Irene Sobel - September 8, 1998
Seeing German Soldiers
Then I saw from the windows, when the bombing stopped I remember those huge zeppelins you called them, huge balloons like the size of a building filled with air and in the streets, in our streets were marching German soldiers holding the heavy ropes of the zeppelins on each side of ???. And I remember them in those tall polished boots walking without looking at anyone and I didn't understand much, but their faces were so scary that I was torn between the fascination of watching that zeppelin and hiding from the faces of those Germans. They marched, they looked forward, they didn't look to the right, they didn't look to the left and there was something inhuman, very frightening to a little child. Then we started seeing them in the streets. I recall shortly thereafter my father disappearing for periods of time, for a few days and coming back with all kinds of food supplies. Huge loaves of breads, bags of rice. And my parents had like a little attic where they were storing that. I even remember a huge jar of pickled pig tails. Anything that they could get hold, they tried to buy thinking that, or knowing that food will not be available.
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