In East Prussia and Silesia
The Russian advance continues
By the dozens, cities
And villages go to ruins.
Saalfeld, Ortelsburg, Gumbinnen,
Gleiwitz, Oppeln, Allenstein,
Hitler still wants to win it all,
Breslau, Konigsberg are
Already within reach
Of Stalin‘s army
And they will be taken soon
And I quite like it.
With the actions of the Russians
I am happy and content,
But in the West, meanwhile,
I am definitely not pleased.
Here it progressing forwards by the millimetre
And only very slow,
Yes, I would have liked to see it better,
But the British advance is halted.
Apparently, they still face difficulties
And their pace is very languid
And that is definitely a reason
Why I am sad and complain:
Must I sit here for months
Or will I soon be liberated
By the Yankees and the British?
Because it is about time.
If only the Yankees would come
And the Englishmen as well,
If they would relieve us from oppression,
Oh, how happy we would be!
And if the Brit and Yankee are absent?
Well, what then? I have thought,
That perhaps the Russians
Will bring us freedom someday.
Post-Editing: Annemarie Schellens
Did you notice an error in this transcription or translation, and would you like to send us a corrected version? Or have you created a lyrical translation that captures rhyme and rhythm of the original? Please feel free to send us your version. We appreciate voluntary support for this memorial project, and we regularly review the messages we receive.