Letter From German Soldier Heinz - 1943
This letter is from Heinz, a German soldier that has been practically forced to join the German army due to Germanys crippling economy just so that he can help support his sister and her family. In his letter Heinz explains that he is stationed in Russia, and he complains about how he is struggling to deal with the cold climate there and with the food shortages. Heinz expresses how he wishes that the war and murder that came with it would end soon because he wishes to be home with his family for the holidays and he describes his disgust for war stating that it is a stupid fight as it is just Germany foolishly fighting against the entire world. Heinz also mentions a letter that he received from a fellow soldier, Egon, who was stationed in Stalingrad, and he explains how the conditions for Egon are far worse in Stalingrad than where he is currently stationed.
After WWI Germany’s economy was crippled due to the Allies demanding massive amounts of money from Germany that they simply did not have. This meant that once WWII began many German citizens were compelled to join the military as they knew that they would be able to get food and shelter that they might not have been able to afford as a citizen leading to cases like Heinz’s. It is clear from Heinz’s letter that he does not want to be participating in WWII and that he disagrees with it in general however, in his letter Heinz explains how he has no choice in the matter. To help his sister's family he has been forced to join the army so that he can send his family back money, food, and other useful things that he can gather from the places that he was being sent to (Heinz 1943).