5 Cents To Spare - Chap 6 - Bicycling to the Swiss Border

Chapter 6

Bicycling to the Swiss Border

Visiting once again with cousin Ursual and family was very pleas­ant.  On Saturday, May 30, we started a canoe trip down the Rhein River from Freiburg to Mannheim.  We camped out two nights on the banks of the Rhein and arrived in Mannheim on June 1.  I shall never forget this experi­ence.  There were seven of us in our party: the Saals, the Meiers, the Parchalks, and myself.  We took a train to get to our starting point at Freiburg.  The canoes, dismantled and each packed in what looked very much like an oversized golf bag, were placed in the baggage car of the train.  It seemed to be common practice for such things as canoes and bicycles to be carried on trains and to be unloaded at the starting point of the excursion.  What amazed me was that the baggage was taken off the train at precisely the same destination as its owners.  This was done stop after stop quickly and apparent­ly with unerring accuracy.  This could never happen in America, I thought.

Alfred Kramm writing in his diary while the others prepare lunch on the banks of the Rhein River.  Jun 1, 1936.        (E6-4)

Arriving at Freiburg, we had no trouble at all in locating our four canoes.  I had never seen canoes such as these before, yet I was expected to assemble the one borrowed for my use.  Inside the bag was an amazing number of parts and pieces to be fitted together like a jig-saw puzzle inside of a rubberized skin.  My companions assembled their canoes in jig time while I was standing there looking at the mess thoroughly bewildered.  Thank goodness they came to my rescue.

At one point in the trip I had a near miss with calamity.  There must have been a lock in the river as we all brought our canoes to the shore.  However, at the shore near where we landed, the water was running swiftly through a narrow channel.  I got caught in the channel.  As hard as I paddled, I was still being sucked into the current.  My companions were on the bank shouting directions, mostly in German, which I couldn't understand.  Perspiration was running down my forehead.  Gradually I worked the canoe to the bank where the current was not so swift; they grabbed it, and I was saved.

All the way down the Rhein, the French had built fortifications where they could observe any military activity on the German side and could watch all the ships going up and down the river.  This was part of their Maginot Line.  I was intrigued by this and wanted to get a good picture of a French lookout giving me the "once-over."  Soon my companions were shouting at me, "Get in the center or the French will come and arrest you!"  I did, but not before I got a few pictures.

At one point we hitched to a French freighter.  What a nice easy way to travel.

Alfred Kramm in his canoe on the Rhein River.  Jun 1, 1936.                      (E6-5)

June 3, 1936.  I left Mannheim on my trusty bicycle.  I traveled through Worms where I saw the Romanesque Cathedral, then on through Darmstat to Frankfurt.  I am convinced that bicycling is the only way to travel.  The big advantage was that there was no gas to run out of... and you generate your own "steam" on the hills.  I laugh when I think of me riding a bicycle but I laugh more when I think of all the things the poor bicycle must carry.  My equipment weighs as much as I do but the bicycle was new, had balloon tires, and as yet has never complained.  I'm sure I'll give out before it does.

It is customary to ride bicycles in Germany.  Everyone has one.  I even saw a 90 year old woman riding one.  Many of the streets have "radwegs" or "bicycle ways" for use only by bicycles.  It was more likely for a bicycle to run over you that an automobile.

The things bicycles will do are numerous.  I have seen 15 foot ladders carried on a bicycle - the ladder was strapped to the man and the man rides the bicycle.  Some bicycles have a small front wheel so that a huge box or basket may be carried in front, and thus are used to deliver bread, groceries, or what have you.  Others have trailers behind and when loaded look like freight trucks.  There are also some three wheeled bicycles so that large loads may be carried in the rear.  Peasants living in the villages use bicycles to go to the fields - and many a peasant boy or girl have I seen carrying a rake, or hoe, on a bicycle.  And, the other day I saw a man riding a bicycle loaded with half a dozen 10 foot lengths of 3/4 inch pipe!  Bicycles are as numerous here as autos are in America.

Frankfurt.  It was a town of great contrasts.  The new section was like most other towns... Renaissance, Barouche, and modern build­ings.  The old section was very interesting with its narrow crooked streets and jutting out colored and half timbered buildings.  I wanted to take some good pictures but the weather was so bad it was impossi­ble to try.  The museum had an interesting set of old drawings showing the growth of the town from the earliest times.

