Winter returned with all its might and every evening after work the men busied themselves making their barracks cozy. Under Heinrich’s guidance they organized old tin cans, bottles, and petrol, hiding the booty in secret holes beneath the hut.
“I really miss Karsten,” Johann said, cutting super-thin strips from a blanket with a wooden knife. Each time he had three strips, about ten inches long, he handed them to Helmut.
“He’ll be home by now and we will be soon, too.” Helmut had taken the disappointment of being swept off the Heimkehrer list surprisingly well. As always, he found solace in the Bible. His positive mindset was contagious, and Johann looked slightly more optimistically into the future.
HeimkehrerHelmut took the threads and twirled them into a cord, which he handed down to
