Our march forward had to continue, but winter had now completely consumed the plains and forests. At its coldest, the weather would hit -30 degress celsius, and we had no other clothes than the ones we had been delivered before our train ride from back home. It was as if the winter had somehow surprised the people in charge, who may have counted on the war being faster than winter could arrive. It also occurred to me that our march forward could become a fatal mistake without our supplies or materials being suited for the weather. Our issued clothing did nothing to keep the cold away and was simply not enough for a harsh winter. The clothing we had been issued consisted of a thin knitted jacket, an overcoat and a pair of thin knitted finger gloves. The problems associated with the attire we would recognize during a march on a road to the next foreign city. We had walked along a road along a major river a couple of hundred kilometers north of the foreign city, apparently in an attempt to infiltrate the city from the north, but along the river on a stretch where the river had been dammed into a lake, a harsh wind blew from the northeast across the frozen waters surface, and this affected us. Without ever realising what the cold had done to me, the man marching next to me suddenly tapped me on my shoulder, and remarked that I had white dots on my cheeks, and that my nose had almost turned white as well. I touched my nose and noticed that I could not feel anything. The others now started looking at each other as well and the rest of the company realised that everyone had white spots on their noses, ears and their faces. We had been hit with first degree frost bite and the column of soldiers immediately got the order to stop marching. Afterwards we were encouraged to rub the numb spots with snow in order to prevent the numbness. As soon as one gets frostbite it gets more difficult to experience the sensation of touch in the affected area. If one is not careful, the frostbite can get a lot worse with the final consequence being a painless death. We were advised to pay attention to any white spots by our superiors and to keep our spirits high.

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As the leadership of our company became aware of how cold it really was, we received another relaxation of the limitations we had regarding our interactions with the locals, and we were allowed to acquire extra clothing from them. The foreigners were of course used to this climate and many of them used furs of sheep skin in different situations. They slept on them, they wore them and made coats from them. We were in other words borrowing what we needed from them. Of course one can have many opinions regarding this but in the situation I was in, I was inclined to think of my own safety. I had to protect myself from the cold as good as I could, and therefore got myself some sheepskin. Although I got it from an abandoned building with no one to complain about my intrusion, I also needed some string which I had to borrow from a woman who had some. Although she was not happy with the situation I reminded her that my continued wellbeing was at risk, and that none of us would want me get sick. with the string and skin I sewed myself a couple of thick gloves and a furred hat, which could cover my neck, ears and parts of my face. Unfortunately not all of my comrades were as dextrous as I was and could not cut or sew anything properly. They had not learned this from back home and this was a big disadvantage for them now. A major problem in the cold were the boots. Foreign boots were molded from felt without any kind of protection from water. But it was of no importance in this weather where the snow would never thaw. It was imperative that the feet would have some kind of air around the toes so they could be moved. I had only a pair of regular socks and some foot pads made of cotton. Others would put on one pair of socks after the other but this would not help them one bit. They would then complain because of their cold feet, because their toes were so tightly squeezed that the blood could not circulate. Some would not listen when I tried to explain to them how it all worked.