Status: Active; some quick updates and some slow.
So Long, Marianne.
Hold On to the Dream.
April 12, 1945
Weinmar, Germany
Will’s POV:
On a chilly morning day for April, Pvt. Leo D. Hymas led his unit from the 97th Infantry Division through the dreary weather in Germany’s Black Forest, I being one of them. The boots crunching on dirt, twigs and leaves. Someone had led on to Leo that there was a Nazi prison-of-war camp near, so he rounded us up. I don’t know what he planned on doing once we got there. We marched and marched and marched for hours on end, the forest seeming bitter and never ending. No one complained, at least not out loud. We continued, losing ourselves deeper into the forest. There was nothing surrounding us, except a never ending array of trees. Someone in the lines ahead of me pointed to something in the distance.
“Look!” The voice called, and from what I could make out, pointed to whatever that person was seeing. Voices sprang up among the front lines, a soft murmur of questions and plans of action. The voices died down and I assumed Mr. Hymas had shushed them.
From where I was, all I could see was the outline of a building with a gate in the middle and a tall tower. It was in shabby condition and I didn’t notice why. Then I saw them. Soldiers! Other soldiers, not our own Americans! Excitement rippled through the air as we got closer. The murmurs were back, running up and down the lines; they weren’t shushed this time. Some of the other soldiers were giving the men in front orders. Everyone around me waited impatiently for what our orders would be.
A short stubby German man and another soldier were walking down the rows, splitting us up every 10 line or so. He stopped at the man in front of me telling him that we would be rationing out food and to go into the camp and would find everything that was needed. We started walking again and I took a deep breath. I’d heard about the people in these camps; how unsettling it was to be in them, and to see what was done to them. We walked through the gates and the first thing I saw was people. Everywhere. They didn’t look real; they were too thin to be real. To the left on the inside were tables and tables of food, medical equipment, blankets and other necessities
“Hier, hier!” A man at the table called. He realized that none of us spoke German and waved his hand. We followed suit; I grabbed loaves of bread and ran.
It got crazier the further you walked inside. More people were everywhere; men were running in out of the huts, yelling ‘You’re free! You’re free!’; people just sitting and eating; doctors examining sick people. But no matter where you went, the eyes followed you. They were all dark and cold and uninviting. Almost blaming you for the condition their owners were in. I walked over to a man that no one was helping. He was ridiculously thin, just like everyone else. I ripped a large price of bread apart.
“Sir,” I leaned down so we were eye level. He jumped up at my voice. I handed him the piece of bread I’d broken off. “here.”
He looked at me with wide eyes, then they turned cold. He must’ve thought I was one of the Nazis.
“No – I – I’m not one of them,” I stuttered. I doubt he spoke English, or knew it well enough to understand what I was saying, but he nodded curtly and attacked the bread. He finished it off quickly and I ripped him another piece.
I leaned against the wall, sliding down so I was sitting next to him. We didn’t talk; mostly because my German skills weren’t the best and the man was too bust devouring the bread. I tried to ask if he was hurt and needed a doctor, but he shook it off. I ripped apart a little bread for myself and nibbled on it, just for something to do. I saw one of the guys I know, Ronnie, running towards me.
“Come on, Will! We need you!” He stopped running, a little in front of me.
“Alright,” I looked back at the man. I gave him another loaf. “Here, sir.”
“What are you doing?!” Ronnie yelled. He continued in a quieter voice. “We don’t have enough food yet for a loaf a person!”
I started walking. “Shut the fuck up Ronnie. What do you need me for?”
He ran to catch up with me. “Well some of the other troops are getting the townspeople and making them carry all these people,” he spread his hand out to signify everyone in the camp, “to their houses and feeding them and bathing them and all that jazz and I thought we needed someone level-headed to run it.”
“No,” I said sternly. I took another loaf and handed it to a women and her family.
“Vielen dank!” She called after me.
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” I said over my shoulder, not quite sure what she was screaming at me.
“Come on Will,” Ronnie stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Please? And won’t it make your little girlfriend back home happy to know that you were the leader of something important?”
I rolled my eyes and stepped around him. “Could you just shut the fuck up Ronnie. And she’s not my girlfriend.”
“I’m sure,” He said in a tone I couldn’t name.
We reached the front of the camp. He gave me one last pleading glance and I shook my head. I stayed with Ronnie and the other people that were standing there, watching this whole process go down. I decided I’d go back to handing out food.
“I’ll be back,” I said to Ronnie. He nodded. I walked around the soldiers and cut through the line of townspeople. I accidently knocked into someone.
“Sorry,” I said, but continued walking. There was a bit of a commotion after that; I didn’t take any notice of it until they started yelling.
“Oh shit!”
“He’s got a gun!”
“Get him!”
I turned around halfway, just in time to hear the gun go off. I felt a shooting pain go up my left side and I fell to the ground. The last though was of a short brunette haired girl screaming “If you don’t come back home to me William, I swear to God!” before falling into a welcoming darkness.
