John Stieber - Against the Odds - Survival on the Russian Front 1944-1945 [2nd Edition]

Herr Kieschke, my family father, showed me around the school and introduced me to other students. Meeting them allayed any doubts I might still have had about my new school. The boys were so naturally friendly and open in their ways that I immediately took to them. There were eleven boys and three senior girls in my family and we boys slept in two dormitories in a third-storey wing of the main building.

I enjoyed the daily routine very much. Every morning the whole school went off on a pre-breakfast jog followed by a hot and cold shower. Lessons went up to lunchtime and the afternoons were devoted to the practice of “arts and crafts” for which a wide selection of training facilities was available. Among other things, one could do carpentry, sketching, build model gliders or learn to play a musical instrument. A different craft could be selected at the beginning of each term, but if a pupil had no interest in any of them, he was obliged to join the gardening guild and work in the fruit and vegetable garden

Prep was done after tea with the family father at hand and he would at any time during the week, or at weekends, give help with queries relating to the lessons no matter what the subject was. Of course, the teacher and his wife were also there to help us with whatever problems or wishes we might have. But, though we led a privileged existence, we were not pampered in any way and discipline, though not rigid, was strictly maintained.

Despite the emphasis on life within a family, the members did not become divorced from the main body of pupils. It was really during leisure hours that the practice of showing consideration for the other pupils in one’s family arose. Since age-groups were purposely kept mixed, there was also an onus on the older boys to look after the younger ones. One boy in each family was termed “family representative.” He had a disciplinary responsibility within the family, but was not allowed to beat the boys or make them do any personal chores for him.

I liked my fellow pupils very much and do not remember a single objectionable one among them. Our background was varied and a few of us had lived abroad. One important thing that the students had in common was that their family background was such that they would have been out of sympathy with the National-Socialist regime. I can honestly say that I never found it to be otherwise and was glad to be among schoolmates who shared my more independent way of thinking.

When I came to Gebesee, it was only about six weeks to the summer holidays. It so happened that the parents of two boys in school had told Dr Prüss that if any boy was not able to go home for his holidays, he was welcome to stay with them. As owners of a farm in Saxony they had plenty of room and a visitor would be company for their children. Dr Prüss immediately thought of me and asked me whether I would like to take up the offer. It sounded a great idea to me since I loved living in the country and also felt that it might be too soon to impose so long a stay on my aunt and uncle in Karlsbad. I hardly hesitated before accepting this kind offer, even though I barely knew the two boys, Adolf and Georg Goedecke.

At the end of the term we did not immediately leave for our holiday destinations. It was the practice that, after breaking up, the pupils of all Lietz schools met for the Summer Games at Schloss Ettersburg, one of the intermediate grade schools. This was a bit like an annual Mini-Olympic Games, except that all competitions were on three levels with schools of the same grade competing against each other. Events were held in athletics, field games and ball games. There were prizes, speeches, side-shows and plenty of food for everyone. It was certainly a wonderful occasion and, even though I was not a member of any team, I was thrilled during every moment of the proceedings.

Parents and relatives of the pupils arrived towards the end of the festivities to attend the final celebrations and to collect their children. Herr and Frau Goedecke picked up the three of us by car and brought us to their farm at Döllnitz, a large village near the town of Halle, about thirty miles from Schloss Ettersburg. There I met other members of the family and my schoolmates’ sister, Hertha, who was several years younger than her brothers.

It was interesting for me to discover how farms are laid out in Germany. In Ireland it was usual on large farms to have the agricultural buildings tucked away discreetly out of sight from the residence. In Döllnitz, the residence overlooked the main farmyard with its stabling and ancillary buildings. All agricultural land was outside the village with adjoining fields comprising a single unit.

The next six weeks proved to be me one of my most memorable school holidays in which I learned a lot about farming. It was my good fortune to find myself on a farm known for its exemplary management and efficiency. It covered roughly 2,500 acres of fertile land, the greater part of which was used for grain crops while the rest was under grass. The farm manager regularly took lunch with us and I heard much of what was happening on the farm. There was normally quite a gathering at table since Frau Goedecke gave domestic science apprentices in-house training and they too ate with the family.

I also learnt a lot about horses during those holidays. To begin with, the boys and I had regular riding lessons from a professional teacher. These included instruction in the basic steps of the Spanish Riding School, and jumps over small fences. I was occasionally allowed to take the reins of the family single-harness dog-cart, a two-wheeled light carriage, and also to drive cart horses bringing in the harvest. The only difficulty I had was when driving the hay-tedder and I had to repeat my commands to the horse which had some difficulty understanding my Anglo-German accent! Of course, all this was a tremendous confidence booster to a thirteen-year-old and I was very grateful to my host for trusting me in these operations.

My schoolmates, Adolf and Georg, were wonderful company; our weeks together were crammed with activities, everything was tremendous fun and I gained many new experiences. Since Hertha was too young to accompany her brothers and me on our daily sprees, I did not see much of her. However, I remember helping her with her “Knitting Nancy” toy and also being at her birthday party, little thinking that many years later she would become my wife.

Quite frequently Herr Goedecke took me with him when he went off in his dog-cart to drive across the farmland, or to do some shooting. I never came away from these drives without having learned something new from him about nature, farming or other matters of general interest.

There seemed to be no end to all the exciting new ventures I engaged in, but all too soon it was time to go back to Gebesee. I must confess that having had such a wonderful time, I hardly missed my parents at all.

I had been back in school for only a few days when Dr Prüss called the school to a special assembly. He announced that the German army had marched into Poland and that Britain and France had issued an ultimatum that they would declare war if these troops were not immediately withdrawn. A day later we were informed that the ultimatum had not been met and that Germany was now at war with all three countries.

This news was heard in stunned silence, but I do not recollect any doomsday conversation afterwards. Maybe it was considered that the war would not last long and that some agreement would be reached. I certainly remember that the teachers seemed to play down the events and made us feel that our life would go on as before.

The fact that I would not be able to get back home in the foreseeable future did not immediately raise any feelings of fear in me. This could have been because I felt so secure and happy in my new school. I had my relatives in Karlsbad and Erika was also not far away. What probably helped me too was my recent holiday in Döllnitz and the feeling at the back of my mind that I had found a family that would offer me love and care if the need ever arose.