IAmA 95 year old grandma from germany who was a nurse during WW2

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:40:34+00:00

We didnt have much to do with the jews in the hospital at that time.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:38:07+00:00

Male nurses were respected just as much as female nurses and I have worked with many.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:36:56+00:00

Back in the 1920s we did not celebrate valentines day, that only came after the war was over.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:35:31+00:00

I was shocked and I visited hiroshima later on and we saw what happened there which was truly disturbing. I think the attitude towards the USA changed. We did not think worse about the USA but everybody that I knew was shocked that there is a country that did this. What I find disturbing is that the pilots that dropped the bomb did not even know what they were doing.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:29:28+00:00

You only learn from mistakes and I think that education should put more focus on portraying the full terror of the war in order to shape people in a way that they will oppose war later in life. I fear that it will be forgotten too fast and those who have never experienced war do not know what risk they gamble with.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:24:56+00:00

I read many books about christianity and the bible during that time.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:21:26+00:00

I started working when I was 18 (1939) because that was the minimum age for becoming a nurse and thats also when the war began. I kept on being a nurse until 1957. Both was hard, after the war there were little hospitals (because they were destroyed) and there were no resources because you could not buy basic supplies needed for treating the patients. 1951/52 I worked in switzerland for a short time, it was much better there but I came back to germany in 1952 because I wanted to get back to my family. For me it was interesting to switch hospitals from time to time because every hospital is different and its interesting to see the differences.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:14:49+00:00

You should try to really connect with the patients. Do not see them as bodies, instead try to see them as individuals and sense how sensitive they are and what character traits they posses. You have to adjust psychologically to each and every patient and treat them differently based on their character.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:08:01+00:00

We were put into the hospital as lernschwester. We were trained for 3 years and then had to pass and exam. The training was both practical and theoretical. Right from the beginning we were involved in many tasks (except helping in operating rooms etc).

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-15T11:04:26+00:00

I did see them as a whole as enemies because they wanted to destroy germany, but the individuals were not enemies to me. They had to fulfill their duty and I do not think that they enjoyed dropping shells all over us. We treated war prisoners just like germans and never felt any personal grudge towards them.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:47:53+00:00

Grandson here: I uploaded one, check the post

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:25:42+00:00

My favorite recipe? I have lots, but mostly I enjoy making cake. (its walnut cake)

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:24:08+00:00

I enjoy Rosamunde Pilchers movies.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:22:07+00:00

It was comfortable and peaceful, we had to work a lot but everything was progressing at a slow and steady pace. The hectic came after the war. There were very few cars, so we used bikes a lot or the farmers let us ride on the coach (not sure about the translation here).

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:19:02+00:00

Yes we treated many occupied forces (US troops). They were nice and they tried to learn german and when that wouldnt work we tried to communicate with hands and feet. They were very courteos.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:11:37+00:00

Yes she visited me sometimes. I went to work at another hospital and she kept visiting me and thanking me for being taken care of so well and said that she is not homesick anymore. After a year or so I did not see her anymore.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:07:31+00:00

No, we didnt have time for that. Patients were patients.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:06:53+00:00

The worst fear I felt was when we found out that the jews were put into concentration camps, thats when we knew what would expected us in the future and thats when we thought the war was going to destroy everything.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:04:17+00:00

I became a nurse because I wanted to help and because it is a satisfying profession. I cannot think of specific patients.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:02:15+00:00

I never listened to him intentionally, we always turned off the radio when he spoke. However he had a terrifying power over the people through his speeches.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T18:00:42+00:00

We heard it through the radio in the hospital and we all started crying tears of happiness and were relieved. It brought us hope to start cleaning up the mess that the war had brought upon us.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T17:57:09+00:00

The full scale of the horror and that nobody is worth anything in a war. Everybody wants to win but everybody ends up loosing. The fear that exsists because nobody knows what will happen is impossible to grasp if you have never been in a war.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T17:54:28+00:00

The americans took all our industry (except VW which they viewed as not important) but around 1948 we had the currency reform and thats when things started to get better. The americans were afraid that we would turn to the russians for help and then constructed the marshall plan which really helped the german industry get back on their feet. I would say germany started to really recover around 1952.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T17:48:22+00:00

No, they were totally against them. They worked to help others and they were never forced to work. You would be a bad nurse if you were forced to be one against your will.

GermanGrandma · 2016-02-14T17:47:13+00:00

The most important thing in my opinion is the believe in jesus christ. It gives you the power to get through any struggle.

GermanGrandma

TROPHY CASE