Holocaust victim

Many believe that German women feared American soldiers in the final days of World War II.

Dad was sitting behind the wheel of his army truck going through the destroyed German city at the end of the conflict. Suddenly, a German woman rushed out into the middle of the road. She hit the hood of his truck with both fists with no weapon whatsoever. She gazed into the windshield and asked if he had any true coffee.

Dad jerked suddenly to a stop. Instinctively, he grabbed his weapon, as soldiers were instructed to watch out for tricks.

She did not flee. She put her hands on her hips and angrily pointed across the street at the wreckage of her bakery. Dad stepped out of his truck with rifle in hand but said nothing, for she came charging straight toward him. Fuming loudly about the terrible-tasting artificial coffee, she addressed him like a schoolteacher, oblivious to his being a soldier.

It all changed dramatically when Dad realized that she felt absolutely no fear. He rummaged around in his pack and produced a canister of genuine American coffee along with some cigarettes.

His angry tirade stopped abruptly. Her stern expression melted into happiness as soon as she realized the truth of the matter. Grabbing it eagerly, she inspected it quickly and gave him a curt nod.

The following scene would seem bizarre in a battle area. She ran back across the street and returned after ten minutes carrying a fresh plum cake that had been cooked in her oven. With a comment about how pointless the war was, she tossed it to him across the top of the truck.

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