Uprooted: The Ralph Kand Story, Part 14. Americans--First Encounter

Upstairs, Ralph and the other prisoners were taken to a makeshift desk where German police prepared their release papers. From there they were escorted to a storage room to retrieve their belongings.

The process took time, and Ralph complained.

“Don't be a brute,” one of the policemen told him. “We're civilized people. Keep your head.”

Ralph in his mother's arms, 1924

The officer took Ralph into the storage area. Though Ralph had arrived with very little, what remained in his pack mattered to him. He had photographs of his mother, Karl, his cousins and Eitzi. The German searched the shelves until he found it. “Is that yours?” the officer asked.

Ralph nodded. A few minutes later he was outside.

Released prisoners were moving in different directions. Some had homes to return to. Others appeared to have nowhere to go. Across the square Ralph could see the damaged courthouse. Other buildings nearby had also been hit during the bombing raids.

Franz found him. “I'm going to Munich,” he said. “It looks like the war is almost over.”

Franz had heard that the Germans were emptying the jail because the police were needed elsewhere and the authorities no longer wanted responsibility for feeding and guarding prisoners. “The Americans are coming this way,” he said.

That caught Ralph's attention.

Franz wished him luck.

“Auf Wiedersehen.”

The two men embraced.

“Auf Wiedersehen."

Ralph started west. Within an hour he was outside the edge of town, walking through farmland and rolling countryside. Other people were traveling the roads as well, some carrying packs or suitcases.

By mid-afternoon Ralph was walking along a winding road when he saw German soldiers coming toward him. There were hundreds of them, moving quickly in the opposite direction.

Ralph stepped onto the shoulder of the road and kept walking.

Then he heard a cannon. An explosion struck near the German column. The soldiers scattered into the fields on both sides of the road.

With the road suddenly clear, Ralph could see what was happening. Coming from the other direction an American tank appeared over the rise, American infantrymen moving with it.

Another round exploded nearby. Ralph realized he was between the two forces. He saw a farmhouse and headed for it as quickly as his bad leg would carry him. An older German farmer stood at the doorway, waving people inside and directing them toward the basement. Ralph went down with the others as gunfire continued outside.

When Ralph nobbled down about a dozen people were sitting along the walls of the basement. “Where are you from?” a woman asked.

“Czechoslovakia,” said a heavyset man.

She looked toward Ralph.

“Estonia.”

“You're a long way from home.”

“Yes.”

The skirmish outside did not last long, but no one moved. Eventually they heard footsteps upstairs. A door opened and floorboards creaked above them. Then the basement door opened.

A soldier came down the stairs carrying a rifle. Another followed. They were Americans.

The soldiers looked around the basement. They were searching for German troops. Finding none, they lowered their weapons. One of them spoke. “Anybody speak English?”

No one answered.

Then Ralph said, “I speak a little English.”

The American looked at him. “Ein bisschen?” he said, laughing.

Ralph understood.

“Tell them they're free to go,” the soldier said. “We're looking for German soldiers.”

Ralph translated the message into German. The people began getting to their feet.

Outside, Ralph could see bodies in the field. The American soldiers left to rejoin their unit. The German farmer offered the others something to eat and told them they could stay the night if they needed a place to sleep.

CONTINUED

RELATED 

UPROOTED: Intro and Part One

UPROOTED: Part Two

UPROOTED: Part Three
UPROOTED: Part Four
UPROOTED: Part Five
UPROOTED: Part Six

UPROOTED: Part Seven   

UPROOTED: Part Eight  

UPROOTED: Part Nine

UPROOTED: Part Ten

UPROOTED: Part Eleven

UPROOTED: Part Twelve

UPROOTED: Part Thirteen

Uprooted is a true story about a man with a singular quest: Freedom. This longing for freedom is one of the primary reasons people leave their homelands, often at great personal sacrifice.