70 - Prellbock, 12 August 1915

Prellbock, 12 August 1915

[Thursday]

Dear family,

Yesterday I received mother’s letter of the 8^th. Furthermore, untill yesterdat, parcels nrs 250, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 60 have arrived. Many thanks for everything.

It’s no problem putting “Einj.” in the address. It’s not that why my parcels don’t arrive. They get lost here in the bulk of goods. Especially those parcels of which you can hear it contains fluids often don’t arrive.

I’ll send you the next roll of film probably tomorrow. Today the weather is beautiful, I want to take the remaining photograps now, so that the Steigleders will get their photograph quickly. I think they look forward to it very much.

This business of so many photographs should not cost you too much money, or give you too much work.  You have to remember that those photographs are a gift, and you can believe me when I say that my Kameraden are happier with such a photograph which they can send home to their parents, than with a pair of socks, no matter how beautiful and comfortable they may be. I know, it will cost a lot of money, but if it is for charity the cost is irrelevant.

You can send me a new roll of film now. And that the other goods I asked for are on their way: I’m salivating already!

I have a few requests: please send me some more ammunition for my revolver. I’ve shot too many rats lately. I hope you can get that somewhere. Secondly I’d like to have a little bottle of machine-oil, to clean the rifle. It has to be acid-free, and if possible dynamo-oil. We probably have it in the factory. A tin bottle would be the best.

The little joke with the flag of course annoyed the English to no end. They have shot at it with every possible sharpnell, mine etc but it is still standing, and we even added a yellow-black-white-red flag. And now they’re completely “aus dem Häuschen” [= very exited], but we’ll calm them down again.

Rifle-grenades, especially at night, are the perfect cure for that. We’ll break those English.

Every English shrapnell, mine etc always has to be replied to with 3 German ones. They quieten down immediately then. [*1]

I believe we have new troops opposite us. You can feel they’re even more afraid than the previous ones. Every night a mass of aeroplanes fly overhead, to look for possible-troopshifting. And they now shoot off flares like never before. [*2]

Than a nice little story:

Yesterday we had a vist from a General Staff Chief of Crownprince Rupprecht, a Graf so and so. Before he arrived it was imprinted into us all that we had to address him as “Herr Graf”. So the party kicked off. A whole swarm arrived, headed by a Major. He asks one of us something. Reply : “Jawohl, Herr Graf!”. Then the Major “Ne mann, the Graf will be here later”.

We lamost died of laughter afterwards. When you write it down like that it doesn’t look comical at all. But just think: all those high gentlemen. You háve to know who you’re dealing with. I’d stepped into the same trap myself if you ask me.

With many warm greetings

Your Fritz

[*1]  From the war diaries of 1^st Btn Royal Berkshire Regiment. 

Taken from :    http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/research/war-diaries/search

The website of  The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum.

War diary entry for 12 August 1915

The GOC 6th Inf Bde came round trenches in the morning and suggested a few improvements. A quiet day. The enemy were very offensive during the night, they trench mortared, bombed, sniped and fired rifle grenades at us. We replied and they shut up. Our trench mortars claim to have blown up some Huns[*], they were aiming at a flag put up in commemoration of WARSAW. Let us hope they had the bigger bag. A carrier pigeon was shot on a brickstack and sent into Bde HQ. Six casualties

  [*]  The Roll of Honour in the Regimental History of IR 16 does not mention any casualties on 12^th August 1915 (or the day before or after)

[*2] 1^st Btn Royal Berkshire Regiment had just newly arrived in the Cuinchy sector on 11^th August 1915, coming from Givenchy, so Fritz’s observation seems to tally with the facts.

The original letter: 

68 - Prellbock, 5 August 1915

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 6^th August 1851.

[*2] The Heeresbericht of 5 August 1915:

http://www.stahlgewitter.com/15_08_05.htm

And

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Retreat_(Russian)

[*3] The English’s reaction was lukewarm, if we have to believe the War-diary of 2^nd Highland Light Infantry, who were in the trenches opposite Auchy at the time:

August 4^th: Quiet day – Germans opened rapid burst of fire in the night. 

The original letter: