Fight On: A GI’s Odyssey Back to Nazi Germany

Bernard Kahn as a young boy in Munich:
The platforms on the Munich streetcars were open, and I was standing at the gate one day in 1936 when a six-seater Mercedes pulled up between the streetcar and the curb. The cry went up: “Der Führer, der Führer!” In the front passenger seat was a rather short man – a most unimpressive Hitler. I could have spat on our Führer; I was that close.

Erno Schmid had once been my friend; we used to jump to each other’s defense, regardless of how futile the effort. Suddenly for Erno, there was an all-powerful friend – the Nazi Regime. Erno had become a Nazi! We were walking from school one day and he announced, “You are the son of a Jew. You will never wear a uniform except the striped one in Dachau.”

I saw quite clearly what my future held. Hate propaganda, hate editorials, and the mysterious disappearance of some outspoken dissidents were clear indicators. I was keenly aware that I was helpless in front of a slowly advancing steamroller, and I strongly felt that my luck was running out. My only alternative was to exercise my option and become an American.