Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-08-10
What's
New!
By
EdWard Duck
With The
18th Infantry
in Germany
FAREWELL, BAVARIA

h4G1D6pJ, GcTuidIly, July
Is: In a few hours the 18TH
Infantry Regiment will bid
farewell to this small Bava-
rian town and take the long
way home. There is much
hubbub and hustling as every
one dashes off a few final
words to those at home, tell
ing them not to write for
awhile, but to prepare the
fatted calf for the homecom-
ing.
Upstairs, someone is at the
piano. Downstairs, many are
tucking away their precious
loot, picked up in many a Ger
man village, just about every
thing you can think of that
would fit into barracks bag
will be lugged to Rheims, to
the p. 0. E., and then home.
Bavaria is one of the most
picturesque and beautiful Sec
tions of Europe. Friedberg it.
self is suburb of Augsburg,
which is quite a large city.
1t is but a few kilometers
from Dachau, and approxi-
mately As miles from Munich.
Everyone, young and old
alike, seems to own a bicycle.
The men wear alpine hats
with feathers in them, and
practically all males, wear
knee-pants, usually of leather.
The vorite music, of
course, is the Strauss waltz.
The most popular song of all
Is Lilli Marlene. Children play
it on mouth organs and ac-
cordians, and almost everyone
know the German lyrics.
They seem a little surprised
to hear the doughboys singing
it, but it is their number one
tune also.
When an American soldier
walks down the street with a
freshly lighted cigarette he
becomes a "Pied Piper" with
a host of juvenile followers
begging for "tsigarett fur
Papa"
THE CAFE
The cafe is the central gath
ering place of the populace in
the evening. Women do their
knitting here occasionally, and
the men are here almost every
evening until the 9:15 curfew
siren blows, playing pinochle
and slipping two percent brew.
Barefooted children race nim-
bly, over the unpaved streets
at suppertime, carrying pitch
ers of beer for the family
meal.
A shave and haircut costs
approximately IA cents, and
the friseur, or barber, is an
expert. To have our boots
buffed and dyed costs one
mark, or twenty cents in
American money. Many of the
G.. rs threw away thousands
of dollars in German currency
during the war, but there is
little to buy now, anyway.
The people seem quite
fr e n d ly here. Like most
everywhere else, they dislike
and fear the Russians, and be-
cause we are leaving they
wonder If the "Russkis" are
coming in. Our favorite joke
is to hint that they are, and
listen to them moan. Due to
intensive anti-Russian propa-
ganda before and during the
war-or possibly as means
of attempting to split the AL
lies-most Germans say that
we will fight Russia very
soon, probably within a year.
One person told us that the
people consider the Americans
as visitors" the Russians as
"conquerors." This is some
what of an exaggeration, but
there is friendly feeling to-
ward us by many of them. A
few betray their thoughts by
their actions and dirty"
looks, but they know enough
to keep still.
A tremendous number OF
young men have their arms,
hands, legs or heads band
aged. Many are with canes
or on crutches.
The people are clean, ex-
cept in the rural districts.
The girls enjoy being whistled
at, and a great many of them
are very pretty. There isn't
much more to tell you about
Bavaria and its people, except
that it would be nice to visit
the country during normal
times.
Now, IL you'll excuse me,
I'll pack my belongings and
my meager assortment of loot
and souvenirs and bag 1t to
get ready to git for home
good old Toledo.
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A m eri can corp0rationS