Dear Manfred,

I expected Mama today but it seems that she did not come even though women from the Camp are here.  For instance, across (from me) the wife of the Spaniard who was lying to my left in Infirmary “I”, and a Jewish woman whom I did not know.  Only the Spanish woman came in our ward.   All of us are now in one section, with all the beds filled as the ward is being whitewashed.  This will take about eight days, after which we go back (to the old ward).  Then there will be a vacant bed between each (patient) so that one can stow one’s stuff better.  I don’t have much with me and the suitcase is in storage anyhow.

I received your birthday letter yesterday.    This is the best birthday present that I received this year.  I thank you kindly for it and for the good wishes.  We shall hope that the wishes will come true and that very soon we will get be together somewhere.  If the letter and the drawings were your own idea, you are entitled herewith to the mark: “very good with star”.  If Mama or somebody else gave you the idea, you are still entitled to a “very good”.  The drawings are very ingenious and will remind us for a long time of this terrible period.  Now my birthday was not as bad as you expressed it in your letter.  On that day I received a nice package from Albert, with which I celebrated my birthday.  Only my appetite is always so that the contents of the packages never satisfy for very long.  So far my well being is satisfactory.  I can walk pretty well on even ground but have trouble climbing stairs.  The chief doctor thinks these days that pretty soon he could send me back to my wife.  These gentlemen decide and I have to follow.   I am already here for a quarter of a year.  At least the summer months are coming.  It will be easier to recuperate than during the cold winter months.  Sally wants to visit me at Whitsun and so I applied for an authorization for him.  He also announced a package.  All the other wrote me very nicely for my Birthday.  Nothing came yet from Opa as Sally did not give him my address.  However, I already wrote him but he did not keep my address.

I hope that you are always well and that you have nice weather and good food.  Did they weigh you yet so that you will know whether you gained some weight.  With my clothes and shoes on, I weigh 52 kg now when I used to weigh approximately 70 kg.  When Mama comes she will have a letter from you along.  Once again, my sincere thanks for your good wishes as well as many regards and kisses from

Your PAPA

I sent a little knife (ivory) with knife and manicure to Lorle and the same to Margot.  Margot received a hatchet made of bone (like a long time ago when there were no iron axes yet) from Hugo and Lorle received an anchor whittled from bone, as a pendant for her coat lapel) from him.  I haven’t seen these objects but Mama wrote that they were very pretty.

Mama did not come yesterday Thursday, don’t know why not.  Today I got a letter from Albert.  If his wife gets permission to go to her brother’s for a few days, he will visit you at that time.  She already wanted to go to her brother’s at Easter but could not travel.

Regards, PAPA