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Birth of Bernhard Volken
Born on the 23.11.1934 in the small village Fiesch in the alps, close to the Simplon pass. -
War begin
Everyone kind of expected that something will happen, but noone thought it would be in this extend. Of that day I can remember very well how my father sat all day long behind the radio and tried to figure out what exactly is going on. -
Period: to
2. Worldwar
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Mobilization Swiss Army
One day after the beginning of the war the Swiss Army started their mobilization. 450'000 men were rectruted to protect the borders and 100'000 women to to the "Womenhelpservice". I was to young to be in the army and my father was a Importand doctor in our region so he also did not had to go. But alot of people i knew had to go, it was not a bad thing they were proud to be able to protect their fatherland. -
Swiss Army WW2 Mobilmachung
Mobilization swiss army "-One yeahr ago the war started, the army was moblilized immedeatly.
-The scythe gets exchanged for the gun.
-Also when fore some the mobilization meant a big sacrifice, everyone was ready toto bring the bigges sacrifice and put his live on the line for the fatherland.
-I vow" -
Ration cards
Already ealy in the war Switzerland started rationing everything. I remember that money was not that important anymore, Ration cards where what counted. We were better off than others and got more cards, because my father was a doctor. But we still did not got a lot food. Meat and Fisch we only had in the first years of the war, and that also not that often. -
Tank traps
We were surrounded by countries controlled by Germany or who were in a alliance with Germany. The fear of Germany invading us rose every day. Therefor one day the Millitary recruted all men who were carpenter, plumbers and people with similar jobs who were not in the military to build new tank traps and bunkers arround the border. A lot of people I know left Fiesch to help out on the Simplonpass. -
"Plan Wahlen"
The "Plan Wahlen" was how the government fought the groceries shortage. The way they did it was to put field for potatoes and mais everywhere. For example in Fiesch we made out of our soccerfield a potatofield. Bread and potatoes was what we deffenetly had the most during the war. Sometimes i dreamed of having different food. Picture: This picture shows a potatofield infront of the "Bundeshaus" (Government's house). -
Gebirgs brigade 11
My Uncle was in the "Gebirgs brigade 11" during the most of the time of the 2nd Worldwar. He was stationed on the Simlonpass. They also build during this time a Memorial which represts the guard of the border. The stoneeagle is watching the Swiss-Italian border. -
Treason
A lot of people during the war lost their job and did not know how to get to money, so some of them, who sympathized with the national sotialists, started to work with them. I don't know how it exactly worked but I heard of a treator in a City close by, I don't know what happened to him but after this case there were posters like this (see picture) spred in the city.
Picture: Who can't remain silent hurts the home. -
Bombing of Milan
Sometimes we could hear bombs exploding very far away. These were probably the sound of cities close to us in Italy who get bombed. I dont know if I also could hear the bombing of Milan but when I did research after the war i figured out that this was the biggest bombing of a city close to Switzerland. -
Bombing of Schaffhausen
After this bombing we were told from the government to seal our windows that no light can get out during the night, we also only used torches. But there followed probably 6 more bombings of Swiss cities from what we heard from the radio. The americans claimed they got bombed one accident. -
Period: to
D-Day and takeover of France
During this time we got affected the most by the war than in any other time. I nealry could hear every single day bombers or controll planes flying over our heads. We knew the ods were very small that we will get bombed, but still everyone was scared. -
Allies
As closer the war came to a end as more soliders from the allies traveled through switzerland. A railroad crossed Fiesch, so alot trains filled with soliders came by. Once some soliders threw chewinggum and chocolate out of the window, it was the first time I ever had chocolate. Since then every time we heard a train, me and my friends ran up to the train station screaming "Chewinggum, Chewinggum please!". And that was how I learned my first english words. -
The war is over
Everyone was very relieved that the war was over but there were a lot of things caused due to the world war which lasted loger, so as the Food Cards and food problem, which we had until one or two years later. Also all the recunstruction of the economy. And we still did not know what actually was going on, only years later we found out about the holocaust and the antisemitism of the germans which really shoked and surprised us. -
Why did Switzerland not got attacked
Hitler's plan to invade Switzerland
I think we got very lucky that Hitler did not decide to atteck us, and we did not had to participate directly in the second world war.
