CHAPTER 12 - V. E. DAY
“I have done the state some service, and they know’t
V.E. Day. |
Pte. Joseph Hutt |
What memories that day conjures up for me! Tim and I left the partisans but for too long had travelled toward the rising sun, so we decided to do an about face and began to make our way toward England via Germany and France. It was a case of Westward Ho! We were still in “civvies” and on foot. We eventually came to an isolated farm and made contact with the farmer and were relieved to find that he and his family were all anti Nazi. We were very well fed and then told that the news was that Germany was retreating on all fronts. He then asked us we if would like to hear the English news. Wouldn’t we just! He took us to a barn and under several bales of hay he produced a radio and soon had it tuned into an English station. Suddenly the programme was interrupted and what we heard we could not believe. The news we had been waiting to hear for five long years finally hit us and still we could not believe it. Germany and its Allies had agreed to an unconditional surrender. There were still terms to be agreed but effectively the fighting had ceased, the war was over and we were now ex POWs. I had heard the news of D Day on the little radio back at the POW camp and now here I was listening to this. Just to emphasise, the news was repeated several times, slowly and precisely in that typical BBC way.
The farmer and his family seemed more ecstatic than we were if anything. He told us that the nearest British troops were some forty miles away. He had a little car he told us and some petrol secreted away for such an occasion as this. Tomorrow, he would visit relatives to spread the news and would drop us within walking distance of the British Forces. We helped the farmer prepare the car and then sat in the farmhouse formulating our plans. We realised that our civilian clothes were a disadvantage; the Allies might think we were Germans and the Germans might think we were spies. Not the ideal situation. What it did it matter though, the war was over and we soon be with our own people.
There was no need for reveille the next morning since we were up early and agog with excitement. After shooing away two hens who had settled in the back seat of the car, we were on our way. The car spluttered and groaned at first but made its way to the farmhouse and the farmer’s wife emerged wearing a pretty dress and looking a good ten years younger than the day before. She sat proudly in the front of the car with Tim and I in the back. In his limited English the farmer commented on how quiet it was with no gunfire or planes.
Along the road all seemed relatively quiet and normal and we had gone several miles before we were halted at a roadblock, manned by both English and Germans. At first the Germans did the questioning. When the English took over they must have wondered what had hit then as we began firing questions at them. This did not cut any ice with them at all and soon two British Tommies were called for to take us to H.Q. They fixed bayonets and jumped into the car. We proceeded to a spot where there were a number of tents in a small wood. We were taken to the sergeant and questioned very thoroughly and were relieved when the sergeant declared himself satisfied with our answers. He berated us though for wearing civilian clothes and placing ourselves in jeopardy. We could have been taken for Germans, spies or even deserters. He then informed us that we would probably be absorbed into the battalion when it arrived. This is not what we wanted to hear since we had our hearts set on going home to Blighty which we felt was our due after all our resourcefulness. However, he then told us that if we suddenly disappeared after we had been issued with uniforms it would no loss to him. He winked as he left us. The uniforms were a good fit and we duly disappeared.
Tim and I felt much more confident now that we were back in uniform and were no longer POWs. We were now members of a victorious army and it showed. We no longer dived for cover every time we saw someone approaching and we developed quite a swagger, a confidence that had been missing for years. We made our way westward. We eventually reached a river, which we reckoned ran due south. It was too wide to cross so we had no choice but to follow its course hoping to find a bridge or small boat so that we could cross.
It happened so quickly. We were walking through a spinney on the east bank when we heard voices calling on to halt. Suddenly, we were surrounded by nine German soldiers with their guns trained on us. They did not look friendly. I told Tim that it had to be a mistake but that we had better go along with as none of them spoke English. They marched us to a small village where we were greeted with scenes of great excitement and it seemed as if the whole village had turned out to watch our entry. We ended up in a house on a square and ushered into a room. Seated at a desk was a German officer. I reckoned that he was of low rank. He was, however, typically officious and began barking orders at us. We indicated that we did not understand. He turned to soldier and muttered something at which the soldier gave the Nazi salute and left the room. After what seemed like ages he returned with a woman who we nicknamed Olga. She could not have been much over twenty I reckoned but she suddenly addressed us in English.
“I am ordered to ask you some questions,” she said.
She proceeded to ask who we were and why we were here. We explained that we were British soldiers on our way home.
“You cannot just walk through our country while there is war going on,” she said.
“Haven’t you heard”, I said. “The war is over!”
She looked puzzled so I repeated the phrase in what German I could muster. She turned to the officer and spoke to him. His face broke into a huge smile and he spoke to Olga again. “You will be held until our victorious forces arrive.”
It was our turn to smile. “But you’ve lost the war, Germany has surrendered.”
Olga looked incredulous. “You do not wish me to tell him that?” she said.
“Of course, it’s the truth,” I said as calmly as I could. “Why don’t you tune into an English radio station.”
“We do not have any radios, they confiscated them all.”
Olga told the officer. At first the veins in his neck stood out and we thought he might pull out his gun and shoot us. He spoke to Olga again.
“He is sending you to the local jail and it is better you do not resist.” she informed us.
Two soldiers approached with a good deal of menace. We then saluted the officer as we were obliged to do and were marched across the square to the jail.
“Don’t worry; it has got to be a mistake Tim.” I said.
We were given a meal but it was a pretty poor one. We hade no blankets and were forced to sleep on a hard bench. Olga came to see us and managed to sneak in some better food and some cigarettes. We were not relishing a second night on those hard benches.
Next morning about eleven o’clock we heard the sound of English being spoken. Suddenly a key entered the lock and the door opened. In marched the German officer followed closely by two GI’s and Olga. The GI’s told us that we were free and that the German officer was going to apologise. This he did most profusely. The GI’s asked us if we wished to take any action against him but decided not to since the news had obviously not reached these people. Through Olga he expressed his “sincere” gratitude. We were at last given a good meal. We were also given some K rations by the GI’s containing chocolate, which we duly presented, to Olga. She seemed quite touched.
At three o’clock the next morning I woke Tim and helped by two GI’s we slipped way over the bridge to the west side and with the rising sun at our backs continued our journey home.
I shall certainly never forget VE Day.