cola
Well-known member
Meine Vater recounted much the same experience. Grew up in the most industrialized city in Deutschland, which received the most significant attention for destruction. He was routinely sent out to pilfer chicken eggs, which the family depended upon to avoid starvation. He told me that he truly disliked this, but his dad and uncle sent him out regardless because he was a kid and if caught would get a wrist slap as opposed to a full on adult. Apparently he never did get caught. He was very fortunate to see the warning signs somehow and told me that when he started to see the precursor of the formal Brownshirt's begin doing patrolling it was time to bail. He landed on Ellis island, like many, with only a suitcase, and likely some coins of some sort to ensure that he would not starve. And, you are right. Generations younger than boomers do not have these first hand stories from their parents to grasp just how very lucky we really are.My father told me when the war was on there was almost no food available and good food went to the fighting men. He and his friends would get together as kids to steal potatoes from farmers fields, some would distract the farmers while the rest went in with pillow cases and tried to fill them.He said only rich people like the farmers had dogs and instead of dogs they used geese to protect their homes because dogs ate too much and you could eat the geese. We have it pretty good.