy and happiness will begin for us again.

My dear, sweet, kind-hearted H... how are *you* doing? I was so restless yesterday. Nothing has happened to you, has it? There was just another air raid on Stuttgart. Oh, I hope nothing happened to you during it. I pray to God constantly to protect you and keep you healthy.

And so, today, receive loving greetings and the tenderest kisses from a heart filled with longing—from your
eternally faithful husband

Letter No. 313.

Riga, Monday, August 28, 1944
My dearest, kindest H...!

So, the time has come for me to be on the move again. Unfortunately, the journey isn't taking me to you—which would have been so much nicer. I left Stackeln at 12:30 yesterday morning and arrived here at 6:00 yesterday evening.

I had to report to the front-line control center and find out where my unit is stationed. First, I have to go to the division headquarters, which is only about 30 km from here. I’ll certainly make it there today. I’ll write to you again as soon as I’ve arrived at my company. I should be there by tomorrow.

Well, those lovely days have come to an end. It seems, however, that we are in a quiet sector at the moment. Oh well, one settles back in quickly enough. Darling, under circumstances like these, I’m happy to go back to the military hospital. It’s always bearable there. I was there for exactly three and a half weeks. It would have been so much nicer if I could have spent that time with you. You surely would have nursed me back to health even faster. That would have made for a lovely little leave.

Right, I’d better get going now to join my unit. I can hardly wait to finally get my mail—especially your lovely letters. There will surely be quite a lot of them.

And now, my dearest, precious treasure, receive a thousand loving greetings and the tenderest kisses from the bottom of my heart for today
from your
eternally faithful and loving
husband

Letter No. 314

Latvia, August 30, 1944
My dearest, precious darling!

I am back with my company today. I’ll be staying with the supply train—at the field kitchen—until this evening; then I head to the front. I’m doing quite well so far, and I hope the same is true for you above all else. As long as my sweet, beloved wife stays healthy and cheerful, I am content.

My dear, sweet, kind-hearted wife, unfortunately, there was no mail for me here. I just received a letter dated August 8th, for which I thank you with all my heart. Oh, it is at least a sign of life from you. I was so happy to get it. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time right now, so I can’t write to you in great detail.

My dearest darling, it has been nearly two weeks since you received any mail from me. I am so sorry you’ve had to wait so long, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to write during that period.

My dearest darling, since I was in the field hospital for so long, all the mail was sent there. It will now be returned to you. That is a real shame. It means I’ll have to wait a very long time before those letters finally arrive here.

My dearest wife, how are things otherwise in Stuttgart? Have they bombed much of the city? Oh, I hope the Good Lord always holds His protective hand over you. I have firm faith in him.

And now, my dearly beloved, sweet treasure, receive a thousand loving greetings and kisses from the bottom of my heart for today
from your faithful Lothar.

Letter No. 315.

Latvia, August 31, 1944
My dearest, darling little woman!

I have been back at the front line since yesterday evening. The Russians were very pleased to see me back and greeted me with a few shots. But it wasn't too bad. Generally, things are very quiet; it’s just the usual harassing fire.

Of course, it’s not as comfortable here as it was in the military hospital, but one settles back in quickly enough. So far, I’m doing very well. My only complaint is the great distance separating us and the terribly long wait. My kind-hearted, dear, sweet treasure—I long for you so intensely. My thoughts are always with you, seeking you out.

Yes, thoughts have it so much better. There are no obstacles for them; no matter how great the distance, they always find their way home, to the place I love most. Oh, how I wish I could be with you, and let my thoughts be at the front for a change. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. One just has to take comfort in the fact that there are millions of others in the exact same situation. There can hardly be a soldier who doesn't harbor similar feelings. Something draws everyone back home.

But my sweet, good little woman—loved above all else—the time will come again when we can be together, filled with happiness. I firmly believe that the good Lord will show us mercy and grant us the joy of a long, happy life together. And it won't be much longer now. The war will surely take a surprising turn before long, and then things will move quickly toward victory and peace.

My sweet, precious darling whom I love above all else—hoping this letter finds you safe and well, I will close for now. I wish you all the best with all my heart, perfect health, and God’s abundant blessing.

With the warmest greetings and most tender kisses, I remain, in faithfulness and love,
forever yours,
Lothar
Warm greetings to your parents and to Liesel