Prellbock, 5 August 1915
[Thursday]
Dear
family,
I received
Hanne’s letter of the 28th July. Many thanks. I’ll confirm the parcels I
received once mother has written me the numbers. Not many unfortunately. At the
moment I’m out of everything and have to resort to dry bread. But that’s okay.
It just occurred
to me I nearly forgot father’s brithday. So belated congratulations, and he
shouldn’t work so hard. [*1]
I don’t
have much news to write from here. (The news of the fall of Warsaw has just
come through on the wireless. It’s a party here!) [*2]
Yesterday
we celebrated the first birthday of our war, and this is how: shortly after nightfall
the planting of a black-white-red flag in front of the English trenches, by our
Leutnant.
Then at
exactl;y midnight Feuerüberfall by all party-goers, with rifle-grenades and the
throwing of handgrenades.
On the
command “Seitengewehr pflanzt auf” [“Fix
bayonets”] even greater fire, on the sign to attack three cheers “Hurrah!”, and
then back into the dugouts as quickly as possible.
The English
must have been surprised. [*3]
By the way
the English are getting quieter by the day. It seems they don’t have artillery here
any more, at least not the heavy artillery. Or is it because they’re out of
ammunition? We found an unexploded shrapnellgrenade here, made in July 1915!
And we are still using ammunition made last year and before.
What else
to write. I’m waiting eagerly for the developer etc. to arrive. Hopefully I’ll
get it before we go into rest the day after tomorrow.
Then a few extra
wishes for the Sundays. How about you send me once in a while a little tin of
lobster in mayonnaise, like the one I recently got from the Benzenbergs, and a
tin of salmon? I have such an appetite for that. Then Cognacbohnen [Bean-shaped brandy filled chocolates] and also preserved
fruit.
From Aunt
Vollmer I recently received a box of cherries. Please thank her from me. Please
also thank A. Weyerbuschs for the parcel he sent.
With many warm
greetings also to everyone enquiring after me,
Your
Fritz
[*1} Fritz’s
father, August Hermann Limbach, was born in Elberfeld on 6th August
1851.
[*2] The Heeresbericht of 5 August 1915:
http://www.stahlgewitter.com/15_08_05.htm
And
[*3] The
English’s reaction was lukewarm, if we have to believe the War-diary of 2nd
Highland Light Infantry, who were in the trenches opposite Auchy at the time:
August 4th: Quiet day – Germans opened
rapid burst of fire in the night.
The original letter:
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