The rainbow never sets

have been destructive, as we were always hungry. The bread was easy to divide, each one received half a loaf a day.

After lunch the stupid drill commenced. We knew it from the Hitler Youth, and fortunately didn't need to spend too much time on it. But to use the equipment in the command bunker we received daily training until we were competent to operate it all. I had some trouble with the throat microphone, as my voice box around the Adam's apple had not fully developed and my voice did not come across the other end as strongly as from an adult. But it must have been all right, for they kept me there.

After the first four weeks had passed, one half of our group was allowed to go on leave, either the Saturday afternoon, or the following Sunday afternoon. As I did not want to go to the boarding house, I stayed at the barracks, hoping that I would be allowed longer leave next weekend. When Friday evening came, I plucked up some courage and went to see Lieutenant Günther in his barrack:

"Sir," I asked him, "Would I be able to go home this weekend? I live in the countryside, and half a day leave is no good to me. It takes half a day to go there and back."

"What is your father doing there"? "We have a property, Sir"

"Yes, sure, you can have this weekend off. By the way, I would like to meet your father one day, whenever convenient."

"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir," and I was off delighted to have the whole weekend free, away from 'playing soldier'.

I reported my conversation with the boss at home, and Vater, being a man of the world, cottoned on immediately. He guessed what the lieutenant wanted. After a fortnight he called in at the battery on Saturday morning, taking with him a freshly shot hare in a brown paper bag under his arm. He went to see Lieutenant Günther. I was never told the contents of this conversation, but from then on I had my free weekend every second week. I still had to ask the boss personally every time I wanted to go, but I don't know how many hares, pheasants, or other useful things went his way. I was never refused a request for a weekend off.

In the week that followed, our teachers were called in to give us our daily lessons in the barracks. A reminder, that we were still school kids.

It was hard, though, to take school very seriously. Particularly, if the night before we had been called out to our instruments, when enemy planes were approaching. Sitting next day in class bleary-eyed, we didn't take much in. Fortunately we didn't have many disturbed nights initially.

Easter Sunday fell in 1944 on 9 April. Although I had been home the weekend before, because of the additional holiday of Good Friday, I arrived on Saturday, and had leave till Monday morning. Just after lunch, about a quarter to two, the windows of our lounge room began to rattle.

"Let's see what it is," I said to Vater as I rushed outside. He followed me with Mutter.

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