On June 5 I left Frankfurt quite thoroughly disgusted.  In the first place the little alarm clock I had purchased a few days before in Mannheim had succeeded in awaking me on only one morning.  After it had performed this stupendous duty it had completely refused to function.  I brought it to a jeweler near by.  He opened it up and endeavored to fix it but he knew darn well he did more damage than good for he did not charge me.  I noticed mourn­fully that after this repair it would neither run nor ring.  "Auch so!"

In the second place, it was raining.  It had rained off and on for the whole week so that picture taking in Frankfurt was an impossi­bility.  Then on my journey to Wurzburg I became more disgusted because I had lost my way in trying to leave Frankfurt.  It took me an hour to find it again and by that time I was wet and had cold feet, but was hot under the collar.

Between Frankfurt and Wurzburg, at the crossroads, a young fellow asked me the direction.  I knew he was not German because of his bad pronunciation.  I asked if he spoke English and he, in a relieved manner, said he was an Englishman.  It happened that we were both going to Wurzburg so we rode our bicycles side by side over the hilly country all the while the rain was pouring down.

The English fellow, his name was Whitehouse, told me that the previous day he had been traveling with a Norwegian acquaintance.  Unfortunately, the Norwegian had a collision with another bicycle and cut his foot badly.  It happened that one of Hitler's storm troopers, who was riding in an  automobile, saw the accident.  He stopped.  Seeing the trouble of the two foreign boys, both unable to speak German and one badly cut, he hailed a passing motorist, and had the Norwegian rushed to the hospital.  The trooper then accompanied Whitehouse to the hospital where the Norwegian was sent and made all the necessary explanations that were required to enter the hospital.  En route he told Whitehouse that during WWI he had been a prisoner badly wounded in an English camp and that the English had done everything to nurse him back to health.  He would never forget their kindness.  The trooper was more than anxious to be of further service should he be needed.

Whitehouse was a tool maker in England and was on a three week vacation.  He belonged to the Youth Hostels in England with privileges to live in the German Jugend Herberg.  Thus I accompa­nied him to the Jugend Herberg in Wurzburg and asked for a place to sleep.

We arrived late, wet and cold.  I was not denied the privilege to stay.  The German boys were more than kind to us.  They made hot coffee and offered bread, jam, butter and sausage from their own private supplies.  One, in particular, was exception­ally thought­ful. His name was Willi Knodler and came from Lahr-Dinglingen.  He was 24 years old, an electrician by trade, and able to speak a little English.

I have yet to find a German who has been rude or discourteous with me.  All have gone out of their way to help.  In the morning they shake hands with you and ask if you have slept well.  They endeavor to speak with you in English if you cannot speak German.  They will take great pains to help the foreigner out of difficulties.

The Nazi party is doing a great deal in augmenting the feeling of understanding among the young people.  It created the Jugend Herberg.  These are houses located in almost every large city, one every 40 miles or so, where the young people may stay over night.  The houses are equipped with beds, dining room, baths, kitchen and all else.  The cost per night ranges from 25 to 50 pfennig (10 to 20 cents) depending on the age and classification of the person.  Boys and girls, on their vacations, may travel from city to city by bicycle, foot, automobile, or canoe at practically no cost.  In this way the youth of the North mingles with the youth of the South and a feeling of understanding is consummated.

One finds fewer cliques here in Germany than in America.  In the evening at the Jugend Herberg, the boys and girls sit around in the room singing, harmonizing, and playing their instruments.  It is beautiful, this cooperation.  When a group of Germans is together, no matter what age they may be, they must sing to be happy.

June 6, 1936.  It was still raining but the three of us (Whitehouse Knodler, and myself) went into town and visited every church in the business section.  We saw about 10 churches but I understand that Wurzburg has some 70 churches.

We must have looked like a strange trio.  The English boy was dressed in the usual bicycle outfit (shorts above the knee with bare legs), the German boy had on a rather nice looking outfit more on the military style with closely fitted trousers and socks, and I wore knickers.  And, thus, we paraded about town in the rain speaking English, American, and German.  But, we had a very interesting time together.  In the afternoon, Whitehouse had to leave us as he was planning to go on to Nurnburg that day.  I would have gone on too but I did not like the rain and hadn't gotten the opportuni­ty to really study Wurzberg.

