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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.

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.