Wolfgang’s Milk – Mother had several stories about Wolfgang. Most involved her rescuing him from angry older kids. My favorite story concerned milk. Wolfgang came to school and only had 5 Groschen to buy milk. Unfortunately, milk cost 10 Groschen. So Wolfgang made a 5 Groschen bet with a boy that he could drink the boy’s carton of milk in 5 seconds. The boy took the bet and handed Wolfgang the carton. It took Wolfgang 10 seconds to drink the milk, and when he finished, he handed the boy the 5 Groschen. When the boy realized that he had just sold Wolfgang a 10 Groschen carton of milk for 5 Groschen, he became quite angry. However, Wolfgang was quite satisfied with the exchange.
Eberhard in Czechoslovakia – Mom viewed Eberhard as an adventurer. Apparently he traveled to Italy with Hellmut when they were young, and was quite the charmer. However the story my mother told most often was when Oma and Opa decided to split the children up during the war. Eberhard was in Czechoslovakia near the end of the war, and the Czechs were killing any Germans they could find. However, a Czech Doctor managed to smuggle Eberhard on a train out of the country. Sometimes, the help of a stranger makes all the difference.
Hellmut’s Hobby – Mother told this story often. Her unedited version is below. After the war, Oma Margot felt it was time to teach her oldest sons about Money, and so gave each RM 10. She also said that at the end of the month, she would ask what they had done with the money. So, the month went by and at the end, She asked the question. One son had used the money to buy electronic parts and had built a radio. Another had used the money to buy some tin soldiers. However Hellmut, all of about 10 years old, pulled out a wad of RM 1,000 from his pocket. Margot was astonished and asked how he got it. It turned out that he started with batteries. He had 1 “D” cell battery. But like today, most electronic devices needed two “D” batteries. So he had traded some of his money for another battery, and then had sold the two together for a profit. He then moved from ration cards to black market pens, and then to watches.
Hellmut's Flower Business - Hellmut also made money by going to refugee camps, cutting the flowers that grew in front of them, arranging them in bouquets and then selling them inside the camps. According to his brothers, these flowers were being tended and grown by the refuges themselves, and so Hellmut was selling them what they already owned. However Hellmut said that the customers knew what was going on, were charmed by a little boy that was trying to makes some money, and explained to him some of the intricacies involved in commerce.
Hellmut and the Black Market -According to my mother, there are two interesting follow-ons to this story. First, apparently his father Gerhard took Hellmut aside and asked Hellmut exactly how he managed his trading. Hellmut explained and then Grandpa Gerhard used his knowledge of books to buy them in bulk from second-hand book dealers, then re-selling the valuable ones on the open market. So apparently Hellmut's knowledge indirectly helped put food on the table. Also, Hellmut aged 10 years was tempted by the profits in the black market and he soon was well known in the "community". So he also got some high praise from the refugees mentioned above who were preparing their emigration to Israel. "Du wirst bestimmt mal ein guter Jud" they said. Always fascinated by finance, Hellmut later was responsible for research and planning on long term financing of retirement assets. He applied this at his job with the German Social Security Administration and later wrote a book on portfolio management.
Gerhard (Dickie) and Sibylle – According to my mother, Dickie has always loved Sibylle. However in the early days, their relationship suffered the usual ups and downs of “young love”. Once, they got into a tiff and “broke up for good”. Dickie went out to “lubricate his sorrows” and then drove home. On the way, he had a car crash and went through the windshield. (Fortunately the visor protected his face). He was brought into the emergency room from the accident to Sibylle, who was an on-duty nurse at the time. Long Story short, they stayed together after that.
Dickie on the Border - Dickie entered the Berlin police department and has many stories to tell about that time, including a confrontation over cigarettes with East German Border Guards. The confrontation ended with Dickie covering his partner from inside an air vent with a drawn and cocked machine gun. Fortunately, nothing happened.
Dickie and the World Cup - However my favorite story was when he was in charge of security at a world cup tournament. He had little budget and knew at the time that most trouble at the tournament came from a small group of individuals. So he bought tickets for Asians who attended the local Martial Arts school and placed them in a circle around the troublemakers. When the troublemakers starting making trouble, the little Asians made short work of them. This is the kind of thinking that I have come to expect from my Uncles.
Phosphorus Bomb – My mother said that a common practice during the bombings was to put pails of water around the house in order to stop fires. She said that they once came home and found a phosphorus bomb in a pail of water in the Basement.
Powerful Candles – Apparently candles were severely rationed during the war, and the family missed them especially at Christmas. One of the boys found some wax in the forest and brought it home. The women were pleased and were about to melt the wax into candles when a next door neighbor happened by. He recognized the “wax” as TNT, and suggested that they not put it over an open flame, as that would blow everyone up.
It was in those times when a loaf of bread cost
70 marks or more and a carton of cigarettes brought 2000 marks. As a matter of
fact cigarettes were almost the currency of postwar Germany. Blackmarket deals
were flourishing everywhere and every child of school age knew the current
exchange of any kind of produce in actual currency or cigarettes. Some people
showed a remarkable aptitude at these dealings and amassed small fortunes, but
those were the hardboiled blackmarketeers and were severely persecuted by the
police. In a smaller way all of us were blackmarketeers including the policemen.
The ration books simply weren’t enough to provide at least a meager living so
everybody tried to sell something on the black market to add a loaf of bread or
potatoes to their rations.
Ready made products were impossible to buy due to destroyed factories and lack
of raw material. My family tried to make ends meet like everybody else. One day
my mother decided to allow each of my brothers to have 2 marks as their pocket
money under on condition that they would tell her at the end of one month what
each had done with it. I don’t know what she tried to do and what her intention
was. 2 marks in those times were comparable to nothing as there was nothing you
could buy with them. That is most people would have thought so including myself.
Not so my brothers they were very happy about this noble gift and promised they
would give my mother exact account of what they used it for.
The oldest one was fourteen and very interested in radios. My family was so poor
at the time that, even there would have been radios on the market, we couldn’t
have afforded one.
My second brother was twelve and a very happy go lucky fellow with lots of charm
and very witty. He loved to play with toy soldiers and collected them eagerly.
My third brother was only eight and just roamed around exploring things as boys
of that age will often do.
Nobody can imagine all the activity that these 2 marks per brother brought
forth.
The first sign of it were a whole army of lead soldiers perfect in every detail
which were displayed on the dining room table and big battles were fought. We
were all a little disgusted to be reminded of it. Especially as we were still
suffering from its aftermath.
My oldest brother was terribly busy with films for cameras which he was lucky
enough to get somewhere also hunted all over town for radio parts. I didn’t see
any connection in this. My smallest brother was as quiet as usual and nobody
paid too much attention to him.
After the month was over my mother asked all of my three brothers whether they
remembered their promise and here are the results.
My oldest brother had to show a radio which he had built from old parts and
which was in good working condition.
My second brother had an army of lead soldiers plus 20 marks in debt.
And my third brother had multiplied his 2 marks into 300 marks.