Interview About War-time Germany

Hi everyone!

I'm finally getting around to transcribing an interview I did about 10 years ago with a woman who grew up in Germany during the WWII. She is the close family friend of a girl I grew up with, so it's a semi-formal interview - half interview, half conversation. I haven't listened to the whole thing yet (the sound clip is 3.5hrs long!), but if I remember correctly, her parents were either part of, or supportive of the Third Reich. I do remember it being an interesting perspective and fascinating journey, which is why I'm thinking of bringing it here.

Is this something that y'all would be interested in reading/discussing?

If there is interest, I'll copy pieces of the interview as I transcribe them!

This sounds absolutly wonderful. I, for one, look forward to seeing this, reading this, and getting to understand another point of view from such a time.

Yes please. Very much so.


Especially timely with the Cheeto hued petty tyrant in The White House whose name I refuse to write or speak. Also known as 45.

Yes thank you , def interested !

Saw you post this on FB. I think this kind of work you do is a gem. I'd love for you to share, if you please.

When I have a good chunk transcribed, I'll copy it here

PART 1

Please be aware that I was 22 when I did this interview and knew NOTHING about journalism, ha ha! I was asked by a girl I grew up with if I'd be willing to take down this lady's story, as she knew I did a lot of writing. She hoped that I could put the story into a book or memoir of some kind.

There is 3.5 hours of audio, so I will put up the transcripts in chunks as I get around to putting them down in writing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

