1946
The Germans surrendered May 8, 1945. Martin's son Axel was killed in the last two weeks of the war. The Occupation of Berlin was harrowing, with the Russians raping and pillaging crazily, while the Americans were quite decent. Suzanne writes that "During the Russian occupation he was almost killed by soldiers in Lichterfelde. Only his gold watch saved his life then." By 1946 I think my grandparents had been moved by the CIA to Hamburg, but I'll have to translate these letters to find out...
My mother and her sister had spent the last months of the war living in Wurzburg. They escaped just before the firebombing and ended up as refugees in Bad Mergentheim, where they lived for seven years, working for the US occupation army. Suzanne married a GI, and Mom worked as an arts and crafts teacher. They both made portraits of soldiers, because camera film was in short supply. Eventually it became possible for civilians to travel (probably not in 1946) and there are some watercolors that Lonni or Esther did of their family walks in the area.
My mother and her sister had spent the last months of the war living in Wurzburg. They escaped just before the firebombing and ended up as refugees in Bad Mergentheim, where they lived for seven years, working for the US occupation army. Suzanne married a GI, and Mom worked as an arts and crafts teacher. They both made portraits of soldiers, because camera film was in short supply. Eventually it became possible for civilians to travel (probably not in 1946) and there are some watercolors that Lonni or Esther did of their family walks in the area.
January 13, 1946 from Lonni
Yesterday your dear long letter of ... came ....
January 13, 1946 from Lonni, page 2
January 25, 1946 from Lonni
January 25, 1946 from Lonni, Page 2
February 25, 1946 from Lonni
My dear Little Animal, Another watchful night, I am not sleeping well. ...