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

A Selection of Excerpts
Third Year
June 1944

Letter No. 271.

Insterburg, June 8, 1944
My dearest little wife!

I have a one-hour layover here now, and I want to use it quickly to write you a few words. The journey went very well. I had to stand until Nuremberg; after that, a seat opened up.

In Berlin, I had an immediate connection. I arrived at 8:15 a.m., checked the timetable, got a permit for the express train to this point, and continued my journey at 9:35. There was plenty of time, as I still had to travel quite a distance across Berlin.

It is 9 o'clock now, and I’m moving on at 10. I’ll reach the border shortly after 11 a.m. So, still on schedule.

My dearest darling, how are *you* doing? How did you spend your first day back at work? Did you manage to get all your ration coupons?

Oh, my beloved H..., saying goodbye was truly hard for me. I am terribly homesick for you. Oh, I hope we don't have to wait so long again.

My dearest darling, please send me the photos from the other rolls of film as soon as they’re ready, because I want to have you with me as often as possible. I’ll close for now.

Sending you heartfelt greetings and the tenderest kisses
from your devoted
Lothar

Many greetings to our parents.
I will write to them tomorrow morning.

Letter No. 273

The East, June 11, 1944
My dearest H...!

Sunday morning, and once again deep in Russia. Yes, my darling, we have now reached the railway terminus, and in all likelihood, we won’t travel to our unit by vehicle until tomorrow morning. Now we are so far apart again. I still can’t quite grasp it, and I keep thinking we ought to see each other again very soon.

My dearest, precious love, how wonderful it was just a week ago. But now it is all over. Let us hope that this time it won’t take quite so long. ...

Letter No. 274

The East, June 13, 1944
My dearest H...!

I just want to write you a few quick lines. I arrived back here safely yesterday. My unit is stationed a bit further back and is undergoing training. Well, at least that way I can slowly get back into the swing of things.

Today I still have to prepare for the exercise taking place tomorrow, and since things will run very late tomorrow, I might not be able to write then either. I will write you a detailed letter from here as soon as possible.

Hoping that a lovely letter from you arrives soon, sending you greetings and thousands of kisses from the bottom of my heart, your eternally faithful and loving
Lothar

Letter No. 275.

The East, June 14, 1944
My dearly beloved H...!

I’ve finally managed to find a moment to write you a quick little letter. My dearest treasure, I’ve received three more lovely letters from you here, which made me so happy. First, there’s the letter from April 20th, in which you rave about the beautiful weather and a walk—hand in hand—after the day’s work was done.

Yes, back then, there was nothing I wished for more fervently than to finally be with you again. Yet I never imagined it would come true so quickly.

Then came your lovely letter from April 23rd. The weather was beautiful then, too, and you had finished work before 1 o'clock. When you wrote it, neither of us imagined that, just two weeks later, we would be able to put our intense longing aside for a little while. It had become almost unbearable by then. And now, your sweet little letter from May 3, 1944. Yes, by then I was already on my way to you.

Oh, my dearest treasure, I can’t even describe the feeling I had when I was suddenly allowed to make that trip. As much as I had longed for that moment all those months, it still came as a huge surprise.

Oh, my dearest treasure, it was more than just happiness and joy. And now? Now it has all passed so quickly, and the longing for my dearly beloved wife is back again. Hopefully, it won’t be put to too severe a test.

My dearest, precious darling, to my immense joy, I received your first lovely letter today, following that truly beautiful, wonderful, and happiest of vacations. I thank you for it with all my heart. Oh, my sweet, precious darling. Every word brings me such infinite joy, and they always awaken the loveliest memories of the hours we spent together—hours of such immense happiness.

Ah yes, my dearest H..., saying goodbye wasn't so easy this time after all. I haven't really arrived here yet. My thoughts are constantly with you, and since we are actually undergoing training, I’ve had to force myself to tear myself away more than once; otherwise, I would have drawn attention to myself.

Well, I suppose I’ll get back into the swing of things eventually. I would love nothing more than to spend the time until we see each other again in a sort of dreamlike state. When I lie down in the evening, I simply miss my girl. It is always so lonely, and I wish I could summon you here with my thoughts.

My dearest darling, so you made it home safely from Stuttgart and there were no more tears. That is just as well. After all, sadness doesn't help matters.

My dearest H..., I am so curious to know how your first day at work went and how those—hm...—"higher-ups" behaved! Oh, I hope you’ll be able to leave very, very soon.

Yes, my beloved H..., you aren't the only one longing for a little kiss. On the contrary, I’m not even that modest; I’m longing for *lots* of kisses. Well, perhaps we’ll get one sooner than we think, though for now, it’s impossible to say.

