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From Günther in Parchim. The weather has been really nice. Yesterday, it was 35° C in the shade, which is fine when wearing airy clothes, but not when wearing a uniform. Luckily, he spent half of the day 1000 metres above the earth on a cross-country flight. However, the visibility was poor, so he could not see the Olympia Stadium. Günther also flew over Herzberg, Dresden, Chemnitz, Erfurt and Kyffhäuser before heading back. Things have calmed down slightly, but he and his comrades still have plenty of flying duty. Since Hella asked him to tell her what he really thinks about her photo, Günther admits that he only looked at it once. In his opinion, it is not only badly retouched but also does not look like her. He does not like her dress either. He hopes she is not mad at him and says that taking pictures is not easy. Günther tells Hella to enjoy her work and make sure the Tommies do not destroy her house. With envelope.

From Günther in Kassel. The weather is bad. The laundrette in Kassell with all his washing was bombed. He has saved some cigars etc. for Hella’s family, but eaten the chocolate himself. He reminds her that she does not need to pay for postage, just mark the letter Feldpost.

From Günther Junge in Fürstenwalde. It is only three days since they have seen each other but it feels like an eternity. The suffocating barracks and boring duties are affecting his mood after the freedom of his holiday. They have been given some time to make their dwellings more comfortable but things are still pretty primitive and Günther apologises for the poor writing paper. It was all he could get as he left most of his things behind so as not to have to lug them about. He is going to take a trip to Fürstenwalde. It is worth the hour’s walk there just to be among people. They have just completed their first duty. They cleaned like new recruits. A reminder that they are still small fry, but Günther is glad not to have made it to a higher position. He asks about Hella’s illness and if she is able to get out of bed and go to school. Günther asks for a photo from Hella and threatens not to write again until he gets one. He sends greetings to her family. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. He thanks Hella for her letter and answers her queries, including noting that he did alright at maths differentiation at school. During the week he was kept busy with classes, though since Sunday they have flown so much he is now exhausted. He is now allowed to fly an He111 fighter plane without an instructor and, if he continues at this pace, he should be sent to fight in the summer. It will therefore be difficult to get holidays but he will do his best to do so. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. He has been meaning to write but things have been very busy. He estimates it is about 14 days since Hella would have heard from him. He has received two of her letters and especially enjoyed the second. In her last letter Hella has wondered what it would be like to quarrel with Günther. He replies that they are both so stubborn it is inevitable that at some point they will have a big quarrel. However, he thinks it is best to wait until they live nearer each other and not to have a quarrel via letters. He does not have much news. Every day is much like the other. They are on flying duty every second day and on Sundays, too. When they are not flying they are busy with lessons or sport. The sport facilities are very basic but enough for Günther whose only goal is to pass the Reichs-Sport badge again. Hella is much better at sport than he is. He asks when he will get the promised photo of Hella. For a while now, he has had one of himself ready and waiting. He read her last letter during class as he was not able to discipline himself to wait. He wishes her good luck for the coming Sunday and lots of fun. He probably will be on flying duty on Sunday but hopes to be able to be free. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. The weather is so bad that they have been grounded. He is glad to have a rest from flying but it is by no means a holiday otherwise he would have gone home. They still have eight hours of classes a day. Some of their flights brought them south to Wiener-Neustadt, Linz and Prague amongst others. Unfortunately they had to fly back on the same day so did not get to see much. He complains that whenever they have to land somewhere because of difficulties with the engine, they never land somewhere where you could happily pass a few hours, but always some godforsaken place. Although he has not written, he always meant to, and he hopes that this thought appeases Hella. The colonel came today and let them know that they will move on 15 March. In preparation for the move people are sending their things home in large parcels. He remarks that it is surprising how many things you can accumulate and that their wardrobes are very unorganised. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. Now that Hella has finally sent him a photo of her, he will think about her even more, and they can look into each other’s eyes from afar. He is not sure who is to blame for taking them so long, but he is willing to shoulder most of the responsibility because his shoulders are broader, after all. Günther believes her ‘remote treatment’ is working since his stubbornness slowly seems to turn into softness. Hella spoilt him with three letters in the past week. His comrades noticed how many letters he was getting and convinced Günther to show them her photo. He hopes she will not be mad at him and is confident she did not hide his photo from her friends either. He will stay in Fürstenwalde until further notice since things do not go as smoothly as the leaders had planned. He hopes to take Hella for a walk in Berlin in his Oberfähnrich uniform. He thanks her parents for the greetings and wishes her sister a belated happy birthday. With envelope.

From Günther in Fürstenwalde. He and his comrades are in the middle of their final exams and finished the written part in the morning. He will only be in Fürstenwalde until Friday because they transferred him to Toruń. He has no idea what will await him there but hopes to be able to answer this question in a week. Günther knows that going East should make him sad, but the weather is just too nice to be in a bad mood. He is not even sure if he will be able to come to Berlin again since their march to Toruń will likely take them through Frankfurt [an der Oder] and Poznań. He will be accompanied by two comrades, but not the ones he hoped for. He will have to leave everything behind and find new friends, but at least he has the photo of Hella to hold on to. Günther continues his letter on 24 March 1943. They just sent him back from flying duty because there are no more flights for him to complete. Now, he and a few comrades are supposed to attend class in the morning and go into the field in the afternoon, which they are not thrilled about. He would rather study for the oral exam scheduled for tomorrow or visit Berlin one more time. Günther also complains that he and the tailor keep missing each other. On the other hand, it would not be worth the trouble because he and his comrades will likely be Fähnrich (Second Lieutenant) forever. With envelope.

From Günther at the O.U. (Offiziersunterkunft i.e. officers’ quarters) somewhere near Belgrade. It was not too hard for Günther to leave Berlin since he was lucky enough to get a padded seat by the window. He had hoped for her to show up at the train station and was even a little mad that she did not, but it was probably too early in the morning for her. The train ride went as planned, except for an unexpected 1-hour layover in Vienna. He found it interesting to get a glimpse of the former monopolies in the Southeast (Günther wrote ‘Monopolen’, but may have meant to write ‘Metropolen’, i.e. metropolises). Unfortunately, they travelled through Hungary and Croatia at night and, therefore, did not get to see much of the landscape and population there, but to him, people from the Balkans look the same anyway. It seems a little better where he is, thanks to the Volksdeutsche, who have lived there for a long time. The temperatures are high, sometimes above 40° C in the sun. Compared to their previous station, the accommodation is appropriate for officers, which he greatly enjoys. They also have the opportunity to complement their rations with private purchases. However, the prices are disproportionate to their salary. With envelope.

From Günther at the officers’ quarters somewhere near Belgrade. Günther could not resist writing to Hella as his longing was too great. He and his comrades are said to leave on Saturday, so he should be in Berlin on Monday or Tuesday. He tried to get himself on a plane, but none are leaving from where he is. This means he will have to take the train, which only goes 20 km/h. Günther is optimistic about the near future. His suitcase has been packed since Sunday, and he cannot wait to leave. He has realised that ‘doing nothing’ is the worst kind of work that can be given to a human being. Günther hopes this will be the last letter before they see each other again. According to his mother, Hella made an effort by wearing fine clothes and bringing flowers when she visited his parents. He hopes that she enjoyed what is left of their home. With envelope.