When Roland’s family emigrated to the United States it had seemed improbable, if not impossible to me, that he would ever come back for me. But here he was, and I was still in school with a year to go to graduation in the spring of 1955. After he had shown up so surprisingly atContinue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 23: Katharina Gets Married”
Tag Archives: WWII
Katharina’s Story – Chapter 22: Roland Returns
Roland returned from America in 1954, two years after he and his family left. At some point we had renewed our “pen-pal relationship” and I learned that he was lucky enough to have drawn a tour of duty in Germany. He was to be stationed in Aschaffenburg, located about thirty kilometers southeast of Frankfurt. IContinue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 22: Roland Returns”
Katharina’s Story – Chapter 20: Love Found, Lost, and Revisited
My Mutti once wrote a poem to Papa, when she was young, at home with small children, and he away serving the German army in World War II, possibly in Greece at the time, circa 1942. I would have been about eight years old then, and the family living once again in Kalthof with Papa’sContinue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 20: Love Found, Lost, and Revisited”
Katharina’s Story: Chapter 16 – Wanderings
I have always been curious about the world around me. Rarely was I intimidated, and if I was, I forged ahead anyway, just to see what might happen. I was eager to learn about anything and everything. I tried to take charge of my environment; succeeding I think, but at the time of the challenge,Continue reading “Katharina’s Story: Chapter 16 – Wanderings”
Katharina’s Story – Chapter 15: High School Years
Now that I have my bicycle I can start riding to school, the fourteen kilometers to Büdingen, during the warmer Spring and Summer months, instead of having to take the train and getting up before six in the morning. From Altenstadt, my route takes me through Lindheim, Düdelsheim, Büches then Büdingen; the beautiful, quaint villagesContinue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 15: High School Years”
Katharina’s Story: Chapter 13 — Our Life in West Germany after the War
1945: The German government had collapsed, and the occupying forces ruled. It is too complicated to try to figure out how things kept going at all; people just carried on the best way they knew how. Cows still needed to be milked and the milk needed to be processed. Fields still needed to be plowedContinue reading “Katharina’s Story: Chapter 13 — Our Life in West Germany after the War”
Katharina’s Story – Chapter 11: The Allied Occupation
The fact that the Podack family had arrived intact in Austria after leaving our comfortable life at Opa’s farm in Kalthof, arrests my attention to this very day. The credit for our survival goes largely to my mother, Nora Podack, who was brave enough and tenacious enough to take the risks necessary for our survival.Continue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 11: The Allied Occupation”
Katharina’s Story – Chapter 10: Becoming Refugees
In that winter of 1944, an awareness began to steal over me that soon we would have to leave Opa’s farm in Kalthof. Yes, we could hear the grumbling of the Front, and at night, we could see the sky lit up by artillery fire over the horizon. The community was abuzz with talk ofContinue reading “Katharina’s Story – Chapter 10: Becoming Refugees”
Katharina’s Story: Chapter 9 – After the Air Raids – Summer’s End
I did not know at the time how dangerous it was to listen to the BBC… Kalthof. We are back, having moved in with Opa and Oma – August and Hedwig – after our apartment in Königsberg was destroyed. I am in fourth grade, again attending Falkschule as I did in the second grade whileContinue reading “Katharina’s Story: Chapter 9 – After the Air Raids – Summer’s End”
Katharina’s Story: Chapter 8 – The Bombing of Königsberg : August 1944
The noise was deafening. I covered my ears with my hands, but they were still ringing. Then I heard it again. The incredibly loud bang seemed to repeat itself again and again, a resounding echo under the bridge, finally fading away. Papa was talking to Mutti, but I could only see their lips moving. IContinue reading “Katharina’s Story: Chapter 8 – The Bombing of Königsberg : August 1944”
Ingrid Petty 