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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.

From Günther in Parchim. He was very busy the past few days and finally has time to write a letter to Hella today. He had to stay up late and get up early for flying duty. Since those in charge of the flying roster have no idea what they are doing, 20 men stand around while two are in the air. Günther thinks it is a massive waste of time and that he could write to Hella instead. He is waiting for a letter from Hella every day, but nothing so far. He wonders if her auxiliary services are keeping her that busy. At first, Günther was excited to hear that Hella was also doing train station service, but he did not expect her to have too little time to write to him anymore. After all, her letters are the only thing to bring joy to his life. Günther and his comrades have no leave, and there is no cinema. He misses Hella and does not know where she is. The last thing he heard was that she wanted to go to Thuringia. His mother left Berlin, and lives on a farm in an Upper Silesian village with his brother. Günther wants Hella to send him her new address if she has moved. Her photo hangs over his bed now so she can watch over and protect him. With envelope.

From Günther in Parchim. Since he still does not know where Hella is, he has to send her birthday package to her parents in Berlin. He hopes that she will enjoy the little goodies he bought for her and that he will also be able to have some chocolate on her birthday. He says that she will get a real birthday present soon. There was nothing to buy there. He hopes to be able to purchase something in the Netherlands in two or three weeks, depending on when they will leave Parchim. Günther wishes Hella all the best for the next year of her life and tells her to stay the way she is. This way, neither she nor he has to worry. With envelope.

From Günther in Greifswald. He and his comrades have started playing cards again during night duty, but he still loses regularly. They have not flown any missions in a week, and Günther fears they will be old by the time the war is over. He tells her he flies a Bf110G, which he likes. He shares Hella’s opinion about people from Saxony and asks her not to become like them, or it will be over with them. He admits that he likes chocolate a lot now and that there will not be as much for her anymore. The 4711 Eau de Cologne is a belated birthday gift for Hella, which he bought in the Netherlands and was very expensive. With envelope.

From Günther in Kassel. He thanks Hella for her letter. He will get 16 days leave from 28 December and hopes to see her. He asks how her parents are. Using a direct line to Berlin, he phoned them late one evening and no-one answered. Everyone at his home is fine. Tomorrow he hopes to fly over Berlin as he has a trip to Königsberg. He is interested to see how things are in Berlin. His group always seem to be underway somewhere at the moment. The trips to Holland are useful as it is still possible to do some Christmas shopping there. The chocolate supply (presumably back in Germany) is scarce at the moment. He has written twice to his mother this week in response to Hella’s reproaches. He finally suggests that Hella joins him during his leave and comes to Oberschlesien with him. If she doesn’t want to, he will ask his mother. Her heart is supposed to decide the matter. He asks if ‘Herr Gebietsführer’ still comes round to visit them and if he is still presented with flowers. Günther feels that such a sight would mortally wound him. With envelope.

From Günther in Berlin-Tempelhof. He spent his last days in Ingolstadt in uncertainty because he did not know when they would send him on holiday. When he finally arrived home on Friday morning, he immediately went to Stettiner Bahnhof and looked for Hella, but she was nowhere to be found. After one hour, he went home again and tried to call her for the second time. Someone answered the phone this time, but Hella had already left Berlin for a holiday with friends. Nonetheless, Günther wants to make the most of his time in Berlin since he already has to be in the Netherlands on July 14. He wants to go gliding again, but the weather is too bad. If there was more time, he would love to visit her where she is. He apologises for not writing in a while and hopes that she is not too upset. Günther is very tired while writing the letter because his family had visitors in the evening, and he involuntarily was the centre of attention. He wishes Hella a relaxing time and sends greetings from his mother. With envelope.

From Günther in Parchim. After two weeks, Günther finally received a letter from Hella today. He wonders why she used his Feldpost number instead of the regular address. It may be necessary to do so when he does not have an address, but for now, it is much faster to use the regular address. Other letters she may have written could still be on their way. He wants to know if she will be home for her birthday so he knows where to send the birthday wishes. It is unbearably hot where he is. They have to fly at night but cannot sleep during the day because of the heat. Günther tells Hella that he has a three-week-old terrier now. The dog is with Günther’s mother in Upper Silesian, and he does not know how to get the dog to where he is stationed. He asks Hella if the photos from her holiday in Linz are done yet and if she could send them to him so he can choose one to keep for himself. Günther says writing what they think and feel is important. With envelope.