The family was loaded onto cattle cars in Vinkovci. Grandpa and Reini were not with Grandma and the rest of the family because they were taking care of the store. When they were loaded, Grandma knew that she had to go back and get Grandpa. So she bribed the guards and crawled under the trains to the end, made a dash for it and trekked through corn fields at night - pregnant - until she made it back to tell Grandpa where they were and how they had been taken. This ended up being one of the ways that the family was preserved. Grandpa was never 'counted' when they loaded the train, so he was not recorded and could come and go as he pleased. Just a little aside - this is one of my favorite stories from their history. I remember when Grandma lived with our family after Grandpa died and I would sit back in her room and she would tell me stories about her childhood and when they lived in Europe. She was so animated when she would talk about this experience. I can't imagine how scared she was or how brave.
They were taken by train to Waldenburg, a holding camp in northern Germany at that time. Today the town is Walbrzych, Poland, so you can imagine that it was not a good place to be. At the time, Mom said she didn't really realize the danger they were in. I guess you wouldn't tell your 9 year old everything, either.
Back to our trip. We stopped in Dachau to see the Concentration camp there. At first, Mom really didn't have much desire to go or see it. I think that it was just so overwhelming to her. The first place we went into at the museum had this big chart on the wall with all the concentration camps and subcamps listed.
We were looking at it when Mom spotted Waldenburg.
It was listed as a subcamp for the Gross-Rosen concentration camp.
I think that was when Mom realized how close they were to being separated and shipped off to the concentration camps and she was overcome with emotion.
The entrance to Dachau Concentration camp.
The sign on the door, Arbeit macht frei, work makes free.
While we were at Dachau, Mom remembered several things that preserved their family. First of all, Grandpa was not counted when they were loaded in Yugoslavia, so he was never questioned when they reached Waldenburg. He was never made to confess allegience or asked to serve in the SS regime or taken to the work camps. He was friendly to the soldiers and was able to bring along cigarettes and other goods from his store that he was able to bribe them with to get the family off of the camp's premises. They were able to leave and take a train to southern Germany in February of 1945, shortly before the war ended.
Secondly, Mom was struck with the fact that the first prisoners in the camps were political prisoners and those with religions that differed from the state religions. Being pacifists and not a part of the state religions their family should have been flagged as religious dissidents. She remembered that Grandpa was friends with the Lutheran minister in Yugoslavia, and all of the children's birth/baptismal certificates were signed and stamped by the Lutheran minister. Grandpa probably could not have imagined that that would help save their lives, but I'm sure that God knew and it was part of what kept the family together and preserved them through that time. Many, many others were not, and it was a very sobering site to visit.
When the Jakob Webel family left Waldenburg in Feb of 1945, they headed south to the town of Winzer, along the Danube River. We traveled to Winzer after Graz and before Salzburg on our trip, but it fit better in the story this way.
They stayed in this house, which now has stores on the ground level and housing above.
Mom remembers being on the left side of the house and able to look out to the town square across the way.
Unfortunately, we arrived in Winzer late and the stores in the house were closed and there were no people around to talk to. So we didn't investigate any more than to see the house and keep moving on. They lived here for about 3 months, until the war ended in Europe in May of 1945.
Grandpa wanted to travel back to Yugoslavia after the war ended. Since they were right by the Danube River, he got a barge and they started to travel on the river south. Unfortunately, they didn't have the experience to wield the barge. The inexperience combined with the fact that most bridges were destroyed and blocking the river, made it too dangerous and so they changed course and instead bought a horse and buggy to travel south. At this time, Grandma was ready to deliver her baby, so they looked for a place to stay.
They ended up in Obernzell, Germany.
They were told to go to the barracks that were up a hill by the flour mill. Grandma and Mom went up to check out the barracks and they were dirty and had bed bugs. So instead they moved into a little shack by the mill where they would make the flour into bread.
We drove up to the mill and looked around. Mom remembered the area and the stream she fell into as a girl :) None of the little houses across from the mill looked right, so she went and asked a man working at the mill. He didn't remember their family, he wasn't old enough, but he did confirm that there was a little house in the location where Mom remembered and is standing in the picture. They lived in this little house for about 8 weeks and Rosie was born here.
That wraps up the history of the Webel family in Europe. Since this is out of order, to bring the story full circle, after Grandma had Rosie and they were ready to travel again, they headed south. Grandpa wanted to return to Yugoslavia. They headed south through Austria, but ended up across the river from Yugoslavia in Donnersdorf Au, a small village just outside of Bad Radkersburg, Austria.
The other stop we made in Germany was in Herrenberg, where the Grumbach's live. The Grumbach's are Mom's cousins who lived in the US, in Medina, OH specifically, in the late 1950's. They lived with the Webels while they were building a house, so they were close with my Mom and her siblings. They haven't seen each other for almost 50 years!
We went to Hedwig's house first.
She had a big dinner and invited her siblings and their children to come and visit with Mom and us. Mom and her cousins around the dinner table.
Looking at pictures, telling stories....
Remembering people and places...
They had such a great time catching up again after so much time. We really enjoyed visiting with them as well. It was amazing how well they remembered and spoke English. Better than Mom remembered and spoke German ;)
In order, left to right, they are Hedwig's husband, Martin, Katie's husband, Herbert, Katie (Mom's cousin), Mom, Hedwig (Mom's cousin and long lost twin!), Stefan (Mom's cousin) and Stefan's wife, Frieda.
One funny story Stefan told us was when they were living with the Webels in Medina, one of the older boys bought a TV and hid it up in the attic. They would secretly watch it up there because Grandpa never allowed them to have a TV. Someone would keep an eye out and when Grandpa and Grandma would come home, they would turn it off and quick hide it. That cracked me up - I wonder who bought the forbidden TV?!
The next day we went to see their Mom's gravesite. She was Grandma Katharina Webel's sister, Christina. From the pictures they had she looked like Grandma's twin, which explains why Hedi and Mom look like twins as well!
Katie's house is just by the cemetary, so we walked over to their house and visited with them for a while as well. David and Sandy spent the night with them while Mom and I stayed at Hedwig's so they all could have some guests.
Herbert, Mom and Katie.
This is one of Hedwig's daughters who stopped by in the morning again to take some pictures before we left.
Sandy was a little homesick for her kids and so she loved up on this little doll :)
A picture of the four travelers...
After visiting with Mom's relatives, we headed to Switzerland for Friday evening and Saturday, and then finally back to our house in France on Saturday evening. More stories to come!
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