[Partial translation]

14 November 1939 [Father]

We received your dear letter of 2 October on Saturday, it was on en route for over 5 weeks but arrived here in good condition[...] Ma has a minor cold but is already doing better[...]now getting mail within 8-10 days is over, one has to count with weeks. The mail goes via Italy because there are problems in the North Sea. But we are not as badly off as in 1914. Many roads lead to Rome and the English were not able to close off all the exits. They are no longer in that fortunate position. The other peoples have also become smarter and know now who the real troublemaker is. They also know that they have always fought for the English and were taken advantage of and that it was those pirates who got the benefit. The war with Poland, which was also started by those gentlemen, was soon decided in our favor. They had not counted on such quick success. We hardly notice anything of that campaign. One hears that it was the East Prussians who did most of the fighting. Everything was initiated right away, which was also very good, so that everyone recieves. Stockpiling was over quickly. Because of the ration cards everyone gets what is coming to them whether they are rich or poor. We have no surplus, we have to get along with what there is. But there is no telling how long it will take. England wants war and so we have to deal with it. I hope that the matter ends differently than it did in 1918, so that they also have the experience of having to capitulate. The harvest was good again this year, it was brought in without trouble. There was plenty of fruit also and everyone could make use of the opportunity to lay up stores. We too did a lot of canning and putting things in jars so that we don’t have to eat dry bread next year. When Mother tells you that I am thinner you don’t need to worry. I still weigh 200, and will keep them, my good appetite will see to that. Fruit, vegetables and potatoes are still unrationed and available. Ma has not told me so far that she is suffering. We feel well and think that when this is over we will visit the US for recuperation. Aren’t these pleasant thoughts and wishes? Yes, God willing, we will risk it once more. This afternoon the new ration cards will come out, they are for one month. Greet Wilhelm Breuerbacher for me, his comrades are in it once again. Karl Dillmann from Limburg, who is Lenchen’s age, had to leave at once. Wilhelm Aumenauer and his horse were drafted at the start. The ones your age and up to six years younger are still all at home but we assume that they will have to go soon. I wish our letter a good trip, may it reach you in good health and in good spirits. I also wish you a Merry Christmas. You can get news from Germany directly via the radio, which is good, the English want to win only with lies and deceit[...] many heartfelt greetings, Pa.

[Mother]

[...]I want to add a bit[...] we are so glad every day that you are not here and are preserved from the sore trials of the war[...]many who had already fought in the last war were drafted again. Karl from Schadeck and his brother-in-law Büttner had to go at once. Karl has four small children and a wife who is not well, so now my brother who is 70 years old has to bear the burden of the great amount of work. In the meanwhile Albert Fink and Paul Schmidt have returned home again. Albert is doing good business and is buying wares from the “cleared areas.” [she writes "von den geräumten Gebieten," probably a euphemism for the Polish areas which were annexed by Germany; Some of them were territories lost by Germany after WWI)

Wilhelm of Nordenstadt is still home whereas his friends participated in Poland and one of them has been injured.

Some age groups have not been trained yet, they say there are still eight age groups. First they said the older ones would be let go again, we don’t know if this is true. At the moment things are rather quiet. There are airplanes quite often but they are shot down. Once we went down into the cellar, that was on the second day of the war, but it was a false alarm. Hitler said right at first that if they attack our open cities we would do the same to theirs. This is why we have not had air attacks so far. Did you read about how the Poles mistreated all those who are of German ancestry? Our soldiers found heaps of mutilated corpses. In the formerly German villages not one male could be found, all murdered. There you can see what it means to live under such a government. We also know who started all of that and who caused this war. Perhaps with Hitler God sent the man who would finally cut England down to size. Now our government is different from the one in 1914. You will also have heard of the assassination attempt on Hitler in Munich, there he miraculously escaped certain death, it looks like God still has plans for him. We all know that much will be demanded of us also until the war ends victoriously. And now Roosevelt has succeeded in making sure that America once again supplies weapons and munitions. Perhaps he will also come with his soldiers and help his friends. Too bad that he is not able to walk, otherwise he would perhaps risk it, his people will have to pay the debts after all. I would have thought that the previous war had taught them something. You would think that the whole world would realize that a people of 80 million cannot exist in such a small space and that it is not presumptious of them to ask for colonies; just look how that small place England has everything, and France also has large possessions in Africa. One could have predicted that things would turn out as they did, because a government with such a large population also has to see to it that it can be fed. Pastor Eikmeier’s boys are also in the army. Otto had already done his military service and was working at the post office, now he has to take a course to learn the work of a soldier of the signal corps. Hans was in Darmstadt with the Dragoons, now he is with the artillery. Both boys have finished the college preparatory school. Hans would have dearly liked to go to university, who knows how things will now turn out. It is all in God’s hands and we have to submit ourselves. Our paths are all predestined by God. Three weeks ago old man Nau died at age 81. It is a good thing that the good Lord took him, he had hardly anything left. He died at the home of his oldest daughter. For many years, he had lived in a furnished apartment in the Bertramstrasse, I am sure he got some money from welfare. The aunt of the Henzel family also died and thus been released from long suffering. She had the same [disease] as Käthe Emmel. Is Karl Trebus still alive? Ernst Trebus returned in time from his trip to America. On October 28th he was here to visit his parents in Wiesbaden. It was his mother’s birthday, she was 75. Ernst took a lot of photos in America and put together a nice film which he showed us in the evening. He liked it a lot over there, only the time was too short. He went all the way to Chicago, where there is a brother of the aunt, also over 80, he was very pleased. Ernst has a good income so he could afford such a trip. He came back on the SS Bremen when it arrived in its home port for the last time. Then it went back and never returned[...]it rained a great deal in October so that much of the potato harvest could not be brought in until November. We got potatoes and also apples from Nordenstadt as well as from Steeden. You can imagine that once again people eat lots of potatoes. A person gets one pound of meat or sausage, you can imagine that many meals are meatless, we are now all on a diet. No doubt we will all get very slender yet, we will outdo the Americans if this goes on. Johanna bought dolls for the girls so that they would have some German dollies for a change, but we will save them because it is too risky to send them now [...] they will also enjoy them later[...]may the dear Lord be with you and with us here. We will leave him in charge in everything, that way we can look toward the future with peace of mind. Please greet Lenchen, Karl, the Nässers family and the Schobers. Greetings also to you from your Mother. A kiss for Paul and Joän.