When the final moments of a life loom, words become a bridge between the living and the lost. In the chaos of World War II, many brave souls managed to put pen to paper, leaving behind messages that echo across decades. Below you will find ten of the most poignant last letters from that global conflict, each revealing a unique blend of courage, love, and reflection. These letters remind us that even in the darkest hour, the human spirit can still speak with clarity and heart. 10 poignant last letters illuminate the personal side of history that statistics often hide.
10 Poignant Last Letters From World War Two
1 Year-Old’s Thank You
Zalman Levinson was barely nine when the war turned his family’s life upside down in Riga, Latvia. Living with his mother Frieda and father Zelik, the Levinson household kept a lively correspondence with Frieda’s sister Agnes, who lived in what would become Israel, sending gifts that brightened the boy’s days.
In April 1941, Frieda mailed a postcard to Agnes, the last piece of mail that would ever leave Riga. Soon after, the German occupation authorities began compiling a list of the city’s Jewish residents, and the Levinsons’ names appeared among the 30,000 Jews forced into the Riga ghetto. By the end of that year, the Nazis announced a plan to deport the ghetto’s inhabitants further east.
Between November 30 and December 9, 1941, a harrowing massacre took place along the Riga‑Dvinsk railway, where at least 26,000 Jews, including the Levinson family, were executed. The final communication from Zalman arrived in the form of a colorful drawing of his house, accompanied by a brief note addressed to his aunt. He signed the letter simply: “Thank you for the present.” That innocent expression of gratitude stands as a heartbreaking reminder of a life cut short.
2 Another Witness Refuses To Kill
Wolfgang Kusserow grew up under the watchful eye of the Nazi secret police because his family practiced the Jehovah’s Witness faith. Defiant to a fault, Wolfgang refused to bow to Hitler’s demands, believing that true loyalty belonged only to God.
Even after his parents were arrested, Wolfgang continued to host clandestine Bible study gatherings in his home. In December 1941, his refusal to serve in the German military led to his own arrest, trial, and death sentence. On the night before his execution, he wrote a heartfelt letter to his family.
He began, “My dear parents and my dear brothers and sisters!” and went on to assure them that his death would not be the end of their reunion, promising that those who sow with tears will reap joy. He cited Romans 8:38‑39, emphasizing that no power could separate them from God’s love. He closed with a tender farewell: “A last greeting from this old world in the hope of seeing you again soon in a new world. Your son and brother, Wolfgang.” Wolfgang was executed on March 28, 1942, at the age of twenty. Across the Nazi era, roughly ten thousand Jehovah’s Witnesses faced persecution, with over three thousand sent to concentration camps and many meeting the same tragic fate.
3 Letter From Jehovah’s Witness Before The Guillotine
At only seventeen, Gerhard Steinacher embraced the Jehovah’s Witness faith, a decision that would ultimately cost him his life. Arrested on September 15, 1939, for refusing military service and declining to swear loyalty to Adolf Hitler, he endured six weeks in a Viennese prison before transfer to Berlin.
Charged with subverting the war effort, Steinacher faced a death sentence from the Reich Military Court. Hours before his execution, he was permitted to draft a letter to his parents. He wrote that he had been informed at 7:00 p.m. that he would be executed the next morning at 5:50 a.m., and described the cold, snowy night as he sat in his cell, surrounded by two other men.
His words expressed a deep spiritual resolve: he asked for strength, confessed his inability to shoot, and urged his family to remain steadfast in faith. Three lines of his letter were censored by the Nazis, but he still managed to convey love, request that his belongings be sent to relatives, and promise continual prayers. He concluded with a million kisses before being beheaded on March 30, 1940, at nineteen years old.
4 An Unknown Holocaust Victim’s Letters
In the once‑thriving city of Tarnopol, home to roughly 18,000 Jews before the war, only about 150 survived the Holocaust. The identity of the writer of these two letters remains unknown, but the words she left behind speak volumes about the horror she endured.
In a letter dated 7 April 1943, she warned her loved ones that her death was imminent, describing how the Nazis had already executed countless defenseless Jews. She recounted the murder of her husband in June 1941, the desperate search for his body, and the crushing grief that followed.
A second letter, written on 26 April 1943, detailed the systematic liquidation of the Tarnopol ghetto, explaining how victims were forced to strip, kneel, and await execution. She described the grim efficiency of the process, the billing of the Jewish council for bullets, and the unbearable question of why they could not defend themselves. Her words end with a desperate plea for self‑preservation and an indomitable will to live, even as death closed in.
5 POW’s Letter
Lieutenant Tommie Kennedy, only twenty‑one, spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war under the Japanese. Starvation and disease gnawed at his strength, but he managed to inscribe a farewell on the backs of two cherished family photographs.
His letter began, “Momie & Dad:” and conveyed a stark acceptance of his fate, noting that he was not afraid to die yet despised the thought of never seeing them again. He urged his family to purchase a ranch with his money, to think of him often, and to ensure his siblings received proper support, including a new car for a brother named Gary.
