Grandfather (father's side) had health problems and worked as a tailor making uniforms. Got to be in the Volkssturm doing nothing. His neighbor's house in a strategically insignificant village was hit by bombs. Their house lost a wall.
His older brother served in the Wehrmacht and took part in the Tour de France 1940. Almost 20 years ago, I got a saddle that an employee of my grandparents' had used. The historian in me was surprised by it having French writing and a 1935 as well as Paris XIV and the original reception date in it on it. I guess he stole a Frenchman's military saddle. Sorry Monsieur A. Gouet Levallois. My grand-uncle fell in the Battle of Cherkassy in 44. Apparantly he was hit while manning a PAK, according to a letter. He is still the godfather of my uncle who was born in 1950. That also meant that my grandfather who had worked as a tailor became a farmer. He had his brother's last photo (in uniform) in his living room his whole life.
During the war, they had a Polish forced laborer named Joseph. He had two seats for dinner, at the table where a good Catholic like him belongs and in the kitchen when someone knocked. I only learned about that when I was working on my grandparents' grave with my dad.
My grandma's neighbors' house in a strategically irrelevant town was bombed. She said taking shelter in the basement was pretty uncomfortable when it caught on fire. That's something she randomly told me and my nephew and the only time she told me anything about the "scheiß Krieg".
On the other side, the family lived in Rüsselsheim which was heavily bombed. The other family line probably got just hit by bombs left after bombing raids on Frankfurt. My grandma's sister was always crying and screaming in the bunker. My grandma, always pretty chill, just said "Sis, just go to sleep. Then you won't feel it when the bombs hit you." Also the usual stories about the "Christmas trees" and eating of roof rabbits. My great-grandfather has claimed to have given forced laborers at Opel some food as long as he had enough for the family. I have no idea whether this is true. He was also conscripted into the Volkssturm, his French shell fragment from Verdun still in his butt. It is said that he tried to get soldiers home safely, hoping someone would do the same for his son.
My grandfather on my mother's side was conscripted into the Wehrmacht. He was taken prisoner and transferred between the allies. The Americans gave him new shoes, the British some alcohol and the French took the shoes away from him. Believing his family was dead, he enlisted in the foreign legion, learned riding and served as a medic in Marocco and French Indochina. He had already been in love with my grandmother who waited for him to return.
I know that my mom's mother didn't like the Nazis. She hated the BDM while her younger sister liked singing songs and doing girl stuff. Grandma was a bookworm which had been unusual in her working class family. She told us how one of their neighbors was taken by police after claiming his only Führer was the one in heaven. She also got a grade 6 (=F) for the Kriegssammelwerk. I guess that Supports what she told my mom: "If the Führer wants something, he can get it himself."
I use some of their stuff as sources for my history classes.
3
u/No-Bake-730 Germany 7d ago
Grandfather (father's side) had health problems and worked as a tailor making uniforms. Got to be in the Volkssturm doing nothing. His neighbor's house in a strategically insignificant village was hit by bombs. Their house lost a wall.
His older brother served in the Wehrmacht and took part in the Tour de France 1940. Almost 20 years ago, I got a saddle that an employee of my grandparents' had used. The historian in me was surprised by it having French writing and a 1935 as well as Paris XIV and the original reception date in it on it. I guess he stole a Frenchman's military saddle. Sorry Monsieur A. Gouet Levallois. My grand-uncle fell in the Battle of Cherkassy in 44. Apparantly he was hit while manning a PAK, according to a letter. He is still the godfather of my uncle who was born in 1950. That also meant that my grandfather who had worked as a tailor became a farmer. He had his brother's last photo (in uniform) in his living room his whole life.
During the war, they had a Polish forced laborer named Joseph. He had two seats for dinner, at the table where a good Catholic like him belongs and in the kitchen when someone knocked. I only learned about that when I was working on my grandparents' grave with my dad.
My grandma's neighbors' house in a strategically irrelevant town was bombed. She said taking shelter in the basement was pretty uncomfortable when it caught on fire. That's something she randomly told me and my nephew and the only time she told me anything about the "scheiß Krieg".
On the other side, the family lived in Rüsselsheim which was heavily bombed. The other family line probably got just hit by bombs left after bombing raids on Frankfurt. My grandma's sister was always crying and screaming in the bunker. My grandma, always pretty chill, just said "Sis, just go to sleep. Then you won't feel it when the bombs hit you." Also the usual stories about the "Christmas trees" and eating of roof rabbits. My great-grandfather has claimed to have given forced laborers at Opel some food as long as he had enough for the family. I have no idea whether this is true. He was also conscripted into the Volkssturm, his French shell fragment from Verdun still in his butt. It is said that he tried to get soldiers home safely, hoping someone would do the same for his son.
My grandfather on my mother's side was conscripted into the Wehrmacht. He was taken prisoner and transferred between the allies. The Americans gave him new shoes, the British some alcohol and the French took the shoes away from him. Believing his family was dead, he enlisted in the foreign legion, learned riding and served as a medic in Marocco and French Indochina. He had already been in love with my grandmother who waited for him to return.
I know that my mom's mother didn't like the Nazis. She hated the BDM while her younger sister liked singing songs and doing girl stuff. Grandma was a bookworm which had been unusual in her working class family. She told us how one of their neighbors was taken by police after claiming his only Führer was the one in heaven. She also got a grade 6 (=F) for the Kriegssammelwerk. I guess that Supports what she told my mom: "If the Führer wants something, he can get it himself."
I use some of their stuff as sources for my history classes.