Since I’ve been away, twenty men have gone on leave, but unfortunately, there’s a ban on leave again now. Let’s hope it doesn’t last too long. There will likely be a ban everywhere soon. But everything passes; only our love and our happiness will last forever—and, above all, our faithfulness.

My beloved little wife, sending you thousands of loving greetings from the bottom of my heart for today, along with the tenderest kisses from your faithful
Lothar

Dearest darling, I’ve just found that little poem I wanted to recite to you while on leave. It’s by Keller!

As long as Love is with Love,
Love knows not how beloved Love is.
But when Love parts from Love,
Love knows full well how beloved Love was! ⤓

Well, isn't that true?
And now I hope and wish with all my heart that a greeting from Peterle or Isolde will very soon be included in a letter from you!!!

Letter No. 277.

The East, June 17, 1944

... I wasn't able to do that yesterday, though. I’ll tell you why in a moment. You see, we had a very pleasant day yesterday. In the morning, we had our usual duties: weapons and field training, and instruction.

At midday, the frontline cinema unit was here showing "Bismarck," and then two musicians from the division— playing the violin and accordion—came to visit us. We still had some cognac and wine, so it turned into a very pleasant, cheerful, and spirited evening. Naturally, that meant there was no chance to write.

I have to go again now, too. Two comrades are waiting for me to play Skat. Well, I’ll indulge them, because later on, when I’m alone, I can be with you in my thoughts completely undisturbed—and that is the best feeling of all. ...

Letter No. 278.

The East, June 18, 1944
My dearest, precious darling!

Now Sunday has come to an end, too. Unfortunately, I had little time today. Our dear General said his farewells today, and tomorrow we have a major exercise. We have to head out as early as 4 a.m., so naturally, there was all sorts of preparation to be done.

Otherwise, I am still doing well— something I especially hope is true for you, too, my beloved H... Oh, if only I could be with you. It has been eleven days since I left you, yet I still cannot quite get over it.

My thoughts are constantly with you. I dreamt of you last night. I woke up a few times, but the lovely images didn't fade away, and as soon as I fell back asleep, the dream continued right where it left off... ...

Letter No. 279

Russia, June 19, 1944
My dearest little wife!

Our big exercise has come to an end now, and so this day, too, is drawing to a close. The weather was glorious today, and quite a few drops of sweat were shed. But it was very pleasant.

We marched out of here at 5:30 this morning in brilliant sunshine. Then we ran through an attack and a defense scenario. It was a "cozy" sort of war. We marched back in at 11 o'clock.

There was a funny little incident on the march back. We wanted to take a shortcut and came across a stream with no bridge. Now what? We had to get across.

First, they tested how deep it was. It was over a meter deep and about 3 meters wide. But we were all wearing our full field gear, so jumping across wasn't exactly easy.

I made a quick decision to go first, and I managed to get across safely. That gave others the courage to try it too.

But oh dear! The first guy made it across reasonably well. Then the trouble started. One after another, they got thoroughly soaked, and there was plenty of laughter with every jump. They didn't want to do it anymore, but then our commander ordered them to and jumped across himself. He got a bit wet too, and right behind him, one man fell straight in.

We held a prize-shooting competition this afternoon, and my group performed the best.

My dearly beloved treasure, I’ve written enough about myself now. How are *you* doing? I hope and wish only the very best for you.

It is 10:15 now. What might you be doing at this moment? I wonder if you’re already in bed? Hopefully, the time is coming soon when you can start your new posting. I do hope you get a really good assignment—or else are allowed to come straight home. That would really be the best thing. But we’ll have to wait a little while longer for that.

My dearly beloved, sweet, precious wife, I long so much for a kiss from you. Oh, how lovely and wonderful it would be to be with you. If only the time would come soon when I can be with you again. Oh, ideally forever. That would be so infinitely beautiful! In this glorious weather today, we could have gone for such a wonderful walk.

Oh, my dearest treasure, I certainly don’t want to raise your hopes, but I really think the war is coming to an end very quickly now.

The final and greatest decision will surely be made this summer, and then the ultimate victory won't be long in coming.

Oh, my sweet darling, how beautiful it will be then. I am already looking forward so much to seeing you again.

I will close now, hoping that I hear from you again very soon and that I may be with you again before long.

For today, receive a thousand loving greetings from the bottom of my faithful, loving heart, and the tenderest of kisses
from your Lothar
Warmest regards to our parents and to Liesel!

Letter No: 281.

East June 21, 1944

... My dearest golden darling, I'm so happy that You don't work as much anymore and your boss tells you makes no accusations. That's enough for him have. Now he will have noticed that none of that is the case is as simple as he thought it would be.

