[Note – This video is being released on Bill Anschuetz’s 93rd birthday.]
This is the remarkable story of Bill Anschuetz, in his own words. Born on Christmas Day 1929 in Newark, NJ, his German parents return with Bill to Germany shortly after his birth, at the insistence of his grandmother; his parents will never to return to the U.S. As a result, Bill will grow up, as an American, in Nazi Germany. Unlike his parents, and all but one sibling, he will survive the war, although hardly unscathed, with more than one “close call” that threatened, and might have even have ended, his life. He will bear witness first-hand to one of the most horrific episodes in human history. Indeed, Bill is one of the last of his generation, and perhaps is unique in having been born in “the States”, but raised in Nazi Germany.
Bill will describe how is father will die in a tragic motorcycle accident when Bill is 5 or 6, and how his mother will also die tragically with his two younger brothers and a cousin in an air raid just before the end of the war. Bill’s grandma will also figure prominently in this narrative. And Bill himself will tell us about his accidental “visit” to an infamous Nazi concentration camp, as well as the “disappearance” of several people he knew in Germany (including family). At least one person he knew became a victim of the Holocaust.
But we’ll also hear about Bill’s transition back to the U.S. after the end of World War II, where he speaks only German and must learn English at age 17. But he will persevere, and at age 93 will reflect back on his life in the U.S., which wasn’t easy at times either. There’s even “railroad content” where Bill will talk about chauffeuring Erie Railroad executives to and from a bar in New York. And then there’s the story where he and a young buddy derail a Nazi troop train in Germany and have to make a quick getaway. It’s fascinating…and it’s a privilege to have interviewed Bill and to be able to present it to you. I hope that you find it interesting, although admittedly it won’t always be easy to listen to.
Chuck Walsh