Field post letters from hans koch, vienna, world war ii, eastern front, 1922-1945 previous letter (1943-05-30) letter no. 171 (1943-06-16) next letter (1943-08-16) iii. [now i took what i could reach, my bag and some] clothing, but then i got out as quickly as i could. As i was only wearing my swimming trunks, it was unbearably hot. Outside i threw everything down and tried a third time, but that was impossible as the roof collapsed. Now we had to watch as our nice things burned, i now have nothing left but my swimming trunks, everything, everything gone! i will get my clothing and everything else replaced, but no one can replace my wallet with the photographs, my wristwatch, fountain pen, etc. For whitsun i had received chocolate, ham, 60 eggs, cake, etc. , all of it - my entire food supply for 100 men!! we have now moved with our little things and i had to laugh like a gypsy. How the fire started is not yet known. But in the stable where the fire started, the charred body of an old russian woman was found. It was the mother-in-law of our billet wife. The russians said that the old woman always scolded our matka because she was so good to the german soldiers. She must have set fire to the house out of revenge. Date: 16 June 1943.
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