LETTERS FROM GEN. SMILO VON LUTTWITZ, SENT WHILE A PRISONER-OF-WAR

LETTERS FROM GEN. SMILO VON LUTTWITZ, SENT WHILE A PRISONER-OF-WAR
SMILO FREIHERR VON LUTTWITZ (1895 - 1975) German general of the Panzer troops whose troops surrounded those of Gen. Anthony McAuliffe at Bastogne. His ultimatum to McAuliffe was met with the latter's famous reply: 'Nuts!'. Good pair of unsigned letters sent while a prisoner of war, addressed to Julia von Thielmann, the sister of his wife Maria. One letter, handwritten in pencil in block letters, reads in part: '...Please write short letters and cards, if possible. Can you imagine how desolate life in the cell is here, how much I am waiting for all of your mail...no idea how long I have to sit here...I am happy about Maria's warm words for our silver wedding and my thoughts are always with her and the children...How long I have to sit here, I have never experienced such a condition, but you just have to wear it and be incomprehensible with fate...' The second letter, typed, bears mostly routine content, yet reads in part: '...still have no message that a single letter from me has arrived. I get very little mail...nothing has changed for me so far, so please write to me immediately... for Christmas, I send you the deepest greetings and with my thoughts, I will be with you every day...' The reverse bears the mailing address of Julia v. Thielmann, censorship stamp, and a Nov. 30, 1946 cancel. Generally very good.