Yes, you have to Just touch such people properly and everything will work. And you At first you didn't believe we were right. But my most beloved golden darling, there is nothing there to thank. It was just my duty that I went into this I've sorted things out a bit.

I I can't just watch a guy like that takes advantage of my dearest mistress just because she's too is good. That's not possible with the best will in the world. ...

My dearest golden darling, I'm still fine quite good. We're still lying in peace and doing things Training. There's nothing going on with us yet. Today the third year of the war in Russia is coming to an end. ...

(NO NUMBER)

The East, June 25, 1944
My dearest, sweetest wife!

Yes, you’ve had to wait a bit longer than usual for mail from me again, but unfortunately, I haven’t had any time to write since then. You’ll find out why in a moment.

First of all, my heartfelt thanks for the lovely letters I’ve received in the meantime. Oh, my darling treasure—loved above all else—is so diligent about writing that I’m simply overjoyed.

Now, let me tell you what I’ve been up to over the last few days. On June 22, we set out early for a major exercise involving assault guns. We had almost reached our destination when a minor incident occurred.

At 8 o'clock, a heavy drumfire barrage began, and the Russians launched an attack. Since we were in reserve, we immediately turned back to assist our comrades.

In the meantime, the Russians had broken through and occupied a commanding wooded height. That made it impossible for us to approach during the day. So, we waited for nightfall, sunning ourselves in the interim.

At 7:30 PM, we moved into our staging area. Everything went quite smoothly, and at 10:15 PM, we launched our attack. There was quite a racket, but within a short time, we had the entire position back in our hands.

We had suffered some casualties, so I had to take command of the company. We then combed through a forest and captured a few Russians. I managed to lead the company successfully through the entire operation and was able to hand it back over to an officer in good order.

And now we are back in position, and I am serving as the company squad leader. That’s actually quite nice. I do have a lot of work, though; I spend the whole day writing and making phone calls, but it isn't all that dangerous.

Now, my dearly beloved treasure, I want to turn to your lovely letters and answer them one by one.

First, your lovely letter from June 12th. On that day, you were still waiting in vain for mail. Oh, my dearly beloved, sweet wife, I can well imagine how you were waiting for it. I felt exactly the same way. By the second day, I was already asking if there was any mail for me, even though it was too early for any to have arrived. I would have had to bring the letter along myself. So, you knew that you would be finding out more details about your new job that week. I hope it has worked out by now and, above all, that you’ve landed a really good position.

My dearest treasure, I’m afraid I have to write on this kind of paper again today because our belongings haven't arrived yet. They won't be brought up to the front until tomorrow evening. But that’s not so bad.

And now to your lovely letter from June 13th. So, you did receive my first letter after all. Yes, everything takes time, but now you’ll be getting them regularly again. It just took a little longer this time, but on the plus side, it’s turning out a bit bigger now.

Yes, my dearest darling, I had sent the letter to your address after all—surely you couldn't have left that quickly. So now my lovely girl has already looked at a new place, though it didn't quite appeal to you yet.

Well, I suppose you can pick out something else, and I hope you find the right thing. Yes, that job is quite far away. So, Steinmetz has a girl now, and you’ve been away from him for a few days already.

Well, perhaps you can stay home for a few more days before you have to start your new job. Oh, it would be wonderful if the employment office could arrange a swap for you.

My dearest darling, Peter—the one you wrote to—has been severely wounded. It is terrible when someone is so young and still has the best years of their life ahead of them. Yes, but that lies solely in God’s hands; we must never lose faith in His all-encompassing goodness and mercy, but must always place our firm trust in Him. Our fate and our lives rest in His hands, and I am firmly convinced that He makes everything right and good. But it all depends on how we live our lives: as we stand with God, so He stands with us.

Believe me, my dearly beloved darling: when we set out for that attack—amidst that murderous fire—I did have a moment of weakness. But then I called upon God in prayer, asking for His protection and placing my life entirely into His benevolent hands.

My dearest darling, you can truly believe me: a great calm came over me, and our dear God spread His hands protectively over me and guided me safely through it all. I never forget to thank Him again and again whenever I have made it through another day or night safe and sound.

My dearest darling, I also believe that a firm faith provides a good foundation for our mutual understanding and happiness. Let us always keep that in mind.

My sweet, precious little wife, loved above all else—I’ve really gotten deeply into this topic again. Oh, you know, I could talk about it for hours. It is truly wonderful once you have grasped the full, deeper, and true meaning of our church, and I am truly glad and happy that it was through you that I arrived at this point. But now, let me bring this letter to a close.

So, you hadn't actually asked for the ration coupons yet. Well, I hope you received them when settling up, or did you forget them?