Washing cloths on the banks of the Main River.  Wurzbur, Germany.  Jun 8, 1936.  (E6-42)

Sunday morning Knodler left me to go to Frankfurt as it was nearing the end of his vacation.  I was surely sorry to see him leave.  He was such a capital fellow and such a fine comrade.  With nothing in particular to do I decided to visit more churches, attending various different Lutheran and Catholic services.  St. Augustina Church was crowded with people and it was necessary for me to stand for the whole service.  The time passed quickly... there was so much pageantry to watch; and the organ, it must have been the best in Wurzberg!

Later in the day I visited the Palace, then a museum.  In the evening, as I was leaving to see some proceedings in the "Dom," I met Herbert Goldberg, another very fine German boy from Hamburg.  He spoke English quite well and told me I was the first person with whom he had ever spoken English outside of the classroom.  I told him I had heard that something interesting was to be at the "Dom" tonight so together we went in spite of his informal knee britches and bare legs.

Old ladies at the South gate to Rothenburg.  I waited here for 15 minutes with camera ready.  At the critical moment when two of them were on the scene, click, the picture, and one of them knew it.  Jun 13, 1936.                                                     (E7-4)

The "Dom" was an interesting building, perhaps the largest church in Wurzburg.  It was admirably located at the end of the main street in town and is viewed from the main bridge.  We entered the church.  It was thronged with people - never have I seen a church quite so full of people.  No one was sitting... there was so little room that all must stand.  The occasion, I ascertained, was an address by the archbishop of the St. Augustina Church.  There was a gentleman in the pulpit dressed with a red cap and a red coat speaking to the people.  He looked for all the world like "Santa Claus" and I would have mis­taken him for such had I not know differently.

My friend and I crowded as close as we could to the speaker.  I could not comprehend what he was saying other then it was about the Catholic young.  Afterwards my friend told me it was a most interesting and daring speech.  The Archbishop was making a distinction between Hitler and Catholicism.  Hitler demands that the youth of the land must first serve the state and be educated by the state, then they may be governed by the parents and lastly by the church.  Catholicism, on the other hand, deems that the duty of the youth as well as every other person is to serve God and the church first, then the parents, and lastly the state.  The Arch­bishop furthermore said that if this will not be permitted then the church must bow to the superior force of the state.  It will take up the cross and bear patiently until the church may again reassume the position of power and dominance.

What the effect on government policies this speech will be is hard to say.  It is certain that the Catholic party is not with the government policies as they are now.  It seems likely that the government will tighten rather than loosen its grip inasmuch as the overwhelming majority is with the Nazi Party.

The next day, Monday, June 8, the sun shone a little so my friend and I took some picture.  In the afternoon we parted as he wished to see some gardens near Wurzburg and I was not interested.  I tried to secure a card to permit me to use the Jugend Herberg in Germany.  This required my going to the university house where I found it necessary to write the headquarters of the Jugend Herberg in Berlin for such a card.  Here again there was someone who came to my aid.  His name was Josef Spitznagel of Kirchheim, a graduate of the Law School in Wurzburg.  He spoke English very well and volunteered to write and type this letter for me.  I asked that the card be sent to the Jugend Herberg in Rothenburg.  Then we talked of many things, especially about America, where he hoped to visit the next year.

The opinion that Germans have of America is curious.  They consider that all Americans are immensely rich and base that opinion mainly on the fact that America is the largest money lending country in the world and that most Americans visiting Germany have money.

I left Wurzburg that evening to stop at the romantic old town of Diddlebach where I camped overnight on the banks of the Main River.  Here I was able to take several pictures before traveling on through the towns of Bamberg and Forchheim to Nurnberg.

June 13, 1936.  It is now 2:00 PM and I am sitting is a pleasant garden in Rothenburg sipping a nice cold pint of German beer.

The walk and stairs of the old fortress of Rothenburg.  To get this picture I had to climb an old wooden gate and tore my pants doing it.  Jun 13, 1936.         (E7-6)

Ordering my dinner today was much easier than when I first arrived in Germany.  Not having studied or spoken German I had not the slightest idea as to vocabulary, grammar, or spelling.  For the first three days all I ate was "Kartoffel und salat" (potatoes and lettuce salad) because that was practically the extent of my vocabulary.   Almost immediately I bought a small dictionary and a grammar book.  I have reached the 4th lesson in the grammar book and I am too lazy to go further.  The dictionary, of course, is indispens­able.  I now have a vocabulary which is large enough so I can eat and sleep and find my way about. 

