War , He Said

Broremann’s war Spring, 1945, German troops in his town were walking about not carrying arms, they spoke to the locals in a friendly manner. Looking back it was peace before the peace. Near Broremann's home there was a tall house occupied by old non- commissioned officers, middle-aged men in their thirties with children, gave the kids chocolate and sweets (after the war the building was taken over by Mormons). British troops arrived, put a canteen in a disused fish factory, the German troops had surrendered. Broremann got white bread with spam from the British. The Germans left by train; many of the town´s people came to wave goodbye, there was no dislike against the common soldiers, wrath was directed at the local Gestapo who had betrayed their country by being crueler than the enemy and by sporting rimless Himmler glasses. Years later Broremann met a docker in Hamburg who had spent five war years in his town. They drank together and declared it had been a peaceful war.