My voice is in BOLD and her voice is in ITALICS

~~~~

So, you realize if there are certain things I won’t answer you’ll...

That is just fine

Because I said, you know, that my father did the same thing.

Yes absolutely

So you know what I mean - there’s no explanation necessary

No no, not at all, and I completely understand that

Alright, so actually, before we start, I just want to thank you

Well thank you!

For taking the time out

Thank you very much, Leah

Alright, so I guess if you're ready to start. About how old were you when the war broke out?

The war broke out in ‘39 right? And I was born in ‘31. So I was 8 years old

Do you remember much about the life before?

No. I was too young for that

What are your first memories of, I guess, things that happened around that time?

Around that time….I mean ‘39-’40 wasn't too bad. But then, is when things got...hairy. And I ended up - I was born in Berlin

So right in the middle!

Right in the middle. So I was sent to my grandmother who lived in Baden-Baden, at that time, in that forest. And I stayed there on and off.

Did you visit Berlin at all?

Oh yeah.

Did you see the changes that were going on?

Ooooh yeah!

Oh goodness…

Oh yeah, I remember then, my mother said, “When the sirens go, you run”.

Did you have a bomb shelter?

Yeah, I had a bomb shelter. And it became, actually, quite, that couldn't, say, have a good night’s sleep. That didn’t exist anymore.

Do you remember anything about the rations? Or the way things sort of changed in everyday life?

Well, when the war was finished, thank goodness, I was with my grandmother. And my mother - when the war was finished, my mother ended up with us in Baden-Baden a few months later. And she never said how she made it across. As I grew older, could realize why she didn’t want to talk about it, you know? I mean, the Russians sacked(?) her even with (???) having been there. But what what I gather from what she said, it wasn’t exactly the best one around there. So that was the beginning - that was the end of the war.

What do you remember of during the war?

I remember one thing very very vividly. The sirens went - this in Berlin - and my parents ran downstairs, and for some reason, I ended up just behind them. And the staircase was very nice and open and I saw the anti-flak shooting through that window and I was so - I would say now - I was, I just sat there, you know, and I was so scared I couldn’t go away. I just sat and watched the bombs fall...and the flak shoot...and it was like a great big fireworks, as one would say now. And that’s something I will never forget.

I don’t blame you! So you were in Berlin at that time?

Yeah, but like I said, between Baden-Baden and Berlin, I was shuttled along due to the fact that the war came nearer and nearer towards Berlin.

Right. You would have been in school at the time - is that why?. Was it just to see your parents? Were you still able to attend school?

I must have been in school. I never thought about that. You know, it’s so long ago now, that I remember that the school was just about 500 yards from the house, so I could very easily walk, and my mother could stand at the bedroom window and saw me coming and going. So that was fine, But I think in between Berlin, I must have gone to school somewhere…

Of course!

But that’s something…

There were more important things going on.

Definitely. But in those days, more important than school.

Yeah, no kidding!

Did you have any contact with any of the...uh...ruling parties at the time? You know, did it affect your life directly?

Either you joined of you get shot. That’s about it.

Oh my goodness…

You know? I mean, you take the Pope [Benedict XVI] He’s a glowing example. He went through the same thing. He’s about 4 years older than I am. And what did he see? He had to join! He just had to.

And It’s sad because I think a lot of people don’t realize that. They definitely criticized the Pope for being part of the Hitler Youth thing, you know. But he didn't really have a choice.

No, you just had to! Like, they go to the boy scouts, it was the same.

So at your age, were you part of that was well?

Yeah…

Ok, do you remember anything about it?

No. I just remember when I was in Baden-Baden and the war was getting nearer and nearer.

Even as far away as that?

Yeah.

How long of a journey was it?

Oh, don’t ask me today - I go by Canadian distance now.

Especially when you’re young. It seems so very far away.

So when the war came nearer and nearer, I was 13 or 14...something like that. I was sent out to shovel the, uh....how do you call it, now...you know, where the soldiers get in...?

The trenches?!?

Yeah, the trenches.

So the actual fighting was getting closer?

Oh yeah!

That...I don’t even. That doesn’t even register to me! So the actual fighting came quite near to where you were.

Yeah, the trenches. And I remember, too, that every day around noon, the flak came around, and we actually just sat, like so, in the trenches and hoped and prayed the aircraft would go away. But these are things I remember.

But when you’re 13 or 14, that’s a pretty developmentally important part of your life

Yeah, but remember, with not having heard at that point - and I don’t name anybody, that was the war - I was shuttled around. A few months here...go home...Holy Smokes! Run back.... You know, it’s...you know what I mean?

Yeah.

I couldn’t go and say “Hey mum, I broke a window” or something. And often, as the war came nearer, we heard machine guns often in Baden-Baden. And when you saw the basement windows, here, they had great big cement walls around them.

So the fighting was that close that?

Oh yeah

Did you actually have to witness any of it?

No, I was lucky enough. But I remember when the war was over, we had the French occupation. But my grandmother and I stood at the door, and we both looked out, and she said to me, there was an aircraft flying about, she said to me: “They won’t hurt us anymore” And a few days later, we could go out, but we naturally...we’re careful. My grandmother and I went out the house, and all of a sudden, the first negro passed by.

Sorry, the first...?

Negro. You know, black person, as one says now. And that was the first - that was a chap from the Occupation. And when I saw him, I was so astound. And the main thing is, he walked past us. He left us alone. But when he was back [behind us], I saw the pink hands - the inside of the hands - and that scared the hell out of me.

Oh goodness!

Because to me, at that point, it looked more or less (???)

Well of course, if you’d never seen a black man before!

No!

So the French actually came into German territory?

Yes, there was French occupation for years. And in order to eat and that, I started working scrubbing floors and doing things like that.

That was right after the war, so you were 14-ish?

Yeah, and many of the old guest houses or restaurants were made into restaurants for the Occupation, so I had to serve. I mean, you did everything to help. Not to help them - to help yourself! And your family.

So did all your family end up leaving Berlin?

My mother came. My father, I never really know much about them, it’s too long ago. But Eventually, they were divorced. So it was just my mother, my grandmother, and my mother's sister.

And something else: when the occupation came, we had a little wire-hair terrier, we had balconies, but not smaller like that, very ornate round things... my grandmother and the people who lived above us, as we had during the war, would take people in. They were down in our place. And my grandmother said “They’re coming to the house!”, and she says “You stay on the little step that goes onto the balcony.” and she shut the curtains, and sure enough, three or four came running around - not running around - and the little dog came wanted to be pet. And even I was afraid at that point, because the first thing: I didn't realize, actually, why she hid me, you know? And then that little dog came and I could see my grandmother’s face go whiter and whiter. But these are things you remember, you don’t remember everything, but you remember odd things which really stay with you.

For sure. Did you have any family who were involved in any of that?

Well, my father but…

Ok, and he was involved in the…in the war?

Yeah, but like I said…

Right. Now was that a matter of opinion between your parents, why that sort of…happened?

Well, it ended up...I blame the war for lots of stuff

As you rightfully should!

Yeah, but as he stayed on in Berlin - or I hope he was there - and my mother came over to be more or less with family life with my grandmother and my aunt, I never saw him again. So you can see, the last time I saw my father….‘39...long before the war ended.

So right around the beginning!

It must have been ‘40-’42. That's the last time I saw him.

Did your mother speak of him at all?

No.