In April, 1915, while World War I was raging overseas, Carson Valley resident Fritz Bohlmann received a letter from relatives back in Germany. For over a century, the Bohlman family has saved that letter, and they have kindly allowed us to share it with you. Here’s the tale.
_________________
Fritz Bohlmann emigrated to Carson Valley in 1891 from Germany, at the age of 20. And when pretty Helene Kettenberg arrived in 1903 at the age of 18, she caught his eye. Helene had been expected to marry a member of the Gansberg family, which had emigrated with her. But instead she fell in love with Fritz Bohlman. They were married in Sheridan on August 21, 1904.
Fritz’s brother, Henry, had remained behind in Germany. And in the summer of 1914, what was expected to be a quick, “small-scale” war broke out back home.
Germany rallied to support its ally, Austria-Hungary, which declared war on Serbia following the assassination of Arch-Duke Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne. That was the match that would ignite a five-year fire, as country after country joined the agonizing conflict of World War I.
In spring 1915, less than a year after the war began, Fritz Bohlmann received a letter from his brother’s wife, Dora, back in Armsen, Germany (a village in Lower Saxony, between Bremen and Hanover). Written on April 4, 1915, the letter shares news of the war, and mentions family and friends (including members of the Storke and Godecke families) caught up in the conflict. The letter, of course, was written in German. But here is a translation:
Have received your dear letter, and were very happy that in this difficult time, you thought of us again. We received [your] letter March 30th at noon, and in the afternoon my dear Henry [Fritz’s brother] arrived on leave, to come for the confirmation of our eldest son, August. He was confirmed on Green Thursday [just before Easter]. It was a great joy [to Henry] when I told him, “from your brother in America, a letter!”
My dear ones, Henry has been drafted now for nine weeks, although he is still in Bremen. As long as they stay there, he is better off than his brothers in the trenches. They have to do all the watches there. During the last week, he had to stand watch every day. Now he has six days’ leave, and can eat his Easter eggs together with his loved ones. On the second evening of Easter, he must depart again.
Johann [possibly another brother] has been in the field [at the front] since the 7th of August [1914], and has been well till this point still. Also, Herman Godecke’s two sons had to leave immediately on the first day [troops were mobilized]. It was a cruel day when this war noise was first heard in our fatherland. Almost no one could believe it, that we who were so encircled by enemies would still be living in our country at this point. But the Lord Sabaoth is with us, and the God of Jacob is our protection. On that we put all our trust, and pray to Him, that finally after great struggle he will grant us precious peace.
Wilhelm Storke is stationed in Berlin. He is being trained as a “pioneer” [someone who prepares the way for the rest of the troops; possibly part of the “shock troops”]. They will soon be sent to the front. Fritz [Storke] is still at home. My dear ones, otherwise we are all well, which we hope for you, too.
The price of flour is high here now. Barley costs 27 Marks per hundred pounds. We cannot raise as many hogs as previously. We had 50 head, and of those we had to deliver 26 [to the war effort] recently. That was still okay. We received 80 Marks per hundred weight, live weight. They weighed on average 203-1/2 pounds each, and flour was not yet as expensive then.
Dear Sister-in-law [Helene Kettenberg], we heard your sister Frieda is ill, and your brother is also at the front.
Now my dear ones, I must close for now. Do not forget to write back. Henry will have himself photographed sometime soon, then you shall also have a photo. Dear Fritz, you will surely be happy to have [an image of] your brother with you [in his] old Landsturm mann [uniform].
A most hearty greeting is sent from Henry and Dora [Bohlmann] at Armsen.
The German government had blithely expected that the war would be a quick, “small-scale” conflict, gambling that Russia would remain on the sidelines. For the first few months of the war, nationalistic feelings ran high in Germany. German authorities hoped the war would erode the power of its enemies, France, Britain, and Russia, and help Germany regain its proper “place under the sun.” The government also was optimistic the war would strengthen public support for its monarchy. None of those hopes, of course, worked out as planned.
Instead, after rushing its troops through neutral Belgium to attack France, the German war effort stalled on the outskirts of Paris. But Germany’s initial successes prompted Great Britain to enter the conflict. Now, the Germans found themselves entrenched in a two-front war: fighting the French and British on the west, and Russia on the east.
Germany had badly misjudged the expected length of the war, and its economy was not prepared for logistical shocks. A British blockade halted imports of food and raw materials. Mobilization for the military diverted laborers and farmers to the front, and shortages of horses, fertilizer, and coal developed. The price of food was regulated at first, then rationing was imposed. A poor potato harvest led to severe food shortages, malnutrition, and disease in the cities during the winter of 1916-17. This became known as the “Turnip Winter,” as people turned to eating bitter turnips that previously were only fed to animals.
The United States, intially reluctant to become involved, finally entered the conflict in April 1917. Popular discontent with the war in Germany helped fuel the German Revolution of 1918, which overthrew the monarchy and established Germany as a republic. The war finally ended with the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918. Seven million German soldiers and sailors were demobilized.
All-told, the war came at a terrible cost. Germany lost 1.7 million soldiers and over 400,000 civilians, and its economy was left in shambles; Germany had spent 170 billion Marks on its war effort.
World War I was touted as the “war to end all wars.” Except, of course, that it didn’t. Just two decades later, Germany would find itself at war again. A reminder to us all, perhaps, that “short, small-scale” conflicts have a nasty habit of exceeding expectations.
___________
Special thanks to Dale Bohlman for allowing us to share this treasured family letter and photo of his grandparents.