English Translation

A b s c h r i f t The 13th of October 1943 in the German 0st. Since the beautiful, short weeks of my vacation I am now like the R I, advanced observer of an M-S.I.G. company. It is 4.00 o'clock in the morning. I just have watch on my B-Stelre and S time to hang my thoughts, as far as this is possible during the hard observation in the dark night. It is sensitively cold, all the more sensitive, when light rain from invisible grey has transformed the usual dust into murky clay. In such hours of loneliness in Russian expanse one likes to quarrel with his fate. Here and there the silence is interrupted by a shot. Where are the red or bundled lights now, where the every morning attempt of the Soviets to take our jumping nose at the bridge head? For days we heard at this hour of the first twilight the convulsive hurray call of a rushing heap of Asian Mongol storms, From these submen no German, most of all we i-men, can expect mercy. It is said to be especially on the guard, massily their torn bodies lie after the beaten-down attacks of the days before the HCL and evaporate the air. Yesterday, until nightfall, already at 4 p.m., heavy calibre at the height of 193.5 was shot, on which we have built our bunkers in the rain, frost and storm for 10 days next to comrades of the heavy Ari and the Gra- natwerfer. This means drum fire and Grossangriffy we know the Ivan; feverishly the bunkers were strengthened in the Nawht, connecting ditches were pulled, a running ditch to the battle stand of the infantry dug; like the moles we dig ourselves in thick mud. Our unidorms, faces with full beards gradually take on the camouflage color of the earth, so that we hardly recognize ourselves, Very short hours left us only to draw strength for a new difficult day.. Hours later. Suddenly the expected drum fire blows light, heavy and heaviest Russian Ari, grenade thrower, Pak and tank cans, We also shoot lock fire and on the shootings. Through splitter the radio fails, the wire is shot down, we have no connection to the firing position and have to shoot - 2 -