Stalingrad Feldpost
Dearest Ilse, Far in the East 27 Nov.1942
Quickly a few lines and greetings for your 24th birthday. I hope you are well, me not so well but that is understandable when one sits in the Shit as we are at the moment. But I am still relatively safe as I’m with the HQ-Staff Company. But I can’t say the same for my comrades as our regiment is in constant combat with Ivan. Some companies have vanished completely, nobody knows where they are. Now the harsh Russian Winter has set in with 22 degrees below 0 and one sits in an unheated bunker. But we have a 1 meter thick ceiling above us and are safe against artillery fire. The mail isn’t running regularly at the moment, and handwriting freezes the fingers. With gloves I can at least type.
Yesterday evening there was excitement, the Russians had broken through North of us and the HQ-Staff Company had to go into action, repelling the attack. At least until the next time. Other than that there’s no joyful news from Stalingrad, but we’re hoping that the Russians will be finished by Christmas. If not, may God help us, if He is able to.
I send you many loving greetings and kisses from cold Russia, on the banks of the Volga
Your Heinz
