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From Günther in Kassel-Rothwesten, Fliegerhorst, Offiziersheim. He has been very busy and so unable to write. A daylight air battle with the Americans has earned him a time of peace. He is using this time simply to eat and sleep in the two rooms assigned to him. He is finding this rest period quite taxing as his thoughts are quite depressing. Youth seems to be passing him by. At twenty he feels like an old man, happy just to be alive, to have survived. With envelope.

From Günther in Kassel. He thanks Hella for the picture she sent. He recently flew over Berlin and asks if she can send him a map showing where her school is. He finds it difficult that he does not know of any landing sites in Berlin. He does not have a picture of his plane. It is a month now since he has been able to watch a film due to being called out. Comments on how difficult it is for Hella to be allowed some free time. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. He does not have much free time to write letters so, in order that Hella does not feel neglected, he is sending her his photo. He apologises for the mess on Monday, but it was the only way he could get time alone with his cousin.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. It is early in the morning, and they just woke up, but Günther uses the time to write because he feels guilty. His request for leave had been granted, so he left on Friday evening and arrived at their house very late. He only met his father there, who camped out at the ruins of their home to protect their property. Unfortunately, Günther caught a cold because he slept near a broken window. The next day, he and his father worked very hard, and in the evening, they went to their friends’ house, where his mother was staying. They also worked very hard on Sunday because Günther had to be back at 9 a.m. on Monday. He does not want Hella to believe that he did not think of her. He even called her on Sunday evening, but no one answered. Thus, he had to return to Fürstenwalde in a sad mood. There are more reasons for him to be in a bad mood. They have been waiting to be promoted to Oberfähnrich (First Lieutenant) for ten days now. Nonetheless, they dressed as such yesterday evening and almost did not recognise themselves. Günther is sure that Hella will be just as astonished. With envelope.

From Günther at the officers’ quarters somewhere near Belgrade. Günther carried a letter for Hella around for three days but never got the chance to mail it, so he is writing a new one. It makes him sad to hear that she is always so disappointed when no letter from him is in the mail. It takes him a long time to finish a letter because he gets distracted so easily. Günther hopes they will be able to spend time together in a couple of weeks since writing letters is getting boring. It will be his last holiday in Berlin before his deployment, and he wants her to make sure she will be in town. Günther will arrive between the beginning and the middle of June. He saves whatever he can to spoil Hella when they see each other. With envelope.

From Günther at the officers’ quarters somewhere near Belgrade. Günther takes the opportunity to write to Hella while his comrades are still at dinner. Sometimes he is so bored that he goes to bed earlier than necessary. Today, he even mended his socks, which he usually would not do. Yesterday, he tried swimming again, but it did not go too well. She may have to give him lessons if he does not improve soon. He can keep himself above water for a while, but not for too long, and there always has to be someone to watch him. When things look bad, Günther looks at the stars. He has become quite the astronomer. They learn the basics in celestial navigation class. The weird names of the stars are the worst part since learning vocabulary has never been his strong suit. But Günther does not believe that there is anybody who only has strengths and no weaknesses. He has to finish the letter because his comrades are back and seem to want to lose at cards. He asks Hella if she would prefer him to lose instead because of the proverb [lucky at cards, unlucky in love]. He would be happy to keep losing if it meant getting what he loves. With envelope. Water-damaged.

From Günther in Parchim. He was in Berlin again today, but it was very early in the morning and only for a short time, so it did not make sense for him to leave the train station. Even if he had had more time, he would have thought twice about going to Tempelhof again because the five days of holiday he spent there the other week were boring enough for his taste. He missed Hella a lot while he was there on holiday. Günther enjoyed being stationed in the Netherlands. Since he knows so many different card games, it was easy for him to fit in, and he even got to know one of the commanders better, whose last name happens to be Jung, just like Günther’s last name, just without the -e at the end. Günther wonders what the four weeks in Mecklenburg will be like. He hopes he will be sent back to the Netherlands afterward because a lot of work awaits them there. He wishes Hella a fun holiday with her friends. With envelope.

From Günther in Parchim. He points out that he misspelled Parchim in his previous letter, which is why he sends Hella another one. He does not want her to think that he is an idiot. Günther thanks Hella for sending some nice weather his way. He has settled in comfortably in Parchim. Four lieutenants share one barrack room, but the rooms are cozy. 400 Nachrichtenhelferinnenanwärterinnen (female news helper candidates) live in the same block, which is nice for a change, but Günther assures Hella that he only has eyes for her and that she has nothing to worry about. In the evening, he and a few comrades want to go into town and watch ‘Minna.’ Unfortunately, some higher-ranking men will accompany them, which means that they have to behave. Günther suggests that she should visit him on her way home. He could take some time off and save as much money as possible to spoil Hella. With envelope.

From Günther in Parchim. It is hard for Günther to concentrate on his letter because one of his comrades plays the harmonica very loudly and poorly. When he received her two letters yesterday and today, he did not notice that a photo of her was included, and it fell onto the floor. He was very surprised when a girl handed it to him in the mess hall. He almost does not recognise Hella in the photo and asks her if she does not think that she overdid it [sunbathing] because one could question whether she is really an Aryan. He also complains that she is depicted as too small in the photo and that her legs are cut off. He prefers reality over a photo. While a week ago a visit from Hella would have been nice, and he easily could have taken some time off, things have changed in the meantime. Several generals came and had numerous meetings, and now everything is much stricter. They have to get up at 5 a.m. and go to the airfield without breakfast because the Mess only opens at 7 a.m. Günther cannot go to Berlin to visit Hella either because they could be deployed anytime. He feels bad because he cannot make her wish come true. He wishes Hella a safe trip home and apologises for the difficult readability of his letter as his pen ran out of ink. With envelope.

From Günther in Hamburg. Günther assures Hella that he was very sad too when he learned that she would have visited him since he could have taken some time off after all. Because they were flying at night, they had the afternoon prior and the morning after their flying duty off. He also told his parents, who wanted to visit him for an entire week, not to come. Günther and his comrades had the afternoon off but soon regretted going into town. Parchim was full of refugees from Hamburg who looked at the members of the German Air Force with hateful eyes, asking, ‘What are you doing here? Why are you not in the air seeking revenge for us?’ Günther upset his stomach by drinking a beer that was too cold, and now he cannot enjoy the delicious food they get on Sundays. He wants to know when Hella is going to Thuringia. He hopes sooner rather than later because he believes that Berlin will soon be a very dangerous place. He would feel better if she was somewhere safe. He finishes his letter by wishing her a pleasant journey to her military service post and sending greetings to her parents and Gisela. With envelope.