A letter home... 11.07.16 Artillerie Fliegerabteilung 238

[IrishGunner]

Another topic about a Lippe award to a member of AFA 238 caused me to Google the unit... I came up with this letter (among) others from another member of AFA 238, Reinhold Lückemann, to his wife. Written in November, it still stirred a bit of holiday cheer in my soldier's heart at this time of year. It's all about family.

With the children, she is facing hunger every day at home, but she still sends him marmelade and apples. He is facing death every day at the front, but he tells her to put her and the children's welfare ahead of his... He will make do. And he even passes along parenting advice about his little "wild" Erika. A great insight into the lesser seen human side of war.

It's in German; but fortunately a transcript and not handwriting (although there's a link showing the original hand-written document).

Reinhold Lückemann an seine Ehefrau am 11.07.1916