Now I am able to order almost all the foods.  When I order from a menu, especially a written one, I usually cannot make heads or tails of it.  The words are disguised by being in combination with other words and the waiter standing right behind makes me nervous.  Usually I look at the prices and choose something at random which is not too high.  Then I wait eagerly for the surprise to come.  One night I got something all done up in bread crumbs and about the size of a medium potato.  Gingerly I broke open the outside cover, smelled and tasted it.  It tasted fine but I'm not sure yet what it was.  Someday I fear I shall be eating snails or perhaps frog legs and not know it. 

On the 14th of June the sky was cloudless and very hot.  In the afternoon at 3:00 PM, suddenly it became cloudy and it thunder stormed for 3 or 4 hours.  Then it rained off and on all night.  I prefer the California sunshine, especially when traveling by bicycle and camping out part of the time.  They tell me it is unusually wet for this season of the year.  At any rate it is supposed to rain two days a week.  There is no need for irrigation in this country.  God is the irrigator.  The fields are always fresh, green and covered with wild flowers of every hue.  It is really beautiful.  But you must have your raincoat or umbrella, any dark cloud might give forth with water even when the rest of the sky is blue!

I am camping out now.  For 50 Marks ($21) I purchased complete camping equipment, a tent and sleeping bag.  In the morning I make my own breakfast consisting chiefly of bread.  At noon, I purchase a good hot dinner for around 1.5 Marks.  In the evening I prepare my own supper of bread and fish.  When I am tired of riding, I can make camp in about 30 minutes.  I can wash as well from my canteen as I could from an inn washbowl.  When I need a complete bath I can swim in a river. 

When my cloths are dirty I bring them down to the river, as the women in Wurzburg still do, and wash them.  The other day I tore my only trousers climbing a gate to get a picture.  So, I had to become a tailor and mend them with darning cotton which I always carry.  A few mornings ago I ran out of water. 

Washday.  My camp among haystacks in the field near Dinkelsbuhl, Germany.  Jun 16, 1936.                                        (E7-15)

There was none in the vicinity, and I had to shave.  Fortunately it had rained the night before so I shaved with a few drops that had collected in my dish.   Oh, I am quit independent!

After seeing the sights and picking up my Jugend Herberg card, I left Rothenburg on June 15 and traveled through Dinkelsbuhl and Ulum.   The towns I enjoyed the most were Nurnberg, Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl.  These towns are all very old and were founded around the year 1000 or earlier.  All have high walls around the inner town with towers and lookouts.  Many still have old moats and some of these moats are filled with rain water.  Most of the moats have been turned into beautiful parks and sunken gardens.  The old houses within the crumbling walls are interest­ing with their half timber construction, wild variety of color, and narrow cobble stoned streets running between.

Ulm, too, is a very old city.  Being situated on the "blue" (looked more brown to me) Danube, it once enjoyed the position as principal trading center between Western Europe and Asia via the Danube River.  However, there was not a great deal of the old city left.  Ulm was now a more or less modern city.  Its outstanding feature was the Munster Church.  The tower had the distinction of being the highest church tower in the world... 568 feet.  There are some 768 steps.  Since it was the highest in the world I decided to climb it.  There was no elevator, but in due course I arrived a the top.  The view was magnificent.

When I was a short distance from Ulm I decided that the load on my bicycle was too great and that I must send all the unnecessary things back to Berlin to Uncle Erich.  I discarded 4 ½ Kilograms.  Included in this was the heavy copper case for my camera lenses which I spent so much time making in America.  Now I had left 2 sets of light underwear, 2 dark shirts, 1 necktie, 4 handker­chiefs, 1 towel, 1 light raincoat, a plaid sweater, 2 pairs of heavy socks, 1 pair of kickers, a very splendid travelers kit of brushes, a flashlight, small alarm clock, several rolls of film, writing paper, shoe polish, needles and thread, a water flask, a haversack, a sleeping bag and a small tent.  I also had a brief case in which to carry maps and a note book.  Even this was too much for a bicycle.

