Letter 393

East April 23rd 42.

Dear Parents.

Thank you for the letter from April 12th and it seems that you got mail from me as well. So you know what is going on here. It was in March that I had a few frost bites on my feet, but it was something we could not avoid and it was not so bad with me, but I will feel it for a few years I was told. But as I said, I was lucky, you ought to have seen other frost injuries, toes that were literally fallen off the feet, gone green, these are Hospital cases that go home to a special hospital in Germany. The front has gone quiet, the Russians have retreated, their tanks can not get through the mud, they get stuck, everything will be ok once the weather gets better and it wont be long and its dry out there. We have good drying weather with wind. You have send 3 parcels again? And one thing, don’t listen what these girls in the factory tell you, ignore it, I already asked Mrs. Rockhausen and she was happy to take Leni out, you thought Leni wanted to leave, that is not true. When this war is over, believe me, there will be a lot of children without a father., and who wantsa girl with a small child.

Well, that is all I must close for today , wishing you all the very best.

Your Rudolf.

From: Sgt Rudolf Zwingenberger, FP # 27 634 = Inf.Regt 344

To: Family Albert Zwingenberger, Oberfrohna Saxony, Ludwig Jahn str 8