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8. Consequences and Aftermath
- University of Missouri Press
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8 ´ Consequences and Aftermath Sergeant William George of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron was stationed near Darmstadt, Germany, and with the war in Europe over he planned a leave in England. While there in 1943 he had made friends with British families and became something of an Anglophile, and he wanted a visit before his unit left for the United States, when‑ ever that might be. He went to the local PX, and “I bought me one of those new ETO jackets yesterday [at the PX] to wear to England. . . . Looks rather nice with my 9th Air Force insignia on the left sleeve and the old 12th Air Force on the right sleeve, and my overseas stripes on the left sleeve and my other stripes on . . . I look like a circus sideshow.”1 George did not mention his ribbons for the European theater of operations, with four campaign stars, and his Victory medal. Of course, George wanted to look his best for his trip to England and to show his pride in the Army Air Force combat units he had served with. His sojourn with his old friends in England and Scotland went well, and he enjoyed what seemed to be an unending supply of CocaCola provided by the Red Cross and the exchanges in Britain.2 If ever there was a need for the PX, it was in Europe after the guns fell silent. The greatest areas for the AES to function were in the camps where tens of thousands of troops awaited ships to return to the United States, in the hospitals that would be opened for a long 142 143 Consequences and Aftermath time, and in the cities and towns in England, France, and Germany where GIs went as tourists to see the sites. The exchanges worked in concert with the Special Services and with the military administration to provide for these tourists in olive drab. In Heidelberg, Germany, for example, the exchange provided a GI restaurant that was staffed by French women. There was no extensive menu by any means, but after touring that famed German university town, the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal on real plates was most welcome.3 To the battered people of Europe the American GI appeared to be rich, having a day-to-day supply of items that had long since disappeared from European shops. The British said the GIs were “overpaid, over-sexed, and over here.” Private Oblinger was very surprised at the resentment shown to‑ ward GIs by the French, who stated that the Americans had wrought more destruction after D-Day than the Germans caused after the military defeat of and occupation of France in 1940. Once the euphoria of being liberated passed and reality set in, the process of rebuilding ruined cities, villages, and farms from Normandy across northern France began; the whole pro‑ cess of recovery seemed almost insurmountable and unaffordable. In Germany, which had been the country of the Nazi enemy, there ap‑ peared on the part of the GIs a liking for the German people. In the minds of the GIs there was a line that separated the average German civilian from the hard-core Nazis. There was a sympathy for the common soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe who had seen the privations and horrors of the battlefield. German children were the first to break down barriers between GIs and Germans. T-Sergeant Charles Linzy wrote about the children, and told his wife that groups of children congregated around his battalion headquarters, where they had received candy bars and chewing gum. “One a little blonde-headed girl about 3 edged out of the crowd from the others, smiled, and in a very low voice said goot morgan. I gave her a big smile. . . . [W]hen I did that she run in and grabbed me by the leg and hugged me. . . . Personally I think being friendly to the little kids will help as much as anything over here.”4 There was an antifraternization policy in effect all across occupied Germany, but the rule was more observed in the breaking than in the observation. The GIs were the victors and had a constantly growing sup‑ ply of everything from candies to soap and cigarettes. Historian Stephen Ambrose states, “The GIs were surprised to find out how much they like [35.173.125.112] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 16:47 GMT) 144 Chewing Gum, Candy Bars, and Beer the...