Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Mail to prisoners of war

Today we have another letter from Erich Zerzawy to his brother Robert in Bohemia. At this point Erich had been a POW in Russia for almost a year. Although the letter is dated March 18, you can see from the postmarks that the letter didn’t arrive in Brüx until 3 months later, first going through Russia, a censor in Vienna (triangular postmark).

18./III.17.

My dear Robert!

I was very pleased to get your letter, even though it concerns me that your health is not particularly good. This seems to be one of the first letters sent to Beresowka sent on January 16. I wish you all the best. See to it that you regain your health as soon as possible so that you will be healthy like I am. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write to you in detail as I would like to. With the colossal escalation here in Russia, they have limited our correspondence to a card a week and a letter every two weeks. I hope you get my next letter. I’ll switch off between writing to you and writing to Papa. You’ll have to console the others as long as I have to do that. For example, yesterday I got 2 cards from Franzl Reh from Neumarkt (December 12 and 15 sent to Trojaksovosk). I wrote to thank them, etc.. I didn’t know about Ernst Sedlacek’s present, but I will try to look for it. I thank Grandmother for all her kind thoughts for me and for the care package she has promised. These are doubly appreciated. By the way, it is best to send those as small Field Post packages. Larger packages can take a long time to come. The others can take 4 weeks. Austrian cigarettes, handkerchiefs, etc. Sincerely,

Erich

Written on the side: Please also Wickelgamaschen [Puttee - leg wraps], socks, suspenders

Until I delved into my family papers, I had no idea that POWs were able to at least sporadically send mail and to receive mail and packages. Even in Ravensbrück and Buchenwald, prisoners received packages – Helene mentions sharing care package contents with fellow prisoners in her letter to Lucienne Simier posted on January 22. 

Below is a letter from Helene’s husband Haim (Vitali) Cohen to Otto Zrzavy in Prague. This is one of the very few examples I have of Vitali’s writing. Otto may have been Paul Zerzawy’s first cousin, although earlier in the war I have letters from him from Haifa. Perhaps he returned to Europe? But if so, how was he still safe and able to send packages?

4 March 1945

Dear Otto, Got your package on time on February 8, very happy to get it.  I hope Helene has received news from you too; don’t forget to say hello to her for me. I’m sure you have told Paul and Robert our new addresses.  I wish you all the best (? – covered by the “postal examiner” stamp) and remain your

Haim Cohen

As Vitali is writing this, Helene is about to be released from Ravensbrück and put on a ship to Istanbul, as we saw on March 15. They never hear from each other again.