Prellbock, 23 September 1915
[Thursday]
Dear
family,
I haven’t
received a letter from you since I last wrote you yesterday, but I did get
parcels nr 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333 and another two with milk and cigarettes
and sugarcubes, but I don’t know the numbers of those. Many thanks for
everything. Then I also received two parcels from the Bonerts, whom you’d like
to thank for me. Film nr 5 still hasn’t arrived, I suppose it got lost on the
way.
It’s again pretty
difficult to write you a lenghty letter if I don’t have your questions to reply
to. As I wrote you yesterday, and as you may have read already in the Daily Communiqués
[the Heeresberichten *1] the English are very restless here for the
last few days. We don’t worry about that though. If they want to come then they
should. They will get their comeuppance. But there are no specific signs which
point to an imminent attack. We did sustain heavy artillery fire thoughout the
last few days, and to the left of us, at the Marburger Jägern [*2], they've already attacked yesterday, but I don’t
think they have the courage to do that here. They will get their comeuppance if they do.
Our casualties
over the last 3 days are very slight. 10 men in the whole Regiment, here at the
Prellbock one lightly wounded by a
shrapnell, those 10 men also only wounded. So it’s not that bad.
Here at the
Prellbock everything is still okay. Not
one piece of trench has been destroyed, eventhough yesterdaymorning between 8
and 12 they sent us no less than some 400 shrapnels, and about 100 dicke Gelbe [*3]. How much will all this
cost? And then they haven’t achieved anything.
We are all still
feeling very well. It is a bonus that we have such secure dugouts, even though
we did often complain whilst building them. So everything is still okay.
But I’d like
to move to a different theme. You may worry way more than necessary. I also
hope that Feldwebel Scheffel has
explained to you in detail what life here is really like, and that it is not as
bad as you think. We had a long talk this morning. He told me how beautiful it
still is in Germany, which sounded so nice I instantly got a little homesick.
He was véry happy with the photographs. He gave them to his bride, who is also
from Barmen. He did grumble a little bit about you keeping him busy for so long.
He had an appointment with his bride at 12, and at 12:30 he was still at yours.
Then we
talked about my promotion, which father asked him about. So he confirmed to you
what I had written already. In our Regiment and certainly in our Kompanie
promotions don’t go well. Only Hugo Pass has been accepted as Offizier-aspirant. Mais, Heede and all
the others have not.
Our
Regiment is the only one in our A.K. [Army Corps] which does nót send cadets to
the course in Döberitz. And our Oberstleutnant
had said that Einjährige who have
been in the field for a few months already, and have not yet been promoted,
shouldn’t have to be promoted at all anymore! That says enough I should think!
But I don’t
really want to be promoted. I don’t like the idea of taking on dangerous
patrols just for that. It’s not worth it. Let them find out for themselves
where they get their NCO’s and officers from.
But Feldwebel Scheffel has promised to do
what he can for me. I don’t expect much from it though.
Many warm
greetings to everyone from your Fritz
[*1]
Heeresbericht
23 September 1915, from German Army HQ
Western
front:
Helped by
the clear weather, very brisk activity along the whole front by artillery and
aeroplanes from both sides.
Großes Hauptquartier, 23. September.
Westlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Begünstig durch die klare Witterung, herrschte auf der ganzen Front sehr rege Tätigkeit der beiderseitigen Artillerien und der Flieger.
Westlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Begünstig durch die klare Witterung, herrschte auf der ganzen Front sehr rege Tätigkeit der beiderseitigen Artillerien und der Flieger.
24
September 1915:
The artillery
and aeroplane activity increased along the entire front in the course of
yesterday.
An assault
by white and coloured English south
of the Canal de la Bassée stranded in our artillery fire.
On the
coast an English aeroplane was shot down. The pilot has been taken prisoner.
Großes Hauptquartier, 24. September.
Westlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Die Artillerie- und Fliegertätigkeit auf der ganzen Front steigerte sich im Laufe des gestrigen Tages.
Ein südlich des Kanals von La Bassée angesetzter Angriff weißer und farbiger Engländer scheiterte bereits in unserem Artilleriefeuer.
An der Küste wurde ein englisches Flugzeug abgeschossen. Der Führer ist gefangengenommen.
Westlicher Kriegsschauplatz:
Die Artillerie- und Fliegertätigkeit auf der ganzen Front steigerte sich im Laufe des gestrigen Tages.
Ein südlich des Kanals von La Bassée angesetzter Angriff weißer und farbiger Engländer scheiterte bereits in unserem Artilleriefeuer.
An der Küste wurde ein englisches Flugzeug abgeschossen. Der Führer ist gefangengenommen.
[*2] Kurhessisches Jäger-Bataillon nr. 11
[*3]
Pikrin-grenades, filled with Chloropicrin (“Vomiting gas”) which had a yellow
colour
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