On June 20 at Donauchingen, I met a German boy of my own age whom I had met previously at Wurzburg.  It was really immensely coincidental.  He was spending his vacation touring Germany on a bicycle from Jugend Herberg to Jungen Herberg.  His name was Herbert Goldberg.  He spoke fairly good English, so I enjoyed his company.  It happened that we were both going to Titisee so we went together.  He stopped there at the Jugend Herberg but I went on as soon as the threatening thunder storm had passed over.

From Titisee I rode down hill for 20 miles to Freiburg through Germany's most scenic country.  A ribbon of fine highway dashed down the valley following a precipitous stream; steep rocky hillsides on either side were clad in a thick black forest; vistas of the valley below opened out at almost every turn... such was the ride to Freiburg.  I cannot say much of Freiburg as I was not there long.  I decided to go to Tadtnau, a distance of 20 miles.  Ten miles of this distance was uphill, a rise from 134 feet to 365 feet.  It was a hard pull and I was forced to walk 7 miles pushing the bicycle.  But, then it was all downhill.

A stork finds it’s home perched on top of a chimney.  Donauechingen, Germany.  Jun 20, 1936.                                        (E7-32)

Typical road signes in the Black Forest.  Near Todtnau, Germany. Jun 21. 1936.                                                          (E7-40)

5 Cents to Spare - Potatoes, Potatoes, More Potatoes -Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Potatoes, Potatoes, More Potatoes

May 20, 1936.  I left Mannheim for Heidelberg by train with my bicycle in the baggage car.  This was my first adventure alone.  After spending a few hours inspecting the old town and castle, I took to the mountain trails, pushing my bicycle up and riding down.  I wanted to go to Dielsberg but somehow got mixed up.  Instead I ended up going through several small villages evidently off the beaten track as I was the subject for many eyes and conversations.

The Southeast tower of the old castle at Heidelberg.  As a result of the French Bombardment, the whole section has slid off showing an interesting crossection. May 20. 1936. (E5-38)

Finally I came to a town a little larger then the others.  Stopping at a Gasthaus (Inn) I asked, in my best German, for a room for the night.  To register for my room I had to answer a questionnaire.  Not having my dictionary handy I puzzled and fretted over it.  Finally I guessed on what lines to put the information and then left for a walk around the town.  Upon returning, the innkeeper's wife was waiting for me with the questionnaire.  I got my dictio­nary and went to work complet­ing it to her satisfac­tion.  Up until then I didn't have the slightest idea what town I was in until she said "Wiesloch," which was almost in the opposite direction I thought I was headed! 

It was about time for supper.  I asked for a menu using the German word "Karte," but Frau Innkeeper was thinking I wanted something to eat by the name of "kart" or karte."  Much later I learned that "karte" is a card or a map;  I should have said "Speisekarte."  This Inn didn't have a menu.  In desperation I asked for "kartoffel und salat" (potatoes and salad), the only two words I could remember at the time.  But that didn't satisfy Frau Innkeeper.  She thought surely I wanted meat and wine to go with it.  I assured her that was all I wanted.  I was afraid they would serve me tongue, brains, pigs feet or some other part of the animal to which I had a definite aversion.

Everyone at the Inn was very inquisitive about where I came from, where I was going, how long I was staying in Germany and so forth.  With my very limited vocabulary I couldn't converse with them so went upstairs to my room to sleep.  The room was old fashioned with old style furnishings and no running water.  It faced on the street and with the window open it sounded like a celebration was going on outside.  Indeed it was; the next day, the 21st of May, was called "Himmelfahrt Christi," the "Ascension of Christ."

On May 21 it was raining.  After breakfast of coffee and bread I decided to go on to Heilbronn by way of Hoffingheim, Sinsheim and Wimpfen.  It rained every bit of the way.  When I arrived in Heilbronn about noon it stopped raining and the sun shown once in a while.

Finally at a short distance from the rathaus (town hall), I stopped at a place called Gasthause zur Glocke where I secured a room.  Pictured is the town hall where patterns in the clock were done in gold and other colors. Heilbronn, Germany.  May 21. 1936. (E5-35)

I rode slowly around the town looking at the public buildings and churches with an eye open for a place to stay overnight.  The town was very old.  It had narrow crooked streets and half timbered and stepped-out buildings.  Finally at a short distance from the Rathaus (town hall) and St Kilians Church I stopped at a placed called "Gasthaus zur Glocke"  where I secured a room.  Then I went into town to buy a little bread or something else to eat.  But everything was closed; today  was  "Himmelf­ahrt Christi."   It was too cloudy to take pictures, but here I must stay.  In the evening I took my supper at the inn.  People were very inquisitive and literally spent hours interrogating me on this and that (in German, of course).  My German was so limited that I'm sure they didn't find out all they wanted too.

