VE day, 80 years on

Elfriede Kattner, now 88, remembers how an american tank in Hanover knocked down the cherry tree where the children once enjoyed the cherries. Then the Yanks commandeered their house for the GIs , the family had to move into their garden shed.

In Korbach, Kurt Osterhold, now 97, saw the Americans arrive too with no resistance. They shot the fleeing SS men, confiscated the house to use as a munitions depot etc. He survived by ironing the GIs uniforms for a meal and 6 cigarettes a day.

Rosemary Hattenkerl (90) fled in her family to Aue (in Saxony) , fleeing from the low-level strafing runs of the USAAF. Then fled back to Hanover in a farm cart to avoid the rapist russian troops. Happily their house was stiil standing, albeit with no glass in the windows.

H-J.Jürgens (98) fired his last flak on 25/4/45 during the british bombing raid on Wangerooge island (6000 incendiaries). On may 8th they threw all their weapons on a big pile and were rewarded with a bottle of schnapps and tobacco,

Hermann Schönwald (92) fled west from East Prussia to Schleswig-Holstein by horse and cart. One of the horses died on the trek. There, the children played with discarded weapons, some shooting their fingers off. Brit tanks came 2 days later, their cannon now rear-facing.

Lester Schrek, now 101, was an american POW who fled west from Stalag Luft IV to Hamburg. 86 days march. At the end he weighed only 43 kilos and had to learn how to eat again.

. . . and so on and so forth.

Comments(2)
Billions of Versions... wrote " And here we are today hoping that Germany gets in another war with Russia. Except this time the world will be cheering for Germany." An american viewpoint. Russia took the brunt of WW2 and were the main contributor to the defeat of Hitler. USA joined the war 2 years late.
Chaim reminds us "Margot Friedländer died on the 9th at age 103." More at the link.

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on May 9, 2025 permalink Comments Email

Star Wars Day

The robodog scrap metal sculpture in background is however NOT Darth Vader ;-)

Copyright ^© Ole Phat Stu on May 4, 2025 permalink Comments Email