In Part 4, I recounted how Hans Coutandin had been recovering from his head wound in the Reserve Military Hospital in Lörrach, Germany, had been told that he was to be released and had seen the film “Heimaterde”. He had also hoped to meet up with Eva in Frankfurt on the 23rd of March 1942.
© John Tull 2025, Going Postal
On the 11th of May 1942, Hans wrote to Eva from Idar-Oberstein, a town approximately mid-way between Frankfurt and the city of Luxembourg, where he was now part of “Infanterie-Ersatz-Bataillon 107 Support Kompanie 1”, an Infantry Replacement Battalion. His rank was now “Gefreiter”, a promotion based on length of service.
Hans and Eva met on the 23rd of March but appear to have had a disagreement about their future as he wrote, “It was nevertheless a real pity, that you do not even to the Cinema come with me. I know it, you think always later on, and say we do not fit together. I am of the opinion, that it is quite all right, when themselves two understand, it does not right away at marriage be settled.”
He reveals that before joining the RAD he had been an apprentice carpenter, “I am to myself too a woodworm, if I may say so. And then have I a very low pay. Wanted I later my Master craftsman’s examination to take, but unfortunately I do not know yet how I should act. Well, that will all still be found. I see myself, that you will only stay in writing and when I again come home, maybe a little more company you can afford me?” and he enclosed with this letter a sprig of silk Lily of the Valley flowers.
In his next short letter of the 16th of May 1942, he was still in Idar-Oberstein waiting to be sent to a Battalion in the field. He had been trying to get leave to see Eva but had been turned down. He also seemed to have had another disagreement with Eva over a birthday present he sent her, “It is not meant to be so serious, as you always think. It is meant to express my thanks, when I give you a present.” He ended with saying he was hoping for leave at Pentecost, “Maybe it will work. You always have to your fingers crossed keep for such things.”
His next, also short, letter of the 21st June 1942 reveals that he had undergone “Tropenfähigkeit” which was medical testing to assess capability for Tropical deployment and had passed. “Now I am still waiting for the secondment to Landau. Should be that luck have, because maybe it will work out for me perhaps to also go to Africa.”
Landau in the “Pfalz” or Palatinate region was then an important barracks town and was where replacement battalions were put together from reserves.
There is then a long gap in the series of letters between Hans and Eva which is ended with a letter, on a standard “FeldPost” letter form, on the 3rd of December 1942 from “Afrika”.
Hans was now with the “9. Kompanie Panzergrenadier Regiment 115” within the “15. Panzer Division” of the “Panzerarmee Afrika”. From a later letter, it appears that he had arrived in Africa in July 1942 as part of the “Schützen Regiment 115” which became the Panzergrenadier Regiment 115.
At the time of his arrival, the First Battle of El Alamein had taken place however despite winning, the “Panzerarmee Afrika” advance on Alexandria and Cairo was halted approximately 240 miles from their Suez Canal objective in Egypt.
On the 27th of September, Rommel had returned to Germany for medical treatment so General George Stumme, who had arrived on the 19th of September, took over command of the Panzerarmee Afrika and under his command the Second Battle of El Alamein had begun on the 23rd of October.
Rommel hurriedly returned from Germany on the 25th of October, after the death of Stumme from a heart attack, and after analysis of the mistakes made by Stumme (including not bombarding British forward assembly areas) Rommel realised that the Second Battle of El Alamein could not be won and so had ordered a retreat back to a line from Mersa Matruh to Sidi Barani in Tripolitania, Libya.
The Germans lost Tobruk on the 13th of November and Benghazi on 20th of November and, by the time of this letter, they were also under attack on a new second front in Tunisia by a combined United States and British force.
Hans wrote to Eva, “Long-long it has been, since the last time I wrote to you. In the meantime there has also been news with us given and I think for sure, that this with you also the case is. Anyway how are you? With only everything in perfect order. What I would like to tell you above all: I had to leave my wallet in the E.A.M. Position and in it also your beautiful picture. If you still have a picture over then I would from my heart thank you if you would give me another one.”
His next letter was of the 21st of December 1942, and Hans wrote, “Once again many days have passed since I wrote you the last lines. I am in general very happy, that I to you can still write like this, because if we had had a little more bad luck, then perhaps I would have to write to you from captivity. The most wonderful festival on earth is just around the corner and we are still far from our homeland and protect our German Fatherland. Whether we will see a fir tree at all or something that reminds us of Christmas, I do not know yet. Post I have not received for a long time even though my parents continue to write. I am still doing quite well, which I hope also from you can take.” He ends his letter with, “my warmest greetings, your friend Hans, I wish you a happy new year.”
At this time Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel had gone to Germany to request evacuation of the Panzerarmee Afrika but had been denied permission by the Führer thus sealing their eventual fate.
On the 31st of January 1943, Hans wrote to Eva, using a standard FeldPost letter form (unfortunately incomplete), “That people allow me the time again and, I just am writing, I also want a few lines to you send. Today I have to thank you again for the beautiful picture. When I am in a better mood, or I have difficult minutes that are almost unbearable, then I console myself with your picture. Then I keep coming back to other remembrances. I often think of the beautiful past days. If only I could look at soon the beautiful forest, the German forest can behold. Today it is again so beautiful, that you can believe it is Summer. I let myself tan evenly as long as Tommy leaves in peace. I have also recently learnt about Africa and that there are also a lot of Palm trees that we get very little to see. There are gorgeous areas here. I just wanted to…”
At the time of this letter, the “Panzerarmee Afrika” had retreated from Tripoli, Libya into Tunisia but the British advance across Libya had slowed up due to the long supply lines from Egypt as they ran into the same logistics difficulties as the “Panzerarmee Afrika” had faced in their advance on Egypt.
In Part 6, does Hans survive the fighting in the desert and does he get to meet with Eva again?
© John Tull 2025