May 22, 1936.  I had dinner at the Deutscher Hof.  I had no idea what I had ordered from the menu.  When it came I was not certain whether it was fish or meat but I had a suspicion that it was brains.  If it were brains, I tried not to think about it... it was very tasty.

Across the alcove was a very peculiar individual.  He had on an unpressed suit of dark cloths, the pockets of which were more or less extended by miscellaneous articles, and a stiff white dress shirt and collar.  He was a lean man, wrinkled face and small mustache, around forty years old.  He had ordered fried potatoes.  When I arrived he had already finished one order of fried potatoes... and one is enough to fill an ordinary man.  Another order was waiting on the table for him and still another was on the chair beside him.  And, while I was there he got another order!  He must have had a passion for fried potatoes or a tape worm!

It was amusing to watch him eat.  He was quite methodical. He kept his plate full by replenishing it from the extra order.  He never allowed too much grease to get on the rim of the plate and carefully cleaned it off with a piece of bread.  He always ate his potatoes around the edges so as to maintain a neat pile in the center of the plate.  At the same time he cleaned off the grease (which he seemed to enjoy) down to the potato line.  In fact his plate always looked as if it had just been brought from the kitchen.

When the serving plate had no potatoes left, he laid aside the plate he was eating from and carefully cleaned off every last vestige of potato from the serving plate with a piece of bread.  I'll swear he didn't leave a smell on the plate so clean did he make it.  This done, he placed the plate of potatoes over the empty plate.  I saw the waitress take out four empty plates at one time and still he had another plate on the chair beside him.  This one was evidently one plate full more than he could eat so he got another plate to put over it to keep it warm.  Then he walked out of the room with the plates.  What a man!  The German habitu­ally cleans his plate pretty thoroughly but not like this fellow!

Gateway to the old fortress at Wimpfen,  Germany.  May 23, 1936. (E5-32)

There must have been a big party next door with all the music and laughter, and no doubt drinking.  Every once in a while in the dark alley below my window it sounded like rain.  Heilbronn is a factory town with many workers.  This explains in part the gaiety this Friday night in the "weinstuben" (wine room) next door.

My next stop, on May 23, was Wimpfen which I had gone through on the way to Heilbronn.  It lies high above the Neckar River and affords a magnificent view into the valley below.  I was delighted with the old town and if it were better weather I would have stayed longer.

The late afternoon found me in Mosbach... at the entrance to the country of the Franks.  This was a beautiful old town with old timbered and gaily painted houses.  It will be 1200 years old on May 31.  What an age for any town!  When I think of our American towns, there is no comparison whatsoever.

Mosbach is chiefly a manufacturing town and employs some 600 men in its railroad shops manufacturing coaches and engines.  There was some farming but not to any great extent.  The people were very friendly.  It was noticeable that the National Socialist Party and Hitler were stronger here then in other places.

I stayed at the Gasthaus Zum Schwan.  From the first moment I was received cordially and even enthusiastically.  People plied me with questions concerning America, cost of living in America, Chicago gangsters, Hitler and so on.  I made the acquaintance of a young fellow around 32 years old by the name of W. Rose.  He knew a little English and had quite a bit of liquor... it was chiefly for this reason that he was more friendly than he would otherwise have been, I'm sure.

He told me he was second in command of the National Socialist Party police in Mosbach.  When I expressed an interest in learning more about the party he offered to give me a note of introduction to the great Nationalist's celebration in Nurnberg on September 9.  We walked to the police headquarters where he wrote the note.

"Wilhelm Rose                 Mosbach, den 23 Mai 1936

Dem Alfred Kramm wolle während des Parteitages 1936 in Nürnberg Gelegenheit geboten werden sich mit Kamerden des SS-Stumes 6/81 in Verbindung zu setzen.

Aufzufinden sind Rose und Rieger bei der Absperrmanschaft des SS-Abschnittes X 81.SS-Standarte, Sturm 6."

 At the same time he showed me some guns and hiking equipment.  To demonstrate one of the guns he opened the window and shot into the outside darkness.  Then we strolled back to the hotel where we joined a very pleasant group of people drinking beer - all very sociable - I enjoyed them.

