Item 7 - Letter from Hans Bratengeier to Hella Scholz

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Reference code

IE 2135 P14/5/2/2/7

Title

Letter from Hans Bratengeier to Hella Scholz

Date(s)

  • 18 December 1945 (Creation)

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Item

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6 pp.

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Name of creator

(1925-2003)

Biographical history

Hella Anna Maria Scholz was born in Berlin on 29 December 1928 as the younger of the two daughters of Bruno Scholz, a merchant in building materials, and Klara née Kaiser. She was educated in Berlin. In 1942, she met Günther Junge, a pilot with the German Luftwaffe. They remained a couple until Günther’s death in an air battle on 27 January 1944.

After the war, Hella worked as a laboratory assistant for a British military medical unit in Hannover. Here, she met her future husband, an Englishman named William Fuller. They married on 1 January 1951 at the Ploughley & Bullingdon Register Office in Oxford, and in February of that year Hella became a British citizen. She and her husband lived in Oxfordshire and had no children. Hella later moved to Penarth in Glamorgan, Wales, where she died on 31 January 2003.

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From Hans in Frankfurt am Main. Hans is extremely happy to have heard from Hella. She has written about a future together. He says that they should not just hope to be together but really hold on to the wish and asks if she agrees with this. His wounds have healed and left no physical handicap. Hans heard that Hella had no post from him since last Christmas. He finds this strange as he was constantly sending her news. He briefly brings her up to date with the news that would have been in the missing letters. On 15 February at 5 pm he was wounded on a train. Two Tommy gun bullets pierced his left hand, and shell splinters went into his left arm and his foot. He gives details of his horrific experiences afterwards including a 48-hour wait in a cattle wagon in Berlin, where he gave a letter for Hella to a woman to post. He was then discharged. His brother was also injured and came home 14 days after him. He is now really enjoying being at the helm of his father’s company in charge of 450-500 men. Once again it is Christmas, the first in many years with his family. He hopes that next year he and Hella will be able to celebrate it together.

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  • German

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