Figure 1.--Here I am skating with one of the GIs that visited Montana. This was photographed in 1946.
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Figure 1.--Here I am skating with one of the GIs that visited Montana. This was photographed in 1946. |
I was born in 1936 which means that I lived through the World War II as a very young boy. I was only 3 years old when the Germans invaded Poland and launched the War (1939). These were very difficult years, even though Switzerland was not invaded by the Germans. I do not remenber much of the early phase of the War because I was so young. I was not aware of just how perilous the situation was after the fall of France (1940). Many though that the Germans would soon invade our country. I was reallu not awae of all this. I do have some memories of the later phase. All the food was rationed. We never had any meat but lots of vegetable etc. which we grew in our garden. We had to keep all the windows covered so that no light could be seen by the Allied planes which flew over our country to drop their bombs in Italy. Once in a while a bomb was dropped at the wrong place and we saw the explosions.
My mother in addition to her work at the Sanatorium with occupational rehabilitation also ran a social hall for World War II refugees who were interned near us.
After the War we saw American GIs involved in the occupation of Germany. They would take tourist trips to see Switzerland.
Voute, Tom. E-mail message, May 13 and 16, 2006.
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