Now, my dearest wife, it is time for your lovely letter from the 14th. By then, the letter from Wirballen had reached you. Yes, yes—back then, my heart was still heavy from our parting.

Things are a little better now, but the intense longing for you never leaves me. It will be my constant companion as long as I have to be away from you.

Oh, how often we’ve talked like this about various things—especially when the sun is shining so gloriously; the same thoughts keep coming back: oh, to be home right now—with one’s wife, one’s fiancée, or one’s parents. And then the conversation starts about all the things one could do on such a glorious day. One person favors paddling, another swimming, or a hike, or a bike ride, and so on.

And then, we talk through the most beautiful regions of our homeland. Everyone has some lovely spot in mind that they call home, and then the fondest memories of holiday days come flooding back. And then, inevitably, comes the final thought: when will we be home again? We start calculating, only to find in the end that the math doesn't quite add up.

Well, we mustn't lose hope. Who knows how quickly the war might end? Perhaps we’ll all see each other again much sooner than we think.

My dearest darling, it is so sweet of you to always think of me in your prayers—just as I do of you—and this is meant as a small token of thanks for all your love and faithfulness. And if we always trust in God with faithful hearts, He will always be with us and stand by us.

My darling, whom I love above all else: it makes me so happy to know you are doing well, and I hope and wish with all my heart that it stays that way.

So, everything is still the same on your end. Well, then perhaps it might work out after all. Oh, my dear, sweet, precious darling, I would be so incredibly happy. But I would love nothing more than to be with my beloved wife during this difficult time.

But a lot can happen between now and then. We can't foresee that far ahead. By now, you’ve surely been to the doctor. Oh, I hope he was able to tell you something definite. That would be wonderful.
My dear, sweet, lovely wife, it is truly gratifying that the stonemason is behaving so decently toward you. That is exactly what I wanted to advise them to do. Well, they know now that I won't put up with any nonsense and that I insist on my rights. They’ll be careful, for it would only be to their own detriment.

That’s the right way to do it—starting at the proper time and finishing work punctually, too. It’s quite something that the newspaper hasn't arrived yet. There hasn't been an attack on Stuttgart in the meantime to explain why everything is moving so slowly.

I’ll close for now.
Many thousands of dearest greetings and tenderest kisses
from your
Lothar

Letter No. 283.

The East, June 27, 1944, Monday, 11:30 a.m.

... My dearly beloved treasure, your lovely letter of June 15th gave me such great joy. So, you took part in an air-raid drill, did you? Well, let’s hope you never have to put into practice what you learned there.

Oh, my dearest darling, it was such a joy to read that you had been to see a doctor. So, he is quite certain that it’s really happening! Well, then it must be true. Oh, my sweet, precious treasure, you can hardly imagine how happy that makes me. If only I could be with you right now. ...

So now you have to go back to the doctor around July 6th. He’ll surely be able to tell you for certain then. Frau Dossmann wants to send you to a light-duty position. That is very kind and sweet of her, but the employment office won't authorize the transfer. ...

I am very glad that you are having some peace from the air raids, and let’s hope it stays that way. ...

But my dearest treasure, I will most certainly return to you safe and sound—since you are always asking our dear Lord for that. He will most certainly grant that request of yours. ...

Letter No. 284

The East, June 28, 1944

...
My dearest, precious darling—this letter expresses such infinite love and great happiness, not only in the words themselves but also between the lines. Oh, it is such a pity that I cannot be with you right now. What infinitely beautiful and happy hours we would spend together.

But as it is, I simply have to wait and be patient. The waiting itself would be manageable, since there is nothing one can do to change it, but the longing—that is something one simply cannot shake off! That often makes being patient very difficult. Well, we will get through this time just fine, too. Hopefully, this is the last time we have to wait so long. After all, the war is slowly but surely drawing to a close. ...

Letter No. 285

The East, Thursday, June 29, 1944
"Peter and Paul"

... We have been having truly wonderful weather all week. The sun is really being kind to us, shining in all its splendor from morning till night. It doesn't get dark here at all these days, but that’s actually a good thing; it means the nasty enemy can't sneak up on us under the cover of pitch-black darkness. ...

Oh, my dearest treasure, I am so happy for you, and I wish you all the very best and a truly wonderful new position. Your old boss was quite right when he said things could have turned out differently in the end. He has a nerve—if things had gone the other way, it could well have cost him his home and livelihood.

For example: A comrade of mine was recently on leave. He has his own butcher shop back home. Because his wife sold 500 grams of bacon without ration coupons, they were fined 6,000 marks. I don't think anything more needs to be said about Steinmetz. But as you wrote, that’s no longer any concern of ours. ...