Weinmar, Germany
Will’s POV:
On a chilly morning day for April, Pvt. Leo D. Hymas led his unit from the 97th Infantry Division through the dreary weather in Germany’s Black Forest, I being one of them. The boots crunching on dirt, twigs and leaves. Someone had led on to Leo that there was a Nazi prison-of-war camp near, so he rounded us up. I don’t know what he planned on doing once we got there. We marched and marched and marched for hours on end, the forest seeming bitter and never ending. No one complained, at least not out loud. We continued, losing ourselves deeper into the forest. There was nothing surrounding us, except a never ending array of trees. Someone in the lines ahead of me pointed to something in the distance.
“Look!” The voice called, and from what I could make out, pointed to whatever that person was seeing. Voices sprang up among the front lines, a soft murmur of questions and plans of action. The voices died down and I assumed Mr. Hymas had shushed them.
From where I was, all I could see was the outline of a building with a gate in the middle and a tall tower. It was in shabby condition and I didn’t notice why. Then I saw them. Soldiers! Other soldiers, not our own Americans! Excitement rippled through the air as we got closer. The murmurs were back, running up and down the lines; they weren’t shushed this time. Some of the other soldiers were giving the men in front orders. Everyone around me waited impatiently for what our orders would be.
A short stubby German man and another soldier were walking down the rows, splitting us up every 10 line or so. He stopped at the man in front of me telling him that we would be rationing out food and to go into the camp and would find everything that was needed. We started walking again and I took a deep breath. I’d heard about the people in these camps; how unsettling it was to be in them, and to see what was done to them. We walked through the gates and the first thing I saw was people. Everywhere. They didn’t look real; they were too thin to be real. To the left on the inside were tables and tables of food, medical equipment, blankets and other necessities
“Hier, hier!” A man at the table called. He realized that none of us spoke German and waved his hand. We followed suit; I grabbed loaves of bread and ran.
It got crazier the further you walked inside. More people were everywhere; men were running in out of the huts, yelling ‘You’re free! You’re free!’; people just sitting and eating; doctors examining sick people. But no matter where you went, the eyes followed you. They were all dark and cold and uninviting. Almost blaming you for the condition their owners were in. I walked over to a man that no one was helping. He was ridiculously thin, just like everyone else. I ripped a large price of bread apart.
“Sir,” I leaned down so we were eye level. He jumped up at my voice. I handed him the piece of bread I’d broken off. “here.”
He looked at me with wide eyes, then they turned cold. He must’ve thought I was one of the Nazis.
“No – I – I’m not one of them,” I stuttered. I doubt he spoke English, or knew it well enough to understand what I was saying, but he nodded curtly and attacked the bread. He finished it off quickly and I ripped him another piece.
I leaned against the wall, sliding down so I was sitting next to him. We didn’t talk; mostly because my German skills weren’t the best and the man was too bust devouring the bread. I tried to ask if he was hurt and needed a doctor, but he shook it off. I ripped apart a little bread for myself and nibbled on it, just for something to do. I saw one of the guys I know, Ronnie, running towards me.
“Come on, Will! We need you!” He stopped running, a little in front of me.
“Alright,” I looked back at the man. I gave him another loaf. “Here, sir.”
“What are you doing?!” Ronnie yelled. He continued in a quieter voice. “We don’t have enough food yet for a loaf a person!”
I started walking. “Shut the fuck up Ronnie. What do you need me for?”
He ran to catch up with me. “Well some of the other troops are getting the townspeople and making them carry all these people,” he spread his hand out to signify everyone in the camp, “to their houses and feeding them and bathing them and all that jazz and I thought we needed someone level-headed to run it.”
“No,” I said sternly. I took another loaf and handed it to a women and her family.
“Vielen dank!” She called after me.
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” I said over my shoulder, not quite sure what she was screaming at me.
“Come on Will,” Ronnie stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Please? And won’t it make your little girlfriend back home happy to know that you were the leader of something important?”
I rolled my eyes and stepped around him. “Could you just shut the fuck up Ronnie. And she’s not my girlfriend.”
“I’m sure,” He said in a tone I couldn’t name.
We reached the front of the camp. He gave me one last pleading glance and I shook my head. I stayed with Ronnie and the other people that were standing there, watching this whole process go down. I decided I’d go back to handing out food.
“I’ll be back,” I said to Ronnie. He nodded. I walked around the soldiers and cut through the line of townspeople. I accidently knocked into someone.
“Sorry,” I said, but continued walking. There was a bit of a commotion after that; I didn’t take any notice of it until they started yelling.
“Oh shit!”
“He’s got a gun!”
“Get him!”
I turned around halfway, just in time to hear the gun go off. I felt a shooting pain go up my left side and I fell to the ground. The last though was of a short brunette haired girl screaming “If you don’t come back home to me William, I swear to God!” before falling into a welcoming darkness.
♠ ♠ ♠
This isn't all historically correct; the two sites I was using had a lot of the same information, but a lot was different also so I tried to mix both in. If it's wrong, it's wrong. This isn't a legit story. All the German in here is simple. 'Here' and 'thank you' is all I put in, I think.