Letter 390

Pleskau Nov 11th 1941

Dear Parents and Sisters.

We left Tilsit and after a 30 hours train journey, we arrived here. The trip was not to bad, as I had my winter coat with me but the further north we went, the colder it got.

The train took us through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and we now on Russian soil , today at 3 PM we continue our trip. Maybe another few days we have to be on this train before we reach our Company. We met many Comrades on the trip , I am still together with Popp, the sausage I had is gone, I ate it. Our rations we get in cans, we were real hungry last night, so I ate the Christmas cake. Funny, it tasted better here in Russia then at home. I am glad about my jumper, it is pretty cold here, but not much snow. We are here at the town that is only half in ruins, a lot of Army men around, well , it is front collection point here. I will write again when I am with my

company, but I have to search for writing paper first. I should have thought of that when I was home. Candles are rare here, so I need a few candles too. I will close now, Greetings to all beloved ones, I have no more paper now, so I send Greetings and I write from my Company.

Your Rudolf.

From: Pvt Rudolf Zwingenberger, FP # 27 634 Inf Regt 344

To: Albert Zwingenberger, Oberfrohna Saxony, Ludwig Jahn Str 8

The 344" Inf Regt in Nov 1941 went via Dünaburg to be deployed at the Leningrad front and stayed there until April 1943. Then it was send to the southern front at Charkow and the Regt was finally destroyed in Nov 1943 near Kiew.