Tommie also mentioned sending medals belonging to a fellow soldier named Walt to Walt’s mother, and asked his family to hold a proper service and erect a headstone. He signed off with a loving promise to wait for them in the world beyond. The letter survived a perilous journey, passed from one POW to another before finally reaching his parents four years after his deployment.
6 Canadian Paratrooper’s Letter Before D‑Day
Leslie Abram Neufeld, a twenty‑one‑year‑old from a sprawling Saskatchewan farm, grew up alongside eight siblings. In 1942, he and two brothers enlisted, with Leslie serving in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps alongside his brother Leonard.
When the army called for volunteers for the 1st Parachute Battalion, Leslie leapt at the chance, undergoing grueling training for the upcoming Operation Overlord. Anticipating the invasion of France, he penned a brief yet heartfelt note to his family, thanking them for cigarettes, parcels, and letters, and apologizing for his limited time to reply.
He reassured his parents that he would be among the first hundred Canadians to parachute into France, emphasizing his resolve and faith in God. He asked that if anything happened to him, they should remember his sacrifice rather than mourn, and he expressed confidence that divine guidance would see him through the peril. Tragically, Leslie’s company was hit by a high‑explosive shell after landing in Varaville, killing him instantly. His family later recalled his letter as the only moment they saw their father weep.
7 Michael Andrew Scott’s Letter To His Father
Michael Andrew Scott, one of eight children, left a respectable teaching career to join the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command, serving with the 110 Squadron. Throughout the war he kept a diary that reflected on the futility of conflict, his sense of duty, and his love for music.
He composed a moving letter to his father, intended for delivery after his death. In it, Michael reflected on the transient nature of life, describing death as a mere stage in humanity’s development. He assured his father that he was at peace, and paid tribute to the courage his parents displayed during those trying times.
He warned of unseen enemies—hardship, anxiety, and despair—while praising his father’s steadfastness. Michael concluded with a hopeful note, expressing faith that the war would end in victory and that his father would enjoy many more years of ordinary life. He was killed over the English Channel while flying with a fighter escort; his diary’s final entry, added by his sister Flora, simply read, “Missing. Believed Killed.”
8 Private Harry Schiraldi’s Last Words Home
Harry Schiraldi served as a medic with the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, during the fateful Normandy landings. The night before the assault, he wrote a comforting letter to his mother, sharing snippets of his everyday life.
He opened with a warm greeting, “Dear Ma,” and went on to tell her he was in good health, had just played baseball, taken a shower, and felt refreshed. He reminded her not to worry about his finances, suggesting she could cash his war bonds if needed. He also mentioned attending church that afternoon and receiving Holy Communion, ending with a light‑hearted comment about feeling “holy.”
Harry signed off with love, promising to hear from his family soon. Tragically, he was killed by enemy gunfire on the morning of D‑Day. He now rests in Calvary Cemetery in New York, his brief but heartfelt words forever preserved.
9 Toshihiro Oura’s Last Diary Entries
Probational Officer Toshihiro Oura found himself stationed on the far‑south tip of New Georgia during the summer of 1943. As United States forces launched a campaign to seize the island, Oura kept a meticulous diary that recorded the grim reality of his situation.
On July 22, his second‑to‑last entry painted a vivid picture of misery: he had not washed for a month, a front tooth had broken, and he likened his own scent to that of a wild dog. He described a dugout riddled with holes, a shrapnel wound to his back, and a desperate plea for friendly forces to intervene. He lamented the lack of naval support, the overwhelming artillery fire, and the feeling of being like a child pitted against an adult.
The following day, July 23, his final entry grew even more bleak. He wrote that the battle situation amounted to nothing but annihilation, criticizing the absence of cooperation from the navy and comparing the enemy’s coordinated artillery to a child’s toy. He expressed bitter frustration toward the Imperial staff, accusing them of abandoning their troops, and confessed a deep hatred for the operational command. He concluded with a stark statement about his worsening malaria symptoms, a grim foreshadowing of his likely fate. After his last entry, Japanese forces withdrew, and the airfield he defended fell to U.S. troops on August 5.
10 Thoughts Before A Kamikaze Attack
On May 11, 1945, twenty‑two‑year‑old Ryoji Uehara met his end as a member of Japan’s Army Special Attack Unit, commonly known as the kamikaze pilots, during the ferocious Battle of Okinawa. The night before his planned suicide mission, he composed a reflective letter that laid bare his conflicted thoughts.
Uehara opened by acknowledging the immense honor he felt in being chosen for the elite Special Attack Corps, praising his nation’s “glorious fatherland.” Yet, he quickly shifted to a broader philosophical stance, asserting that authoritarian regimes—no matter how temporarily successful—are destined to crumble. He cited the defeats of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany as evidence, emphasizing that the universal love of liberty endures beyond the collapse of tyrannical foundations.
When describing the role of a kamikaze pilot, Uehara likened himself to a mere component of a machine, a filament within a magnet destined to be drawn into an enemy carrier. He noted the rational absurdity of such a mission, describing it as something only a suicidal disposition could accept. He concluded with a humble apology for any breach of etiquette and a simple farewell, “Well, then.”