Pair of German POW Letters

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

I grabbed these off eBay in the midst of my feldpost binge. Browsing listings for letters, I spotted these. Two very interesting and, I believe, somewhat unique pieces of correspondence between a German prisoner of war and someone at home. As usual, I'm stumped by the language barrier, but the British stamps speak for themselves.
I'm unsure as to whether this man was a prisoner in a camp situated on the British Isles, or whether he was held elsewhere. The letters, spanning two years, are dated 1946 and 1947 respectively. Both are faded and very frail. They have spent virtually all their time since I had them tucked into a folder with the rest of my feldpost collection.

They have all the hallmarks of very old paper, and seem to have been cherished by the recipient for a very long time. I'd be interested to know what these letters say, as an insight into the world after the war.

Apologies for the glare in the photographs.

Best regards, B.B.

[HPL2008]

I'm unsure as to whether this man was a prisoner in a camp situated on the British Isles, or whether he was held elsewhere. The letters, spanning two years, are dated 1946 and 1947 respectively. Both are faded and very frail. They have spent virtually all their time since I had them tucked into a folder with the rest of my feldpost collection.

The sender Gerhard Mierswa was interned in various camps in Austria, in the Soviet occupation zone: The first letter was sent from Vienna, the second one from Velden in Carinthia. (Note the sender's addresses on the reverse of the envelopes.) Between that, he was in Graz in Styria and Villach in Carinthia. The recipient, Miss Ilse Fritzsche, lived in Neu-Oelsnitz in the Erzgebirge in Saxony.

Here's what they say:

"Vienna, 6/10/46

Dear Ilse!

On this Sunday, I want to send you a cordial greeting from far away, hoping that you will receive it in the best of health, which I can say for myself as well. As always, we have spent Sunday well. Now things will move to the communal room, but I am not in the mood today. So, I have reached for my pen and am writing. No mail has arrived for some time now and it is possible that its transportation isn't working properly. For nowadays, anything is possible, which sometimes one doesn't want to believe. Your last letter of 21 August of this year arrived in mid-September. I know perfectly well, my dear Ilse, that it isn't your fault. Around here, it's business as usual; it's constantly raining and storming outside. There is one more thing I want to mention, namely that we no longer have to send our letters via civilian channels; Tommy* mails them instead. It is possible that this will speed things up.

With this, dear Ilse, I want to conclude my letter, sending you the best greetings and wishes.

Your Gerhard

Many fond greetings to your mother and to Werner, as well as to my comrade Werner.

Good Night!"

"Velden, 11/5/47.

Dear Ilse!

You will be able to tell from my lines that we have left Graz and that we finally know where we belong. I would have written earlier, but we had only been in Villach for a few days and a short time later, were already packing again and ended up here in Velden by the Wörther-See, on the Villach - Klagenfurt route. Our camp, which is very small, is situated directly by the lake and right within the mountains. In terms of landscape, it is much more beautiful here in Carinthia than in Styria. We are about 40 kilometers away from the E.-Lager,** to which, apparently, we will be transferred in a few weeks, or so the rumors say.
With us having been disappointed so many times before, nobody believes Tommy anymore. And whenever he says something, there is only mistrust in him. Anybody who still believes what he says just hasn't been lied to enough. We used today's Sunday morning to write, for we will be moving outdoors in the afternoon.

With this, I want to conclude my letter, sending you many greetings and wishes for Pentecost.

Gerhard

Kind greetings to your mother, Werner, comrade Werner and his wife.

*) i.e. the British military
**) abbreviation for "Entlassungslager" = release camp

[BrodieBartfast]

A massive help as always, Andreas! Thank you!

B.B.