Since 2016, I have read a lot of books and articles about The Holocaust, visited nine Nazi death camps and many Holocaust memorials. Last year I met Nina Wolff at a history of science conference in Brussels. She was doing research for another book and told me a book she wrote about her father's escape from the Holocaust followed by service in the U.S. Army during World War II. But the first thing we talked about was Axl Rose. That story is here.
Someday You Will Understand: My Father's Private World War II is the story of Walter Wolff, Nina's father. He and his family escaped Nazi Germany, Belgium and France and made a harrowing journey on a terrible cargo ship finally getting to America in late 1940. Walter was 17 years old when he arrived in America.
In 1943 Walter enlisted in the U.S. Army. His fluency in four languages and competence in more eventually led him to Military Intelligence. He became one of the "Ritchie Boys" named for Fort Ritchie, Maryland where multi-lingual men were trained for intelligence service in the war.
By the time Walter finished his training the war was near its end. He arrived in Europe during the negotiation of the final surrender of Nazi Germany. In the rubble of post-war Europe Walter helped to find Nazis among prisoners of war and in the population of Germany and Austria. He also helped Jews in DP (Displaced Persons) camps organizing delivery of hundreds of packages of life-saving supplies from America.
At the end of his tour he was able to find and recover many of the possessions his family left behind in Belgium during their escape. The story is told primarily in the hundreds of brilliant, witty letters Walter sent to his family in America. Walter gave those letters to Nina near the end of his life.
After reading so much about the millions of lives erased and crushed by the Holocaust, it made me happy to read about a teenage boy who eluded the Nazis across Europe, escaped to America, and then went back Europe before his 21st birthday to help bring the Nazis to justice.
In grand histories, the defeat of the Nazis can seem like the work of great leaders: Presidents, Prime Ministers, Admirals and Generals. But at the very tip of the spears thrown by great leaders are teenagers, careless of danger, risking their lives for a great cause.
Walter volunteered for war at a time when the outcome was anything but certain after a series of harrowing escapes from death including sharing a crater with a dud bomb. He joined the Army and went back to the countries who wanted him dead. He was one in spirit with teenage RAF Spitfire pilots who defended Britain during the Blitz; with teenage soldiers who stormed the beaches at Normandy, with resistance fighters across Europe and the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto who fought back against the Nazis in a hopeless battle.
Old people get us into wars.Young people like Walter win them.
