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Today we have the 4th letter from soldier Paul Zerzawy to his brother Robert in Brüx, Bohemia. Paul indicates that this is his 4th letter from this location. We saw #3 in November 24th post, and #2 (and presumably #1) in the November 9th post.

Fieldpost 211, 29 November 1917

#4

Dear Robert!

I have received both of your postcards (#1 and 2) of the 23rd and 24th, thank you very much. I have been assigned to the machine gun course, most likely under the same Fieldpost number, and I will depart for there on the 3rd of December. It is about two hours from here and you can reach it by horse cart. I will send the exact address later. Meanwhile, send important news twice [to both the old and new addresses].

I will be happy if I do as well in the machine gun course as I am here at the moment. For days there has been an idyllic calm. Once again, rumors of peace. Greetings and kisses to you and Grandmother, your dear

Paul

As we saw in the July 27th post, in 1916, Paul was assigned to the statistics office. As the war progressed, it appears the army needed more soldiers at the front lines. His mention of traveling to his new post in a horse-drawn cart reminds us that in 1917 the world was much closer to the 19th Century than it was to the 20th. As he often does in his letters, although Paul assures his family that all is fine — even “idyllic” — I imagine it was anything but. Like with Vitali’s experience at Gallipoli, I wonder how the war changed him and affected the course of his life.