Blood and Honor: WWII through the eyes of a young German boy

News Of the War

September 1st, 1939

I ran as fast as possible through the bustling side walks of Berlin and bumped into several pedestrians as I chased my best friend Dieter Heinz. "You can't catch me!" Dieter's taunts fueled my motivation even more. "HEY, watch where you're going!" an elderly man shouted with anger after I crashed into him. I shrugged it off and continued my chase. As I turned my accelerator to its max, I tripped and crashed onto the ground face first leaving me a bloody nose and skinned knees.

Dieter kept running without realizing that I fell. I groaned in pain as I struggled to get up, then I felt a indescribably powerful grip on my left arm that yanked me back on my feet. I gazed up and saw a gigantic man that wore a long black leather trench coat that went half way down his knees. The man also wore square glasses that framed his dark eyes, and to top it all off, a fedora. My heart skipped a beat as soon as I realized a Gestapo officer was standing in front of me and I knew I was in big trouble because I knew how feared the Gestapo officers are.

"What's your name young man?" the Gestapo officer asked in an interrogation voice. I said my name "Wolfgang Werner" nervously and quietly. The Gestapo officer grinned, "How old are you? " he asked. "13" I responded embarrassed. "Your behavior isn't how a proper 13 year old should behave. You could have chased your friend somewhere else besides the busy sidewalks in such city like Berlin. Take me to your home I would like to speak to your parents " he ordered. As terrified as I was, I obeyed the order. Once the Gestapo officer arrived at the door of my home, he knocked very loudly and my mother Greta opened the door. The Gestapo officer was instantly stunned the moment he saw her. "I have seen your performances, you are surely a women with talent" he said excitedly.

And my mother nodded him a thanks. My mother Greta was always nicknamed as "Marlene Dietrich" due to her resemblance to the actual celebrity who was a popular singer among Germans. She worked in the bars and clubs by entertaining the guests by using her talent of singing and dancing which made her very popular and well known among Berliners. Her talent was not the only reason she's well known, it's also because she was stunningly beautiful like movie stars. She was tall and lean like a model, her greenish blue eyes were big and bright like the brightest stars, her lashes were thick and long highlighting her piercing eyes. Her oval shaped face was pale, yet her cheeks and lips were rosy like the finest roses. The Gestapo officer quickly handed me back to my mom and left with embarrassment.

Once I entered back into my home, my mother only urged me to clean my self up and never bothered asking what happened since I have always been a trouble maker. I always come home scratched either from a fight or falling. I looked at my bloody and bruised face while looking at a mirror observing myself. I was blessed with mothers long lashes ,and piercing blueish green eyes. My nose is long and pointy like father's giving me a sculpture like look. I carefully wiped the blood away and winced as I touched my bruise. I smiled to see if I looked better, my smile is friendly and innocent just like his fathers.

Once father turned on the radio, Hitler's voice was suddenly heard announcing the attack on Poland. The father's emotion quickly changed as his face grew serious and concerned. "This night for the first time Polish regular soldiers fired on our territory. Since 5:45 a.m. we have been returning the fire, and from now on bombs will be met by bombs!". I stopped cleaning my wound and listened attentively to every word, there was just something about the way Hitler spoke that made everyone even those who didn't agree with him listen. It's like a magnet that draws everyone in. He spoke with a thick Bavarian accent and the tones he spoke in were like waves in the ocean.

My father Hans instantly shut the radio off in frustration, "We don't need another war for goodness sake. Didn't we already learn that it was all a waste in the 'Great' war? all of our efforts were washed down the drain wasting millions of lives and leaving the rest scarred like me!" he commented. "Please darling don't say this so loud, our neighbors could hear us and get us in trouble. I trust that our great Fuhrer will not let us down, he was a soldier in the war just like you were. He understands how you feel, he witnessed he and his comrade's efforts all washed down the drain so he won't make the previous mistakes." mother quickly insisted as she held his hand tightly.

Mother never dared to speak against the party since she is well aware of the consequences which is why she avoided the discussion of politics. In the 1933 election, she voted for the Nazi party because she believed they would do the best job at providing work for the German people along with recovering the economy despite the fact that she despised their opinion of Jews and minorities. Father on the other hand very much despised the Nazi party along with all the political parties so he decided to not vote. Father sighed and took a sip of his daily beer and said in a serious tone, "Most importantly, if this war drags on any longer, young men like our son could be drafted. I don't want him to experience the same pain I went through or worse.......".