Part of The KB41 Collection On This Day Series
This is the 17th letter in the series of Feldpost's that Herbert writes home to his family whilst away from home in service. This letter like the previous is written whilst Herbert is recovering from his illness in hospital in a city in Germany, Braunschweig (Brunswick). We can see the location or activity that Herbert is doing as he writes his letter as in most he details this next to the date in the top right of each page. A routine and structured letter that can be seen in this and previous letters even the smallest of letters from Herbert's Felposts in the collection detail this to which his family at the time would have been able to easily identify where he was but also as we research and publish these letters, we get a greater understanding of the location and atmosphere Herbert may be in. This letter is another update for his family whilst asking more questions of home which will is detailed below further. This post like others is shared exactly 80 years on the day they were written!
The Letter in German reads as:
Braunschweig, 29.3.43
Ihr Lieben!
Nun werde ich mal wieder ein Lebenszeichen von mir
geben. Ich hatte ja eigentlich fest damit gerechnet, daß für
mich heute Post dabei wäre; aber leider bin ich enttäuscht
worden. Es war noch nichts, na dann wohl sicher morgen. Wir
haben hier eine Schwester die auch aus Kiel ist. Sie hat mit
mir zusammen am vorigen Mittwoch die Post abgegeben und
schon Antwort; aber da wird sicher die Post einen Bummel
mit meinem Brief gemacht haben. Also freue wir uns auf
morgen früh.
Wie geht es denn nun zu Hause? Habt Ihr sehr viel zu
tun im Geschäft; oder gehts es momentan? Und wie geht es Euch
denn überhaupt allen? Ich habe ja 5 Wochen lang nichts von
Euch gehört und bin gar nicht mehr orientiert über die Zustände
zu Hause. Hoffentlich ist noch alles wohlauf! Ist Oma noch
immer bei Euch oder wieder einmal auf Reisen und wie geht es
Ihr? Soviele Fragen und keine Antwort. Es muß doch bald
Post von Euch kommen.
Ich habe mich erkundigt, wenn Mutti mich also eventuell
besuchen kommt. Es sorgt die Frauenschaft für Unterkunft,
sie muß nur Bettwäsche mitbringen. Oder wenn sie schon unter-
wegs sein sollte, so wird sich auch Rat schaffen lassen.
Mir geht es sonst soweit wieder ganz gut. Der Arzt hat
mir heute erlaubt 2 mal am Tag 3 Stunden aufzustehen. Wenn
der gute Onkel Doktor wüßte, daß ich sowieso nur zur Visite
im Bett liege. Die Schwestern verraten nichts, die sind froh,
daß ich ihnen dann nicht so viel Arbeit mache. Ins Theater
bin ich nicht mitgekommen. Es ist sowieso nur ein Konzert
auserwählter Musik gewesen und dafür habe ich ja kein
sonderliche großes Interesse. Ist also nicht so schlimm.
In der Nacht von Sonnabend auf Sonntag und heute
Mittag hatten wir ein paar Stunden harmlosen Fliegeralarm.
Wie ist es eigentlich in letzter Zeit bei Euch? Setzt der Tommy
Euch sehr zu; oder ist es erträglich? Hoffentlich letzteres. Wir
haben hier leider kein Radio. So wissen wir nicht was in der Welt
und bei Euch in Kiel alles passiert. In der Hoffnung morgen
alles durch einen Brief von Euch zu erfahren, will ich
jetzt schließen.
Es grüßt Euch herzlichst
Euer Herbert
The letter in English reads as:
Brunswick, 29.3. 43
My dears!
Now I'm going to send a sign of life again.
I had actually expected that I will receive a letter today;
but unfortunately I was disappointed.
Nothing arrived, well then, I'm sure tomorrow something will come. We
have a nurse here who is also from Kiel. She send the last letter
home, also last Wednesday and
already got an answer; but certainly the post office
dillydallied with my letter. So we look forward to
tomorrow morning.
How are things at home now? Are you very busy?
And how's the business; or is it ok at the moment? And how are you
all? I haven't heard anything for 5 weeks from you
and I'm no longer informed about the conditions
at home. Hope everything is still fine! Is grandma still
with you or once again on the travel and how is she?
So many questions and no answer. I really hope for a letter
from you soon.
I asked if mom could possibly come to visit me. The women's society provides
accommodation, she only has to bring bedclothes. Or if she is
already on her way, we will find a solution for it.
Otherwise I'm doing pretty well so far. The doctor has allowed me
to get up 3 hours twice a day. If
the good uncle doctor would know that I am only in bed, when he
comes to do his ward round.
The nurses don't tell anything, they're happy
that I don't give them so much work. I didn't go to the theatre
It was just a concert anyway, with
chosen music and I don't have particularly any great interest
in music. So it's not that bad.
In the night from Saturday to Sunday and today
at noon we had a few hours of harmless air raid warnings.
How is it at home lately? Does the Tommy bother you a lot;
or is it tolerable? Hopefully the latter. We don't have a radio here unfortunately. So we don't know what is
going on in the world and what is happening with you in Kiel. Hoping tomorrow
I will hear everything from you in a letter, I will
close now.
Warm greetings
Yours Herbert
This letter being the largest letter that Hebert has sent for some time suggests that he has been feeling somewhat better as before this letters had been on Feldpost-briefs, small Feldposts that are smaller that A4 size and when folded in half acted as an envelope themselves. This letter as previously mentioned comes from Herbert's time at Hospital in the German city of Braunschweig (Brunswick) where we know he was suffering from an infection of his pleura (Tissue around the lungs) commonly known as Pleurisy which also led to Hebert contracting pneumonia. This in part was suggested to be from Herbert's excessive tobacco use (Which we know Herbert had a dependency on from mention in previous Feldposts) in addition to the inadequate and poor sanitary conditions described by Hebert in previous letters of a "Lice cage" and stories of being in wet/ damp clothes in freezing conditions. All of these would have contributed to Herbert being in the position he finds himself in now as he writes these letters from his hospital bed in Brunswick.
