The story of SS Rottenführer Günter Prange

[Monuir]

Feldpost 34 - East, 13.2.44

Dear Parents!

Today is Sunday. So we have clocked off a little earlier. I have just washed myself from top to bottom and changed my clothes. I feel like a new man. –

So I said to myself: write now, so everything can be put to rights. Unfortunately I have not had any post again. I hope there will be some more in the next few days.

I am quite well on the whole. There is more than enough work. I am still enjoying it, and am always learning new things. Tomorrow I will begin to refit the motors. That means to take them apart completely, replace faulty parts, and then re-assemble them.

I also have a few questions. Do I still have a pair of high boots at home? Is Bambola the tailor still there? I want to have a pair of trousers altered into long breeches. Could you send me a few flints and a nailbrush? –

I want to close for today now, with warmest regards.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.


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[Monuir]

Feldpost 35 - East, 2.3.44

Dear Parents!

After not having got any post for three weeks, now so much is coming in that I cannot answer fast enough. Yesterday I received your letter from the 10.1, and today from the 4.2. The pictures pleased me very much, many thanks.

Please don’t hold the letter that I wrote that time against me. Unfortunately my nerves are quite frayed. Other than that I am fairly well. –

I am sure Papa will have fully recovered from his flu by now. And Peter from his jaundice, too.

You ask me if I will be the commander’s driver again. I am just waiting for the new Horch all-terrain vehicle. It should get here within the next few days. Then at last I will have another good kilometre-muncher again.

You’d better get the idea out of your heads that I might be home for the 26 March. At the moment people are on leave with 18 months. In addition to that is the question when the commander can do without me. Apart from that I don’t feel like driving yet because I am still too cold.

A few days ago I sent you 200RM. Please write to me when the money has got there, and put it into my savings account.

Furthermore I want to thank you at this point for all the trouble you are taking with my stamp collection. In this matter I am also thinking of Herr Kamper, whom alas I don’t know in person yet. – I have also managed to get hold of some Russian stamps here. I enclose them with this letter and hope they get there safely.
Dear parents, I will now close for today, with warmest regards.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.

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[Monuir]

Feldpost 36 - East,10.3.44

Dear Parents!

Unfortunately I have not got any post again. However, I think it would be useful to give you a sign of life from me once again. –
I am still quite well. At the moment I am toiling with a 6 tonne lorry. After driving that around for 12 hours I know what I have been doing. –
Other than that there is no news. For today the warmest regards.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.


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[TrondK]

Great reading. Thanks for taking your time to translate this.

[tailor marc]

Loving all this! Must be getting close to the end

[Monuir]

Feldpost 37 - O.U. 19.5.44

Dear Parents!

Please don’t take it badly that I have not written before. Free time is in very short supply. –

After I had put a week’s train journey behind me to find my unit again, I was ordered to join the U.-training course. Things are even more crazy here than in my time as a recruit. We anticipate that we will be finished in three weeks’ time. Let’s hope for the best. In any case, I will have more time to write again then. I will make every effort.

For today I want to close with the warmest regards.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.

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[Monuir]

Feldpost 38 - O.U. 29.5.44

Dear Parents!

Unfortunately I had no post for Whitsun. As today I have a little more time for once, I still want to write a few lines anyway. Yesterday I rode my bicycle in the sweat of my brow for 20km from the U.-training course to the company. Well, at least I ate really well there once again, above all plentifully (three lunches, 1. Roulades with salad and pudding, 2. Fried potatoes with two fried eggs, 3. Veal with fried potatoes and salad). It cost me a lot of money. In the afternoon I visited a K.d.F. show. That was Whitsunday. Today on Whit-Monday I am acting petty officer. Well, I must say, Easter was better. By the way, have the films been developed yet? Please send me the prints. Has my tobacco pipe been found again? Please send me that, too. What else is new in Walsrode? Let me hear from you again soon.

Here there is no other news. Therefore I want to close with cordial Whitsun-greetings.

Heil Hitler!

Günter.


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[Monuir]

So gents.. We have finally arrived to the last letter sent to Günters family. I hope you have enoyed this group as much as I did.

Günter sent this letter to hes mom the 26 July, one day before hes birthday and 16 days before hes death. On 11 August he falls in France, 15 days after hes 21:st birthday, after at least 3 years of extensive fighting. He is now burried in the german war cemetery in Mont-de-Huisnes. Gruft 44 Grabkammer 88.

Something interesting to note is that he is now only writing to hes mother, not "Liebe eltern" as before. Maybe hes father died in a bombing or were drafted, we will never know. Another very interesting thing is that this is the only letter of the 39 letters, where Günter does not write "Heil Hitler!" in the end.

He writes to hes mother that he is still in training. This most be a "white" lie for sure? That he was in combat most be a given since he fall in Normandie roughly 2 weeks after this was written.

I can not help to feel sympathy for Günter and hes family, and if there is something this grouping has reminded me of, it is that war belongs in books and museums.

Please enjoy the last letter and let me know your thoughts below.

Best regards,
Danny

Feldpost 39 - West, 26.7.44

My dear Mother!

Last week I received your dear letter of the 20.6. I was very pleased and thank you very much for it. –

I am generally still doing quite well. This damned training course, however, is still not finished. What I am missing is money. I therefore want to ask you to please send me 30RM. Moreover, you can send me something in a letter that I can exchange here. Continuously, if possible.

If one goes out to eat every evening, the money is nowhere near enough. Besides, there are nice spirits available to drink here.

Dear mother, I can believe that my situation makes you feel uneasy. But I am sure you will get used to it. –

Look after Peter well for me. I’m sure it is hard. But I know what was in my head when I was his age.

Dear mother, I want to close for today, and send you the warmest regards.

Your Günter.


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The End

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[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Danny, thank you for posting all of his letters here. This has been an excellent thread.

Cheers, Ade.

[Glenn66]

I want to thank you also Danny, this thread has been incredibly interesting and I want to say enjoyable although 'enjoyable' is not the right word given the sad ending to this story.

But thank you for taking the time, effort and expense to take us on this journey through history!