Ruth Deutschmann

Benjamin Epp

Wien

2008-04-29

Sylvia Manning - Baumgartner

Nicole D´Incecco

1947

I was the only one who was properly/so badly injured, that I didn't have to return to the front a second time. Both brothers-in-law were prisoners of war, one was taken by the Soviets ?and he, he was released in 1947 or 1948. But he only made it as far as Hungary and died in the train there. And then, what do I say to my sister? Because we heard the radio telling us who had to report. I heard it in the morning, and then went to the train station, But he was no longer there, because they had already unloaded him in Hungary? And mother, who hadn't been sick for one second during the war, suddenly got breast cancer after this. So that was of course a terrible thing, because?obviously her immune system broke down. She often said, it would really be a blessing, to be in bed for two weeks. But she kept the shop going, until they took away our last worker and we had to close. She was an unbelievably kind woman but at the same time amazingly steadfast and able to get her own way. Really. That was really an impressive thing. These are events which mark you for life, no question. My mother was from a middle-class family in Innsbruck, and he married her. They had a bakery. As I said, he was very interested, he wanted?he always longed to study, which he couldn't of course. He was well-read and interested and, as I said, very involved in Catholic social teaching, which has specific ideas, right down to the details. And my mother was very religious, but not bigoted. She always said: "Beware of people, who kiss God’s feet every day." Those are the people who only go to church and are active there. That was really typical of her. She was solidly rooted in real life. No doubt. Yes, that's it, - certainly for her it was, well, it's like this, her brother was a German nationalist and city treasurer of Innsbruck and that was? the families were divided, because that was, of course ? we were the Catholic part, he belonged to the German nationalist part and of course he became a Nazi, and had left the church, yes, leaving the church ? was a signal that one adhered to Nazi ideology really to the bottom of one’s heart. After the war, he came and wanted us to confirm that he’d always been pious and so, and we had trouble getting mother not to agree to that. (laughs) Because you really can’t do that of course. (laughs) So it was really funny.