Abe F. March

Visible traces of WWII in Germany are disappearing. The allied forces blew up all the German bunkers leaving behind only the rubble, and that is being covered up.

I moved to Nothweiler in 1992.  It is a small village less than 10 kilometers from the office and production facilities that I was to manage.  Nothweiler is on the border of France (Alsace), situated in a valley surrounded by the Pfaelzerwald- the forests of the Pfalz in the Palatine region of Germany.  I began exploring the surrounding hills and found numerous exploded bunkers.  The skeletons of these bunkers could be seen throughout the countryside; the huge reinforced steel cement slabs in disarray. I was interested in the history of the war and enjoyed investigating these bunkers, crawling through them, imagining what took place and noting their strategic placements.  Trenches led to and from the bunkers allowing the troops to move about without being seen.  Foxholes dug by the invading armies were still visible on adjacent hills where fighting took place. 

After living in the area for two years, the bunkers began to be covered up.  Mountains of dirt were pushed over them.  When I asked the reason I was told that the people wanted to forget about the war, and the bunkers were a reminder.  I was sad to see what was happening.  In my view, it was an attempt to bury history.  I felt fortunate to see them before the cover up. 

My house was situated on the side of the mountain overlooking the small village of just over 200 inhabitants.  I could see the Wegelnburg Castle (a ruin) built in the first half of the 13th century.  Near the Wegelnburg, on the French side of the border, are the ruins of Hohenburg, built in the second half of the 13th century.  A kilometer farther is Fleckenstein, a cliff castle built in 1174.  There are many castles in the region, now skeletal ruins, after being destroyed by the French in 1689.  My interest in the castles of the region was later to influence my novel, Journey Into the Past.

There was a guard hut at the end of the village on the border with France that controlled passage via a gravel road to the French village, Wingen.  A sign in French and English on the border read: “You are here on the border.  Stay on the marked paths.  Take care to keep the forest clean and respect nature. When you cross the border, carry your passport and don’t take any articles with you that require the payment of duty.” 

In 1995 several European nations agreed to lift border controls – including those between Germany and France.  On NewYears Day, January 1996, the lifting of border controls went into effect, and a celebration was held on the German side of the border by the guardhouse, between the villages of Wingen and Nothweiler. It was an historical event and everyone was happy.  The French brought food and a variety of Schnapps. There was much Prosting and good wishes for a new future.  Language was not a problem since many of the villagers of Wingen spoke German, and at one time had been German citizens.  The next morning I discovered that the border crossing signs had been torn down.  I retrieved a border sign as a souvenir and have it in my possession.

During the war between Germany and France of 1870-71, Graf Zeppelin (later sponsor of the famous Zeppelin dirigible airships), while being pursued by the French, made a rest stop in Nothweiler and watered his horse at the fountain.  A plaque commemorates this event.

In 1939, Adolf Hitler visited Nothweiler while inspecting the fortifications in the region.  

The town planted an oak tree in his honor and named the tree, Adolph Hitler.  A local citizen named his newborn son, Adolf.  Adolf, who had nurtured the tree over the years, relayed this bit of information to me.  As he told me the story, he placed his finger over his lips as a sign to keep it quiet.  He said that if the Americans knew the tree was named after AdolfHitler, they would have cut it down. This tree stands in front of the Rathaus (the town hall).  Adolf passed away in 2008.

On top of the mountain behind my house, is a huge rock formation that was used as a lookout post for the German army.  On the opposite side of the border the French built a wooden lookout tower.  The Germans and French kept an eye on each other, and when the French elevated their tower higher than the German position, the Germans shot off the new elevation. I investigated the rock formation, crawling through the cave-like crevices.  I spied an inscription on the rock. I brushed away the dirt and overgrown foliage and saw a Swastika carved into the stone.  That excited me.  I kept it quiet so that it would not be erased.  To me it was a part of history.   

Nothweiler also had an iron ore mine, named St. Anna Stollen.  It was opened in 1493 and abandoned in 1883.  During the war, it was used as a shelter for some of the local inhabitants.  Others fled to the various rock formations with large cave-like recesses that afforded protection from air raids and shelling.  Blackened walls still show traces of fires used for cooking and warmth. 

Today, above ground fortifications are covered up and destroyed while underground fortifications remain.  In France, above ground bunkers can still be seen and are a tourist attraction.  The main underground fortification of theFrench, was the Maginot Line, running along the borders of Germany and Italy.  It did not deter the Germans however since they simply entered France through Belgium and Luxemburg.  Underground fortifications in Germany, in strategic locations, can be visited. The huge fortification in Berlin, with several underground levels, housed hundreds of troops with provisions. 

Can one really cover up history?  Will future generations discover the hidden, covered over bunkers, and view it differently?  I think they will.  Those who survived the war will soon be all dead and buried.  Memories are meant to live on, good and bad.  One cannot change the past, however it can and should be a guide for future conduct. Innocent civilians as well as conscripted soldiers following orders, die needlessly.  History continues to repeat itself.  Will we ever learn?  There should never be a need for cover up.