Letter to Curt Bondy - page 1

22-4-45 Somewhere in Germany Dear Bo: It’s Sunday again. I know it because I write to you. This is about the only thing which makes me realize it. Sunday is correspondence day. I did not receive any mail from you during the last week. In fact, the mail is rather scarce now anyway. Well, it might pick up again. We all are under the impression of the current events. Berlin might fall any minute now. The German army cut in two. It is great news, and fell good about it. A damper is the stuff which is discovered day by day. The concentration camps are being found, and the boys return who have been P.W.’s for a while. Bo, it is unbelievable what happened there. The boys look like ghosts, underfed, starved, sick. The treatment was German. No explanation needed. I had ample opportunity to study the mentality of the Germans, their army, their civilians, their women and children. I have seen them when I was their prisoner, I have seen them when they were our Prisoners, I see them now in all stages. I am quite objective in my judgement; I am more than ever convinced that the German nation stinks, that they are a rotten bunch. Granted that not all of them are criminals, but their majority is below all standards. Their attitude towards us is unique. No dignity, no pride, but doggish civility and creeping recognition of the victor. You can’t trust anybody. We had wonderful cases of deception and hypocracy. I told you already of people who suddenly try to bring out Jewish ancestors, anti Nazi feeling (nevertheless they were party members from 1934-1945) and pro American enthusiasm (after we had come). Bo, if they erase Germany’s boundaries off the map nobody would be sorry here. This state, this nation has forfeited the right to exist. Well, enough of that. The sight of Germany in ruins moves me as much as a dead dog drifting in the St. James river. Had mail from Ernest Cramer, who is all right. A few days ago I read a little article in our army magazine “Yank” about Floh, which I shall enclose. Besides, I enclose a cartoon which I liked very much (please save it for me) and a renewal for the Inf. Journal. Can you take care of that? [[Then, please forward the letter to my relatives in Brazil. It is too complicated to send it from here.]] Forget about it! Henry, too wrote me a nice letter. He is in a new outfit now and likes it quite a bit. I am waiting now for the liberation of Holland to search for my family. I hope that I’ll have success. The more I see of the whole mess the more anxious and doubtful I get. The Nazis liquidate people in the last minute, left their prisons full of dead and dying people which had been executed in the last hours by machine guns and grenades. – Bo, for today I’ll sign off. The radio is bellowing in all languages. I have to write quite a lot yet. Please write soon, will you? Did you see Prinz [Hermann Neustadt (Harvey Newton)]? I wrote him a few days ago, hope to get mail from him soon again. Very best regards yours Töpper