I know, I know, this is terribly old and boring – for those who were born long after this war had ended in 1945. Not for me, because I do remember, even back to the start of this war in 1939, when I was only 2 years old. Growing up in Germany, my family was very much impacted by this war, whose primary instigator has been a madman originally from Braunau am Inn near Salzburg, Austria. Spreading his evil doctrines to eventually involve all surrounding countries to march to his banner, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, abbreviated NSDAP, commonly known as the Nazi Party
Invading surrounding countries, attacking by air and boots on the ground, and occupying larger and larger regions of Europe and into England and further south into North Africa. A total mess !
The US only stepped into this war by December 1941. That is where my memories started in earnest, as a 4 year old child. From then on Germany was heavily bombed, day and night. It had been a terribly cold winter. The heavy bombings started in earnest. The Americans came during the day, the British and Canadians during the night. Resulting- for us to stay alive – to always go to bed with all our clothes on, than when the warning sirens for air raids started, to run to the nearest bunkers. Many funny incidents happened as well, such as, across from our home was the outside of the city and big parks. We always had to run across and always fell over the low iron railings around this park.
By that time, around 1941, my father was also drafted . He had worked in a Bank. But they forced everybody to the draft. The last time we saw him, I was 4 and my sister 5 years. All these are memories I will never forget. Later he was missing in action, somewhere in Russia.
Surrounded by lots of propaganda (in fact, Goebbels, then Hitler’s propaganda minister, actually conducted his hate speeches from a big field in our home town) and controls by special elements like the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei), those dudes were deadly. Their mission was to actually kill all Germans who were against A. Hitler.
As it happens, my family was also targeted, because my mother strictly forbade us to say HEIL HITLER in school. One of our neighbors found out and phoned in to the Gestapo to report my mother. I remember that day when they came to our home (Totenkopf Kommando, whatever) threatening my mother and investigating where my father was (who of course at that time was some were way up north in the ice and snow of Russia, as a soldier). The preferred method of execution at this time was among others still the Guillotine – “chop, chop, head off”. The only reason they left my mother alive was, because she had two little girls. Those were the times we lived in then. Several of our relatives also spent time in some concentration camp.
But there were also good times and good people. When the Russian front turned back and masses of people in Poland and the Baltics started on their march west to get away from the atrocities of this war, we had an influx of Poles, Czechs and also Russians in Germany. They always organized food for us children.
THE DAY THE WAR ENDED – May 1945
The first troops who advanced into our city – Braunschweig – were the Americans, before they pushed further down south to later occupy the southern zones of Germany. I was 7 at this time, my sister 8 years. We were sitting on our balcony watching the big tanks rolling along directly in front of us, the Americans waiving, throwing packets of chewing gum and hair pins into out balconies. So funny, what do we do with that ? instead of one decent meal after years of war. Then they were busy setting up their camp directly across from our house in this big park, but before stringing razor wire along the entire street and piling up high mounts of dirt and soil against our houses, to separate the population from the soldiers.The soil they had dug up from our cemeteries. Which in fact resulted in us growing up and playing with the skulls of the skeletons from those dead ancestors. What a world ! Makes me laugh now. But all of this is true !
Across from our building in the park they set up their camp. There was a big army kitchen and a huge monster of a cook. We went over and tried to get some food. But this big cook also had a German shepard dog and chased us out. Dangerous situation that. After the American GI’s left, the British occupation arrived and stayed in our sector, Northern Germany until recently. They were always nice to us. Taught us games and such.
Of course, the biggest outfall of such a war are always the unexploded bombs left behind, and the rubble from the buildings. Especially shortly after 1945, bombs literally were everywhere on the ground, in the park. We found live ones (those are the smaller incendiary elongated kind), and played with them. Once in a while they exploded. Should have seen the cops come running and give us hell.
I grew up in this very old city which was almost completely destroyed during this war, but quickly rebuild, leaving there in 1961, then leaving Germany in 1965, to the Netherlands, 7 years, mostly working aerospace and ESA. Large NGOs international organizations. Switzerland a year (Unesco). Leaving Europe for good in 1974, to start my university at Syracuse, in the USA. Eventually from there to Canada by 1976.
With all the wars and international conflicts, I think about this once in a while. Especially now at my age, memories tend to come back easier, and once in a while with my sister, who is also still alive and calls me, we talk about this.
But strangely my experiences as a child, having survived the entirety of WW II, have taught me at least one thing: Nothing can scare me. In all those years of my international travels, and several visits to my former country – last year 2 months transatlantic cruise to and from Europe – to revisit my former home town and the street, where I grew up and the building across from that park still there. Amazing ! In those travels I have been in so many situations of danger (like plane emergency landings, WW II unexploded bombs, people evacuated, terrorist attacks in train stations), leaves me cool.
Compared to what we had to endure, nothing can bother me anymore !
Not to become boring (or why the hell start all this up again), I only like to record all of this for myself, seen from my side as a young child, and also how it all changed our entire life, my sister’s – who was one year older – and mine. And mainly my outlook and my political opinions.
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