A WWII hand made suitcase, returning from the war...

[Bavaria Mike]

Reality has set in, it has been around -7C/19F most evenings for over a week. Today at 01:00 PM it was -6C/21F when I called my detecting friend and asked what he thought about a forest hunt, he laughed and said forget it, I laughed too especially after he said he was going ICE Fishing! Boring day so I thought I would post this personal WWII German item up I was given, a suitcase made by my wife’s Uncle after the war. My wife’s Uncle was a German POW at the end of WWII. Some German POWs at the end of the war were sold to countries like France that had lost many men during the war as laborers, wife’s Uncle was sold by the Americans to the French for something like $2.00. He served his time doing mine work in France for something like 18 months or 36 months. At the end of his time they told him to build a suitcase as he would be released soon. This is the suitcase he built and carried across France and Germany, as he explained to me, he walked much of the way occasionally getting rides here and there. He died in 2003 at 78. I have a second suitcase also made of wood that belonged to him from the same time, maybe he had two suitcases coming home, will have to ask my wife’s Aunt. By the way, that is a brand new Apple Macintosh Plus computer in the box behind the suitcase. Built and fielded into our simulation system in 1988.

The suitcase open, it is 22” or 55 cm wide.

The handle appears to have been made from an ammo box handle and of course what other color of paint would be available after WWII, Olive Drab Green.

A wooden name tag from the other suitcase. HH, Mike

 

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[Born Free]

Wow, what a story to go with that suitcase. Shame on the US and any country for SELLING
prisoners, and selling them so they can be used as laborers. Let's hope that is now against the geneva convention agreement. That suitcase should be in a museum with the story that goes with it.
He lived a long life, who knows what kind of "wounds" he carried from the war days.

 

[tymcmurray]

Great history and piece of history.
Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[Elvis]

These stories need to be told, as your uncle, this generation is dying everyday. If not told, this would go unknown to many. I feel any information on finds that tell stories like this one, should be shared for all. Thanks for the post.

 

[Nana40]

What a sad story. Bless his heart. Makes one sit back and think about how fortunate we are and how thankful we should be. I know you'll cherish that suitcase and the story of the man that built it.

Nana

 

[roundhat]

that is unique. very sad too.

 

[paratrooper]

This story is not unique . Many of the POW's were forced to work off the debt of war . England had many and some of them stayed after working off their war debt . Reparations are nothing new . They were spelled out in the Treaty of Versailles and put on display in a railroad car . Hitler came to power partly because of the tremendous debt laid on Germany because of their aggression in WW1 . One of the first things he did as the conqueror of France was to burn that railroad car along with the treaty . I would say that the "slaves" got off a lot better than that crew at the war trials . The US even hanged 7 guys after the war was over right here in the USA . Then of course there was the Dresden firebombing . They were different times with different ways of dealing with things . Of course no one has yet explained to me the attack on the USS Liberty by our friends .Times , they are a changin' .

 

[desertfox]

Thanks for the post Mike, may we never make mistakes like that again! Did your friend catch any fish? LOL We got up to 57F yesterday but it's dropping today. HH buddy

Desertfox

 

[DrJoePrime]

Great Post! Thanks.

It brought to mind a friend from work who retired 15 years ago. He too was a German prisoner of war. Although I don't know all the details he also did his "time" working in France. BUT he told it as a wonderful experience and developed a true love of the family he lived with and worked for. He visited that family (what was left) not too long before retiring. I remember the tears in his eyes as he described his feelings at seeing the children but missing out seeing the older members of the family.

He, like many of the soldiers, was not much more than a teenager. So sad when you stop and think about the young men of war ... on either side.

HH Joe

 

[DAndelman]

For a compelling new look at the Treaty of Versailles and its impact on many of the most critical problems today, may I suggest my extraordinary new book, "A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price Today" [ www.ashatteredpeace.com ], just published by Wiley. It is attracting considerable attention and is quite groundbreaking and readable!
Best,
David A. Andelman

 

[Patrol]

Don't be so hard on the Americans. When Germany fell the German soldiers tried their very best to get to the American lines as opposed to the Russian lines. Giving up to the Americans meant a good chance of being treated fairly. The Russians were brutal. Their German prisoners worked until they died, if they made it that far.

Remember the world was pretty pissed at the Germans and their allies. Because of that war 50 million people died (est.) worldwide. 11 million in Russia alone. They are lucky they got off as well as they did in the west.

Many Germans came to America after the war to seek their destiny. If they thought they were going to be treated cruelly I doubt they would have come here.

Historical snapshots, as the story above, need to be taken in context before you make a judgement.

TE

 

[paratrooper]

America kept German POW right here in the USA for several months after the war as labors. What ever America did was sure better than what the Russians did with their German POW's. I guess its true dead men tell no tales.....

One of my older friends was one of those POW's in Russia . He was working in Siberia and there was a lot of pressure from the rest of the world to release them . He , of course had no knowledge of this . He told me that his large group were put into a giant bunch . The Russians began tapping some on the shoulder and told them to step away from the crowd . They counted as they did this . When they reached their predetermined number they stopped . The ones still in the group were returned to work . The group of chosen soldiers were told to return to Germany . How ? WALK!!!
That's just what he did and somehow survived .

 

[ivan salis]

of course the russians most likely "released" the german prisoners from the camps in seberia in the dead of winter with no food and little chance of pity or aid from the local area russians near the camps --- basically just kicked out in a frozen winter waste land full of perple who hated you -- with no help or food -(good luck -- if you were caught stealing food while trying to make your way home most likely you were just shot by the locals ) your freind was lucky to make it back alive -- hes lucky that some of the locals just didn't kill him on sight in "revenge" for kin lost during the war -- many germans were kept for many many years after the war in slave labor camps --- russian "pay back" for the nazi work / death camps that killed so many russians. --- bad blood between germans and russians to this day over the treatment of folks on both sides during / after WW2--- Ivan