The Men at My Table: WWII Reflections
Louie,
A bit different than other letters, but a letter nonetheless. The juices were flowing as I reflected on the war... and felt compelled to share with my grandson. Not bad for a Thursday morning.
Letters to Paul Chapter 1
The other day, on our visit to you and your school, on Grandparents Day, you showed us, your GrandMother and I, a PowerPoint on the Second World War. It was well done, you captured some of the events which shaped the world and saved the world from unthinkable despotism. Although the world remains shaky, remains in near chaos at times, it still has hope for the future, because free men recognized the threat to individual rights and responsibilities, were willing to risk their lives for the rights of free, unbridled thoughts, and freedom of expression and belief. In the early 1940s, the world was threatened by the dictators of Germany, Italy, and later Russia. Men of untold evilness, fired by irrational ambition, and lack of social conscience ruled, for a while, the European continent. Their grip on civilization threatened the world and the future.
Many mornings I meet with five or six men, Grandfathers at this time, and many times the conversation concerns memories of the great war. At that time, 1940 to 1945 we were young, either in our early twenties or still teenagers. Each of us shared many moments of separation from our families, some of us were deeply involved in combat experiences, others were being trained for eventual combat in Japan, or Lord knows where. Each of us was in foreign places, one in India, one in New Jersey, one on the island of Attu, one in an airport tower in Alabama, and one in a prisoner of war camp in Germany. One of us was beginning training for the priesthood, to serve as a missioner to the Far East. These are the men of our coffee table, each has his stories, opinions, and faults.
One of my friends is now 87 and was really reborn a few years ago, when after the death of his wife, became emotionally destitute, and remorsefully incapacitated, in other words, he was sick, sick from grief, and loneliness. He became better when a diagnosis of pernicious anemia was made, when he began treatment with B12 injections, and when he remarried. He then re-grew in spirit, and returned to his usual good spirit and health. He probably has the best stories of the war, he was a pilot on a light bomber. His plane was shot down, he was the last to bail out of the plane, was captured by the Germans, imprisoned for one year in a war camp with 2500 other prisoners, and finally released just after the war ended in Europe.
During that year he and his fellow prisoners kept busy thinking of escape, talking of home, and daring to plan for the future. They were depressed at times but were young enough to remain somewhat hopeful of eventual release. They observed their captors and knew the German system was in great trouble and could not survive. The prisoners realized it was just a matter of time until they would be rescued, but the time as inmates of the prison of war camp was heavy on their minds. They were depressed at times. The winter of “44 was cold, damp, and miserable. It was especially trying for them as the days were gray, the sun showed only infrequently, the barracks were cold, and their clothes were scanty and smelly. They lived in barracks where 50 to 60 men lived on one floor, in one barracks. The days were spent playing cards, talking, and waiting. They were always under the scrutiny of the guards; always looking, listening, and hoping. Their meals were scanty, meat was a rarity, the thin soup was served twice a day, and the Red Cross candy arrived only once during the year.
Central heating of a smokey stove barely warmed the barracks, and sometimes the straw of their mattresses became infested by body lice and other parasites. But usually, they remained as clean as possible, washing only their faces and hands daily and showering in the spring, summer, and fall. It was not very pleasant, they became depressed and at times some were so depressed as to be driven to suicide. However, being young, and having so many in the same circumstance, each one watched the others and assisted in keeping up the morale of the camp. Young men are able to stimulate each other and keep an optimistic attitude for many months of captivity. My friend’s incarceration lasted for eleven months, and his personality helped himself and others a great deal.
He was an interested man - bright and inquisitive - and was able to remain sane and upbeat for the length of his imprisonment. He tells of many instances of “teasing” the guards and confusing the Germans. But the guards were always alert and a balance between the prisoners and the guards was somehow understood and for the benefit of both sides usually kept. On occasion, the prisoners would become distraught and uneasy. Then discipline was increased and soon balance was again established.
When possible rations were increased, but that was not often. Red Cross shipments were distributed and order was maintained. Active planning for escape continued during their incarceration but was mind stimulating activity more than an actual exercise. It was something to do more than to do it. Escape was a thought, the lack of speaking language ability was the greatest deterrent to active escape. Each camp and there were many, went through the same ongoing planning for escape but the actual escapes were few. The failures and resultant deaths were many times greater than the successes. The camps were in the midlands of Germany and Austria, and the possibility of remaining free after the escape was minimal. In spite of that, the prisoners remained hopeful of freedom.
They had a small radio, constructed by one of the prisoners. It was made out of spare parts and ingenuity. It worked sometimes, and if the weather was clear, short messages were listened to. The resulting information was digested, altered, and distributed throughout the compound. With this method of news distribution, one person to another, and back and forth the truth of the news was really suspect, but the gist of the news somehow was recognized as slowly improving the hope of winning the war. Somehow their optimism was maintained and somehow they survived. It is amazing how resilient the human spirit can be. My friend believes the length of imprisonment allowed them to remain optimistic, and if their imprisonment had been much longer, they would have been much more depressed, and the survival of so many would have been in doubt. Most likely they were freed when they remained somewhat healthy.
Each prisoner had lost twenty to thirty pounds of body fat. Each one was near starvation, and their survival depended on rescue during the next six months. They worried when they allowed themselves to worry, but being young they were lucky to maintain some optimism, and they eventually survived.
When discharged my friend developed hepatitis, probably Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is a common liver disease that is spread throughout camps and confinement. It does cause death, but in his case, he recovered after six months in the hospital in the United States. He recovered, regained his health, and raised a family of six children. To this day, he remains optimistic and pleasant, able to adjust to the ongoing problems of life; realizing his luck and good fortune.