By late October, Erna Paulus was sending her son up to three packets a day, containing a warm jumper, winter underwear and apples. As the mail became more erratic, she started listing the parcels she had sent him and begged Helmut to tell her which ones had arrived. Despite the interruptions and delays, the flow of sustenance from home continued: jars of honey and plum and strawberry jam; a pair of boots resoled by their trusted cobbler; the broken watch mended; the infantry campaign medal and the Iron Cross 2nd Class issued for him in Pforzheim, along with home-made Advent biscuits. By early
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