Letter 215

Dec 7th 1943

My dear All at home !

It is my time to write to you again and I am well and hope the same from you at home. So in a few weeks we once again having a Christmas in war, the fighting to the death and destruction goes on and on . I am sitting ere by the table near the stove and outside it is freezing cold . I am not with the Battery right now, I am a driver for the weapon and ammunition store and that is a nice safe job. I would love to stay here, do my bit of work and I am far from flying bullets. Our front is quiet here but how long for, the Russians are attacking somewhere else. I hope that our retreating will stop and that fotunes will change again . From your last letter I can see that the building of the Garage is coming finally to a completion. Is the roof on it yet? I only have to wait patiently until the day when I come on furlough to see it all. Maybe next year and the war is over by then. But nobody believes that here .

From our Regiment 20 men were selected for Infantry Duty now. It seems that one, day everyone of us will be going to be in the Infantry. Well at least the younger ones of us. I am waiting for the next letter I am now a Soldier for a long time and far from home and a letter from home is the only connection we have .

Dear Grand Dad, you keep your ears up and don’t be sick, and I

come and visit you next year and keep on praying for me I

see that you got a parcel from me too and hope the others will

come as well. Fritz Gellerman was killed too? I am in the

middle of it all and so far was lucky. It would be a wonderful

feeling if the shooting would stop and all guns fall silent in

this world. Christmas is coming and it will be the same as

all others in Russia; for us is a Sunday when we can have a

wash, hank you for the razor blades , dear Mother, I am

always so thankful for everything you have done for me so

far especially in this war I can not send any presents but my

thoughts are with you so I wish you a very merry Christmas

and a Happy Heinrich.