THOUGHTS FROM THE OVERGROWTH

Letter from the front

Those damned screaming Katyusha’s have not stopped howling for hours long now. The terror they have caused can be seen on my brother's stricken faces. Barrage after barrage hurl down on our positions and formations. We are scattered, torn and pushed too far to ever return to normal life and its halcyon days. I fear we are turned into something else now. Something that cannot operate ever more, in the laws of family, the laws of culture, civilisation and ultimately humanity. My dear sweetheart I love you more every day. Even in this horrific, boiling and smashed to piece’s reality. You are the star that gives me hope. A feeling I can cling to, a reason to exist. I long to get back. Wilhelm Schneider, 6th army

"We all love our sweetheart Katyusha. We like to hear her when she sings.

It blasts the enemy's soul out. And gives courage to her friends".

We shout and celebrate when we see our beloved Katyusha fly toward our enemy, screaming. And we fall silent in the glowing and smoking quiet dim of the aftermath of her rage. They run and spilt into broken terrified men. In the bright light of our fire, we pick them off hundreds at a time. This is easy attack for us. We stand our ground here, they cannot get at us. So far as our comrades keep the supply up and feed our hunger and anger, we will strike hard. The motherland prevails and she burns and breaks those who wish to take her from us. We are her children and we will not turn and flee. We will not leave her to the Huns. Alexander Gusev, 62nd Army

Welcome to Stalingrad. You are about to begin the greatest moment of your life. The Germans have lost hundreds of tanks and planes. Hitler's brutalised hordes are now advancing towards Stalingrad over mountains of their own dead bodies. We can hear their crys raging from the bright light of our mother’s fury. We have found a way to break them up. Their relentless advances and attacks, wave after wave towards us for days at a time, have all but sedated. Amongst such destruction, we have finally found our strength. And we have been blessed for our solid last stand by the arrival of our new commander in arms. May his strength flow into us. Borya Sladcov 13th Guards Division

Tomorrow we descend on that damn machine of men and metal. We are looking to break them into digestible pieces that we can then burn into dust. We will use their ashes to fertilize our crops when we retain these lands of ours. Like an army of ants, they have destroyed all in their path. We have witnessed their sting a thousand times daily. We shall do to them what they have done to us. All we have seen, they shall see also. This is justice for us. Nikolai Lacashev 95th Division

My comrade brother was taken yesterday. Those demons have taken his courageous spirit. I saw his mind be broken as they surrounded his position. This stand is over. Those foul intruders show no mercy. We are condemned to sit here and wait for our comrades to flush these parasites out of our broken city. Stalingrad Stalingrad. I fear this will be my last thoughts to you. I can call you my friend even though we have not met. May mother Russia protect you. Your friend, Alek Barykin 154th Marine Brigade

They are dug in well, we have almost exhausted our anger over them, they fight so savagely. We are beginning to respect their efforts and several of my company have become close to some of their more familiar fighting comrades. But I fear this approach is dangerous. Our superiors would surely punish us for this behaviour. All our technologically dominant efforts are in vain, it would seem. Our confidence is, I fear, shattered. We have been stretched too far this time and the mad men in Berlin are obviously mistaken if they think we can gain the upper hand against such dedicated defenders. We are lost and our spirit has deserted us. I will be punished for these words, but it has to be over now unless some miracle weapon of the Reich can be delivered in time. Your friend, Otto Schmitt 14th Pz Corps.