Hebert starts this letter as most with his "Ihr Lieben!" as he addresses all of his family in this letter. Hebert sending this as a "Sign of life" a subtle joke showing that he is still in somewhat good spirits whilst in hospital despite that he then details how he is yet to receive any letters or potential packages sent from home as he was expecting one today, but is hopeful one will arrive tomorrow.
Hebert then goes on to write how their is a nurse working at his hospital in Brunswick who is from Kiel. Kiel being the city in which Herbert's family, the Tank family resides in. Hebert says that the nurse from their hometown delivers his letters to the post office and then from their they make their way to his family at home. Herbert suggests that the post office has likely "dillydallied" his mail, this being likely as mail during this period in 1943 wouldn't have been as swift and in priority in areas of Germany, this in part due to Germany being on the backfoot in comparison to previous years of the war. Delays by the Reichspost (the German postal service) would have also been common due to reduced numbers of postal workers as more men were called up for service in addition to bombings and air assaults all over Germany. However these delays from with Germany were nothing compared to some cases of Soldaten not receiving mail whilst om the frontlines as mail tries to keep up with the advance and retreat of offensive positions. It is suggested that this delay would sort itself out in coming days for Herbert.
After this Herbert continues the letter with questions to his family at home "How are things at home now? Are you very busy? And how's the business; or is it ok at the moment? And how are you all?" These types of enquires by Herbert are common as he likes to keep informed and up to date with how his family is keeping whilst he is away from home. However its here that we learn that Herbert has not received any mail from his family for 5 weeks now. Herbert writing this letter despite not hearing from his family hoping that they receive his letters and with this he asks how his Grandma is and if she is staying at their home or if she is travelling. Herbert hoping that their mail will eventually reach him. It is possible that his mail might have been miss delivered as Herbert was transferred from a Feldlazarett (Field hospital), to a Hospital behind the lines in the capital of Latvia, Riga before then being transferred to where he writes this letter in Brunswick, Northern Central region of Germany.
Whilst on the subject of family, Hebert details how it is possible for his mother to visit him whilst he is in hospital, Herbert details that his can be done via a women's society, and that all she would need to bring is bedclothes and that if she is already on her way to the hospital that all arrangements can be made when she arrives. It is not known what exact organisation this is but could have been part of the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK, German Red Cross) or possibly in part with the Nationalsozialistische Frauenschaft (National Socialist Women's League) the women's detachment of the NSDAP or even in part work under the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt, (NSV, National Socialist Peoples Welfare Organisation).These are just some of the organisations that could have been giving relief and support to the mother of Herbert and helping her in visiting Herbert whilst he is in Hospital. These types of visits would not only have been a great relief and opportunity for families to visit their sick or injured loved ones who had been away from home but also the serving Soldaten to be able to see their family's also who they may have not seen for months or even years whilst away in service and only previously seen in photographs they held close or in memory when writing to them. This would boost morale in both in this occasion.
Herbert also updates his family that he is feeling pretty well,. The doctor at the hospital has allowed him to get up from his bed for 3 hours, twice a day. Herbert jokes that despite this he is up and about more often than this as he writes "the good uncle doctor would know that I am only in bed, when he comes to do his ward round." This showing that Herbert is up and about and when the doctor comes to inspect the ward that he is present in his bed. Herbert writes that the Nurses are aware of him getting up and about more often than he should but they do not report this and are happy with his activities and progress in recovery. This in part due to the fact the nurses don't have to attend to him and makes their lives easier at the hospital. Despite breaking the rules and being allowed this is great news to hear that Herbert doesn't appear to be in as much pain as previous letters regarding his health and that he is likely well on the way to feeling better soon as he is able to get up and move around.
Herbert detailed in previous letters that their was activities at and surrounding the hospital, their was the opportunity for him and other patients could visit nearby activities such as concerts and theatres. Whilst this was on offer, Herbert writes that he didn't go to visit this performance, a concert that he describes it was "chosen music and I don't have particularly any great interest in music. So it's not that bad."
It is here that Herbert also details his final paragraph in this longer letter. Herbert writes how from Saturday to Sunday and at noon today (29th March 1943) he has experienced a few hours of "Harmless Air raid warnings", to which Herbert also goes on to write how "How is it at home lately? Does the Tommy bother you a lot; or is it tolerable? Hopefully the latter". This shows that Herbert is experiencing some air raid warnings, attacks by allied forces over Germany during this period wasn't uncommon and that Herbert also expresses concern about his family in Kiel with " Does Tommy bother you a lot?" This would be due to the family living in Kiel, to which the city being by the coast was infamous for its U-Boat pens and Kriegsmarine naval influence. This being a major bombing point for allied forces during the war in attempts to not only destroy military resources and infrastructure but also stop any welfare, food and welfare coming into Germany. Hebert details how they do not have a radio at the hospital so they unfortunately don't know what his happening in the world or what is happening to the city in which family resides, this may be in part deliberate as the war was on the slow decline for Germany and possible that speculation of defeats may also reduce the morale of patients of the hospital.
Herbert concludes that he hopes tomorrow he will receive news in form of letters from his family, before he closes the letter "Es grüßt Euch herzlichst" (Warm greetings) with his final words "Euer Herbert", Yours Herbert.