My previous series of articles (“Letters from Afrika”) was based on the “FeldPost” letters from Hans Walden, a driver in the Afrika Korps, to his pen-friend Hildegard Bronnold back in Germany. This new series of articles is also based on translations from original “FeldPost” letters in my collection but this time they are from a soldier, Hans Coutandin, to his girlfriend Eva Möller who lived in Walldorf close to Frankfurt am Main in the German state of Hess.
Similar to the way American soldiers were known as “GIs” (from General Issue) so soldiers in the Wehrmacht called themselves “Feldgrau” (field grey) after their ubiquitous grey-green coloured uniforms.
© John Tull 2025, Going Postal
The first letter I have from Hans to his girlfriend Eva is unfortunately now just the envelope sent on the 2nd of January 1941 when he was an “Arbeitsmann” or workman. The “Feldpostnummer” on the back of the envelope, 43491, shows that he was in the “RAD-Abteilung 3/250” based in Hessen-Sud.
The RAD or “Reichsarbeitsdienst” was the Reich Labour Service with Company 3 of Unit 250 based in Hessen-Sud, Germany. A uniformed organisation originally set up to train young men prior to their service in the Wehrmacht through construction and agricultural work. Before 1939, they undertook labour projects such as the reclamation of marshland for cultivation, dyke construction, drainage improvement works, forest logging, the reclamation of fallow or wasteland, and the construction of roads.
The RAD laboured in support of the Wehrmacht during the occupation of Austria in March 1938, of the Sudetenland in October 1938, and during the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 but at this stage of the war were unarmed and did not take part in any fighting.
Hans, in a later letter, revealed that he had been in the RAD since October 1940 so was probably around 18 years old, born in the early 1920s, when he wrote to Eva Möller on the 2nd of January 1941.
The next letter I have was sent by Hans on the 18th of May 1941. By the time of this letter, Hans was no longer in the RAD but was a “Schütze” (shooter or rifleman although it originally meant an archer) in the “Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 697” (an Infantry Replacement Battalion) and was writing from Landstuhl in Germany. Infantry Replacement Battalions were where young soldiers received military training before going into a front-line Field Battalion.
Landstuhl is in Kaiserslautern previously in Bavaria but now within Rhineland-Palatinate. In WW2, it was a primary Wehrmacht centre for soldier training and today is still a Bundeswehr base as well as being home to the USAF Ramstein Air Base.
Hans starts the letter with, “Finally time allows me to, to tell you a few lines about me. I’m still doing quite well, of course I hope the same of you. Hope so, that you do not forget me completely either.” He was concerned that he had not had time to write to Eva but also that she had not been writing to him.
He continued with, “I would have liked to have written a little more, but time is but quite scarce. I didn’t have yesterday and today, a nice day, since I had a watch of 24 hours. Everything is so strict for us, you have to have nerves.”
He ends with, “Evchen, if I should have exaggerated something in one of my letters, then please excuse me. Maybe that is why you do not write to me. Please Evchen, be so good as to give me a message from you soon.”
“Evchen” is a diminutive for Little Eva, as her mother was also called Eva, and it seems that maybe Hans and Eva were going through a cooling-off period in their relationship.
The subsequent letter in my collection is from the 2nd of July 1941. Hans is still with the same Reserve Battalion, and he opens the letter with, “Again I take the pen in hand and write to you again in Landstuhl. Whether this letter will be the last from Landstuhl, unfortunately I cannot yet say. The start of our transfer has already been made. Already last week we had the advance party away from here.”
He continues, “Again 5 months have passed, and Walldorf not even seen. If we could get any more out of here, then I am happy to give up my leave. Two comrades of mine are now in the East, one has made it to the “Fahnenjunker Unteroffizier”, and the other is with the “Leibenstandarte Adolf Hitler” and now fully fulfills his duty.”
A “Fahnenjunker Unteroffizier” was an Officer Cadet Sergeant whilst the “Leibenstandarte Adolf Hitler” were the 1st SS Panzer Division, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
Hans does express the wish that, “Should people be sought for Africa, because I am certain thereby,” but unfortunately he had a dental problem as, “For the training I had already been examined, but unfortunately only able after the repair of the teeth. I have been for a long time in treatment, I was there again at noon today and must on Friday have to go back. You have at least half a day off. I guess I have a bit of a toothache, but hopefully will be there tomorrow, otherwise I would have to report sick for the first time. Tomorrow at noon we will probably have another swim in Landstuhl, which is always the most beautiful thing about the whole watch.”
He finishes with, “I now want to come to the end and wish you all the best for the future. If you want to write to me again please do so on a Sunday. If you lack free time, then I will not be angry with you if you do not shout at me,” before adding after his signature, “Thank you again for your last letter.”
So Hans had not seen Eva in five months, due to not getting any leave, but at least she was still writing to him if not as frequently as he liked although probably not helped by Hans not getting her address correct until the third letter.
In Part 2, does Hans Coutandin get his teeth fixed and complete basic training so as to be sent to a Field Battalion, does Eva write again and will his wish to go to “Afrika” come true?
© John Tull 2025