Old houses in Mosbach, Germany.  May 24, 1936. (E5-30)

The next morning, May 24, I had a long conversation with Gerhard Rapp, whom I had met the night before.  He was about 23, intelli­gent, and I believe somewhat conceited about his knowledge of world affairs.  He spoke English.  It did not take many questions to get him talking about world affairs and the political situation.  Some of his commentary probably was taken from Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kamph."  Other parts seemed to be the current agenda of the Party and a startling assessment of the past, present and future.  I briefly jotted down Rapp's commentary so that I could verify at another time when I meet someone else who is willing to talk.

The German Population.  Germany has a population of 67 million people.  Four million of these belong to the Nazi party.  Four hundred thousand are Jews; at one time there were 700,000 Jews but 300,000 left the country because of nationwide persecution.  The Jews are not allowed to vote, hold public office or to be in control of newspapers, theaters or banks.  They are not allowed to practice a profession with one exception: if a Jew had served his country professionally in WW-I, he could serve Germany profession­ally now.  Furthermore, Jews are not allowed in public rooms or in coffee houses.  They may still own property but cannot control the national economy or bias the public through the news media.  Jews that have departed from Germany are trying to create a world-wide bias against Hitler.

Recent German elections have demonstrated that 99% of the Germany people are pro Hitler and his policies even though 3 or 4 million belong to the Nazi Party, which is closed to all new-comers.

National Socialism and Fascism.  The outside world confuses the Nazi movement of Hitler with Fascism of Mussolini.  Gerhard Rapp explained the differences.  In Germany all people, except Jews, vote and participate in government.  In Italy only the Fascist Party members may vote and participate in government, which is about one-quarter of Italy's population of 47 million.

In Germany, Hitler is not considered a dictator.  He is a leader, "Fuhrer", because 99% of the people are voting for him and with him on every issue.  He has great power and can appoint his ministers at will.  Hitler is working for the poor class...for the working class to improve their living and financial conditions.  Those Germans not belonging to the Party are enthusiastic about their government.

Mussolini, by contrast, is dictator since the party is a small minority of the population.  Those outside of the party are subjugated by fear and force.

Germany's Current and Future Plans.  Germany now (1936) considers herself equal in military power and resources to any single nation of Europe.  She claims better soldiers, more intelligent people, more physical scientists and inventors and more planners and thinkers than any other continental nation.

Germany claims an army of 300,000 men; however, in private circles it is know to be far greater.  The years of privation and suffering inflicted by the Treaty of Versailles (WW-I) has created a much stronger national unity than existed at the outset of WW-I in 1914.  The period between then and now has stimulated the resource­fulness and ingenuity of physicists, chemists and scientists and the people to utilize only the resources available in their homeland.  As an example, cloth is being made from wood by chemical means.

Germany is developing her people to be healthy as well as patriot­ic.  One example is the "Hitler Jugend" (Hitler Youth) for both boys and girls.  Since 1933 no other youth movements have been permitted and all functions of this group are under the leadership of the government.  Every day of the week one can see youth groups on the county roads and in the cities marching and singing.  They cannot have a good time unless they sing.  The government has provided "Jugend Herbergs" (wandering youth hostels), in almost every city.  Here the youth may go to stay overnight.  In this way a find, healthy and patriotic manhood and womanhood is developing.  "Sportsplaze" (gymnasiums) are being built especially in the larger cities where boys and girls may go for recreation and exercise.

Everywhere on the streets Hitler youth are selling badges to raise money for air defense against a Russian invasion or for some other military defense or for the Youth Hostels.

In these ways Germany hopes to be stronger than all Europe togeth­er.  At this point Germany will ask for the return of her colonial possessions.  If she doesn't get them, she will take possession of them, even as Italy is now taking possession of Ethiopia.  If any nation wishes to interfere, for instance France or Russia, they must start the warfare against Germany.  Germany will defend what she considers belonging to her.

In The Event of War.  France and Russia and probably Czechoslovakia will be against Germany.  Italy and England will remain neutral.  Japan will be neutral but will favor Germany.  The United States will remain neutral but will favor France because of the bond between the French and American Jews.  In 1933 England was more hostile toward Germany than she is now.  Churchill of England is the chief hater of Germany.

