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From Hella in Crimmitschau. She thanks Günther for the parcel full of sweets etc. that he sent. She has sent the coffee beans and cigars onto her parents. She wonders what the New Year will bring. It seems so uncertain, but she hopes it will bring something good for the both of them. She believes they can both play a part in ensuring that something good happens. She relates an incident where she fell out of bed in her sleep. The accompanying envelope was returned to Hella’s Berlin address and is marked with the words Gefallen für Grossdeutschland (Fallen for Greater Germany).

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She excuses herself for being a lazy letter writer. She has been unable to find a decent picture of herself to send. The house which she used to live in has been bombed. To her surprise she finds herself enjoying her maths classes. She is sure Günther has forgotten a lot on that subject. They have not received their French jotters. She signs off and asks when he will next be paying a surprise visit. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She thanks Günther for his card from Fürstenwalde and says he has turned into a proper little wanderer. She asks him to write to her and whether he will be coming to Berlin soon. It has been so long she could forget what he looks like. She hopes to send him a picture of herself soon. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She is sorry to have missed his phone call on Sunday and is sorry to hear of the damage done to his parents’ house in the bombing. She hopes that the house can be repaired. The Tommy scouts came during the day yesterday, but unfortunately the all-clear sounded early enough for Hella to have to go to school. Her mother has packed up their valuables and put them in the cellar to protect them from bombing. But in the cellar they are not safe from robbers. When he rang she was at a friend’s. Yesterday she went to see the film Sophienlund and found it to be too idealistic but very amusing. Tonight she is going to a German poetry evening. Will Quadflieg from the Schiller Theatre will be reading work by Hölderlin, Fichte, Nietsche, Binding, Goethe, Schiller etc. Hella says that Quadflieg is a heartthrob for young girls and even she liked him before the ‘grey times’. She asks if he has heard anything about where he will next be stationed. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She teases Günther both that his colleagues seems to be very observant about his mail and that he has shown them a picture of her. His picture is positioned in her room so it is the first thing that people see when they come in. Yesterday she missed school and spent her pocket money on ice cream. Once again her mother had to forward her next month’s money. There was no school today and Hella went swimming. At first she was the only female in the pool. The remaining occupants were men who looked like they were in the military. Hella decided to show them what she could do and ended up banging her head on the side of the pool. If the final exams were not coming up soon, and therefore school was cancelled more often, Hella would just consist of bruises. The letter is continued on 22 March 1943. Hella had a busy weekend and so did not finish her letter. She went to see the film 5000 Mark Belohnung. She justifies watching films and reading books that are ‘kitsch’ by stating that they help her to appreciate quality films and literature. A friend came to see her on Sunday who was very excited at passing her leaving exams. Hella got a 3 for a class essay but is dreading the maths test tomorrow which will show just how much school she has been missing. A call was sent out for volunteer lifesavers so that those in charge of the swimming pools could go on holiday. Hella volunteered but has yet to be asked to do anything. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. Although Günther’s letter took a long time to reach her she is going to reply immediately. She puts this down to his good influence. She apologises for not coming to meet him at the station. She had intended to but became unsure when she heard he was not travelling alone. Finally she felt too lazy to get out of bed and get dressed and go down to the station. She promises that this will never happen again should the opportunity arise. Hella comments that he seems to be really enjoying his time in France and that she is jealous of all the new things he is able to experience. Things are going better for Hella and she is becoming very brown. Hella reports back that her first night on air raid duty went well though she was tired afterwards. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She is attaching a pictorial joke which she saw in a newspaper yesterday and wanted to share it with Günther. Hella is now having to get used to the idea of going back to school. They are given a lot of lectures about redeployment but as yet no firm plans have been revealed. If the weather stays nice Hella does not plan to be in school often. Hella’s mother has just given her a large portion of ice cream. On 1 May she went for a walk with her parents and some friends in the Grunewald. On Sunday morning she went to a special exhibition on Michelangelo in the Mamorhaus. In the evening she went to the cinema with her parents to see Münchausen which she really liked and recommends that Günther should go and see it if he gets the chance. School started on Monday so there is not much news and Hella finishes her letter. With envelope.

From Hella in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She hopes this letter will reach him punctually on his birthday. She hopes he has received the small parcel she sent. She hopes the biscuits are not too smashed. She ate a few herself. She asks him to take a moment out of his birthday celebrations to think of her. She also asks what it is like to be 20. She believes that his self-confidence must have grown with age. She thinks it would be nice if one could choose when to have a birthday, then Günther could wait until he had leave before having a birthday. She asks if everything is still working out with his holiday plans. Whether she is at school or redeployed, Hella should still be in Berlin. Though she is planning a trip to Linz with school friends and hopes that redeployment does not come in the way. That afternoon Hella is to meet up with an unknown man. Hella along with other girls in her class wrote to solders in Africa. Suddenly Hella had a letter from a tank soldier who was home in Berlin on holiday and wanted to meet her. She did not want to but her friends encouraged her. All the unknown soldiers they had written to were either dead or missing. Even Hella’s mother thought she should meet the man. The second sheet of paper is written later in the evening and starts with an account of the meeting. It was not as bad as she had feared and she had enjoyed hearing about his adventures in Africa. Hella assures Günther that he does not need to worry and can trust her. She wishes him a happy birthday from her family and again from herself. She signs off and in a postscript adds that Günther’s mother has invited her for coffee next Tuesday. With envelope.

From Hella in Binz, Rügen. There is a brief discussion as to whether to write the town Parchim with an ‘h’ or not. Hella and Günther’s mother spell the town with an ‘h’, Günther does not. She likes his idea to come and visit him and plans to do so on her return journey. However, first she wants to ask her parents for permission. She would have trouble with her case which is heavy as it contains things for Thüringen. Therefore she suggests Günther comes to Binz. That evening they hope to see ‘our ships’ [presumably the German navy] on a night practise. Earlier in the evening there was evening entertainment at the spa hotel staged by the H. J. (Hitler Jugend, Hitler Youth) for the DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreutz, German Red Cross). It made a nice change. With envelope.

From Hella in Crimmitschau. She writes about her parents’ visit that day from Berlin. Next Wednesday Hella will sit her school leaving exam for athletics. She asks why he isn’t writing. The last page is in a different hand, possibly from Hella’s parents to Günther. With envelope.