Chapter 4. Greetings from Berlin, and you can have every bit of it.

Having just arrived at Wannsee, Fritz’s advance party finds a suitable place to live. He is under the mistaken impression that the house belongs to the Siemens family. The minutes of the Wannsee Conference are not discovered until 1947, thus when Fritz and his unit move in, they are unaware of the villa’s significance. They do, however, know that it has served as a guesthouse for high-ranking Nazi officials. After finding letterhead stationery in the villa, the unit begins referring to the villa on Lake Wannsee as “Himmler’s Guesthouse.” On 4 July 1945, Fritz writes his first letter on stationery signed “Der Reichsführer-SS.”

Berlin, 4 July 1945 

Darling,

How do you like this stationery? We found it in the house we are moving into. That’s going to be our address incidentally. Otherwise, I was very busy all day cooking. It became my job to cook for ten of us; and I must say I enjoy it very much, as long as it is temporary anyway. Those rations are good, you just have to use your head a little bit and improvise. The main part of our unit leaves tomorrow morning, and should arrive by night. There is a lot of work yet to be done to get the new place cleaned out, but it’ll take time and is really worthwhile. Tomorrow some time we’ll move in. Now I’ll have to prepare for breakfast, let’s see what I’ll be able to make. My letters aren’t much these days, but you must understand, it’ll take a few days until we are settled, and during that period I’ll have to neglect you a little; sweetheart, but I’ll still try to keep up the letter writing as much as I can. With all my love to you and Michael, 

I am Yours, Fritz

The unit spends its first days in Wannsee clearing out the place. Despite the shortages in chaotic post-war Berlin, Fritz is able to fulfil a long-held wish. 

Berlin- Wannsee, 8 July 45 

Darling, […]

You know sweetheart, today I did something I wanted to do for quite some time, but it means that I won’t be able to send you any money for a couple of months out of my pay, I bought a very fine camera, and for the kind it is very cheap.  It’s a “Rolleiflex”. […] It takes 6x6 pictures, but the same film as the little box camera, a 120 film, so please keep on sending those films. Aside from the fact that it is about the finest camera there is, it is a good investment. Don’t you agree? As soon as I get a film I’ll take some pictures. […] 

I’d love to stay with you, always, sweetheart. All my love to you and Michael,

yours always, Fritz

Eventually, the rest of the unit arrives at the villa, along with prisoners of war who take over various tasks. To his delight, Fritz is relieved of his cooking duties.

Berlin, 26 July 45

My Darling, […]

Of course we have a cook now, he came with the main-party of our unit. He is an excellent cook, too. We have a crew of 16 German Prisoners of War, who do all the work around the house. […]

More tomorrow, darling. With all my love to you and Michael, 

Yours, Fritz

In the summer of 1945, Fritz takes several photos of the villa and its environs. He also photographs Berlin, the ‘Boys’ – as he calls the soldiers in his unit – the dog, Doedel, and its puppies. They have been part of the unit for some time and accompanied the Ritchie Boys to Wannsee. Photography seems to offer Fritz a counterbalance to his work and help him capture and process his experiences.

Berlin, 27 July 45

Darling,

[...] Enclosed are the first pictures taken with my new camera […]. They are the first pictures, and I don’t quite know how to handle the camera, that takes a little while, of course. But you see that one can take indoor shots very easily. The one with the dog is taken in my corner of the room, me lying on my cot. It isn’t properly taken, but that’ll improve in time. Another one is taken on my little balcony. That’s the Wannsee in the background, that hazy affair behind the trees. The one which shows me sitting on a lion – don’t worry, it’s a stone one – also shows Master Sergean Ungar, our Sergeant Major. Also of course our dog Doedel, and her youngest daughter. You can also see part of the back of our house and it should be able to give you an idea what a nice house it is. […]

Tomorrow afternoon we have a flag raising ceremony in our camp, and I’ll have to take pictures of that. See you later, Sweetheart.

With all my love, 

always Yours, Fritz