Letter 282

Russia May 16th 1942

Dear Parents and Werner!

First I send you Greetings from here in the Base Hospital, , I hope you are well at home. I am almost back in good health only still have a bit of the cold. Once I am completely recovered, I hope to be back with my Company again. But we just have to be patient, I have to stay a while longer. Until I am completely fit for front duty a lot can happen and I might not ever find my Company again. So maybe I am lucky that there is a seat reserved for me on the next hospital train homewards bound. But for now those a are illusions. Now did you get the letters I wrote here from the hospital? How long did the Air mail letter take to get there. I hope I still can get the parcels while I’m here. I will send you more money soon too. Do with it as you please, buy something or put in the bank. How much I will send I don’t know yet but I let you know. How are things at home. I am really not very happy here, looking around Russia now in May, it looks more like February. There isn’t a green meadow anywhere to be seen, the country looks so dull and nobody does a thing here in the fields. All the time I am here in Hospital, I had not one dry day. You ought to see the Streets, or what they call streets, they are just paths, all muddy , any vehicle sinks into it up to the axels. Russia is a dreadful country, let us hope the war will end this year here. We are counting on it anyway. We hear of the advances our Armies make in the south, once the Russians are the run, we have to make sure he does not have any time to stop and recover..

Well, for now I will close, Greetings to All of you, Greetings to Ritters, Ketschaus, Maria and all others who are helping out.

Artur,

From: Pvt Artur Ketschau, FP# 21764 = Panzer Grenadier Regt 112

To: Family Erich Ketschau, Kleinmdlsen, -Erfurt Thurg.