Letter 23

Göttingen Oct 30th 1940

Dear Parents.

I will write to you once again but please excuse when I write only once a week because there just is not much time for writing. I am not suffering yet from Home sickness either and I have no time to think of home all day. Right now I have a good breakfast and time is going fast. We on the rush all day and in the evening when its time to write, we have to go to bed. We arise at 6 AM by the blow of the Sgt’s whistle and stand to attention by the cot, I occupy the top cot so I have to jump down. After half an hour bed making, Coffee drinking the lessons start followed by 2 hours drill. Then 2 hours Artillery lessons on the gun, at 12 noon is Lunch , we clean our gear afterwards , a job that is hated by any soldier in any Army. In the afternoon we have field exercises and today we played Battle on the Papen Mountain, with 2 lines against each other. We had to crouch up to the “enemy” fire our blanks , than form a skirmish line and with our guns cover the Infantry. Bed time is atb 8.30 PM but often we are awoken at night by an alert and we don Gas mask and steel helmet and go into the air raid shelter. The other day we marched one hour with a donned gas mask , believe me, it was a bad hour. Today I just dropped one blank round to the floor and as punishment I had to polish the boots from the Sgt. Last Sunday I walked around in Göttingen and it felt good to walk so free around. Many soldiers went into pubs , I went to a Café and had Coffee and Cake. It was 3 Marks . Later I met up with Heinz Bade in town and walked with him to his apartment . I am glad to hear that things are going well at home. Father, you stay in charge of the tractor and Granddad you look after the horses and mother does the other animals .

Also many, many thanks for all the parcels, and only take 2 days to get here. Dear Father thank you for the 20 Marks and sure you can visit me . I am not hungry now since I get your parcels, I could write 50 pages but I have to go to bed .

Greetings from Heinrich