If there is a war and Germany wins, it is certain that France will be inflicted by a treaty similar to the 14 points of WW-I which Germany hates.  Germany dislikes U.S. President Wilson but likes President Roosevelt.

Every German hates France not only because of its nationalism but mostly because it is controlled by the Jews, Catholics and Communists.

Gerhard Rapp concluded with the statement, "Germans are confident of success and to a man they are for Germany and for Hitler."

I was sorry to leave Mosbach the next morning, May 24.  I had learned little about its architecture; however, my knowledge of German affairs from the viewpoint of Gerhard Rapp had vastly increased.  Down the Neckar River I went, stopping in Eberbach to get a picture.  I had intended stopping overnight there but did not find enough of interest to warrant a stay.

I came to Hirschhorn and was delighted with this little medieval town perched on the side of a hill surrounded by a crumbling wall and overlooking the valley of the Neckar.  Here, in a dozen places, were interesting stairs leading to the old fortress high up on the hill.  Picture was taken from a window in the castle.  May 25,1936 (E5-26)

I came to Hirschhorn and was delighted with this small medieval town perched on the side of a hill surrounded by a crumbling wall and overlooking the valley of the Neckar.  Here, in a dozen places, were interesting stairs leading to the old fortress high above.  I was excited by it all.  I obtained a room at the hotel Zum Naturalisten and immediately went out to wander about the old town and ruins of the castle before nightfall set in.

The next day, I made a sketch of the "Mittel-Tor."  This was a very curious tower.  In one view it appeared that the tower belonging to the church which was immediately below.  In reality the tower had nothing to do with the church.  From here I wandered to another church halfway up the hillside.  Then, I climbed the romantic old stairs that lead to the castle grounds.  In the castle museum I saw the stuffed cat that Mark Twain had something to do with when he was in Hirschhorn in 1873.  The woman who took me through did not know English and I knew little German so I did not get the whole story.  I did find out that Mark Twain stopped at the Naturalisten Hotel.

When I returned to the hotel, I asked to see Mark Twain's room, number 3.  It was a nice sunny room located on the west side of the house on the second floor facing the street.  It is used for a servant's room so that visitors may see it.  On the wall was a picture of Mark Twain and also a couple of letters dated 1873.  My room, number 10, was on the same floor but on the opposite end of the house.  I had hoped that I would have had Mark Twain's room but such was not the case.

On the first night at a Hirschhorn at a cafe I had the usual trouble.  I ordered a small glass of beer.  The waitress said something about not having such beer, only in a .7 liter bottle.  But, I did not understand.  So, I ordered "must" wine (wine made from grape juice), but here again something was wrong.  In despera­tion I ordered beer again, a whole bottle of it.  A young fellow at the same table smiled at me and afterwards explained in English that here they sold beer only by the bottle and not on draught.  It was from this we struck up an acquaintanceship.  He was Otto Weis, a 26 year old medical student at the University of Heidelberg.  We agreed to meet the next night at 10 PM at the Naturalisten hotel.

Around a very gay table we drank beer until one o'clock.  There is a lot of fun and good nature at these informal German gatherings.  I love them.  The fellows wanted my address and asked me to write them sometime, but I believe it was mostly the beer that prompted such friendliness.  The story of Mark Twain and the cat was also connected with a beer party.

It seems that Mark Twain had had a great deal to drink.  When he went to bed, one of the servants stuck a stuffed cat in the window. The light of the moon shown on the cat's glass eyes.  Mark Twain thought it was a lion.  Here the story is very hazy; no one remembered more of it.  And so I went to bed wondering what happened to that stuffed cat.  (For more on this story read Mark Twain's "Innocents Abroad".) 

Breakfast at the Naturalisten hotel was pleasant.  An elderly English couple, a professor and his wife, were delight­ful.  It was pleasant to speak in English to them.

I left Hirschhorn on May 26.  I am sorry to leave towns like this after becoming acquainted with a few people.  But, the fever to move on was greater than the desire to stay.  I left the main road to take the tortuous path that lead to Diels­berg.  The little village was very poor and dirty with chickens, goats, oxen, and rabbits everywhere; but, its location on the top of the hill was picturesque and afforded a beautiful view of the valley of the Neckar and of Neckargemund.  From here I went along the Neckar River back to Mannheim and the home of Ursula and her husband Gunther Saal.