Horace Freeman (my Dad) served in the US Army but I'll get to that in the "What did your Dad tell you?" forum later.

Here's a twist on that idea: What did your Mom tell you? -- No, not the part about cleaning up your room!

Here are a few of my Mom's recollections:

As Walburga Helene Josephine Holzäpfel (Wally) tells it: She grew up in Köln Germany during Hitler's reign. When she was a young girl in "schule;" one day she and her fellow classmates were ordered to form a neat line, stand at attention and prepare for review by a high ranking German Officer. When the Officer stopped to pinch blonde haired, blue eyed Walburga on the cheek, she reacted with a scowl and stuck her tongue out at the man!

Later on, Walburga married a German Infantryman -- she always called him a "Foot Soldier;" he was subsequently killed in battle. Unfortunately, we have no idea of where or when.

I found out just recently that Mom worked in an airplane factory building Stuka Bombers where she had often been permitted to climb up into the cockpit of a newly manufactured plane to sit at the controls and imagine what it was like to fly.

Toward the end of the war, during an Allied air raid, Walburga was wheeling Winfred (her first born) down a street in a baby carriage, when suddenly an Allied plane descended upon them in order to strafe her and other civilians. A brave man ran over, pushed her and Winfred aside and saved their lives. From my Mother's description, the plane was a P-51. Mom would tell us: "Ach! ... I could see the pilot's face!"

Both of my Parents are now deceased but from their photographs and documents, my siblings and I are attempting to sort out what is left of our family history. Though timelines are a bit foggy, we are striving to keep the memories and stories of our Parents' experiences alive.

—mike

nice stories,thanks for sharing

My mom does not have many stories. However, my grandmother was a welder at one of the aircraft plants in the US during WWII. Unfortunately, the only thing she has to say about the war are derogatory remarks toward the Japanese. When you get the "What did your dad tell you?", I have a lot to say. Some of it will have to remain unknown, as he worked on nuclear missiles and still carries a rather high security clearance.