Believe it or not - I was born

This is another tale from long ago. We are going back to the year 1943. WW II is raging, the world is in turmoil and my parents are living in Berlin. In fact right in the middle of Berlin. Allied (well mainly British ones) bombing raids are ever increasing, whole neighbourhoods are reduced to rubble during the nights. My dad was offered relative sanctuary in Neue Muehle, about 30 km south-east of Berlin, by a mad scientist friend of his (more about him in another blog). Being Berlin bred and raised my dad always politely refused.

Well, the day arrived! July 30 very late evening my mother (bless her soul) decided, or maybe me, it was time to see the light of day. Mum went into labour and dad took her to the nearest hospital, the Augustus Hospital in Berlin Mitte. Here is a picture of what it looks like today - it was much drabberer in those days!
Anyways, as was the custom in those days fathers had to depart after checking their wives into the Hospital and patiently await the good news. Alas, there was mum and I, not knowing what was going on being safely ensconced in her womb, awaiting the inevitable - whatever that might be.
Come 5:30 AM on July 31 the air raid sirens went off with a flourish. Everybody rushes around the hospital evacuating patients to the 'bomb proof' air raid shelter in the basement. So what does my good self decide to do? Come and have a peek-a-boo at what's going on! Story of my life, nosey from the word go!
Mum goes into labour, on the third floor mind you, and the good doctor, midwife and nurse have to stay there to supervise my arrival.

The future Tormentor

Not to be too dramatic about it, the raid apparently was a good one, with many apartment buildings nearby being absolutely flattened. My dad, being a rather dutiful husband and father, arrives on the scene at about seven in the morning before going to work building more railways carriages to transport 'essential' war supplies to the Eastern Front (more about that in another blog).
Having negotiated his way through all the rubble and destruction he takes one look at me 'a very fine boy indeed' and proclaims to my mother: "Woman, we are out of here!"
Naturally, she is panic struck, like: "What, right now?" He goes: " Of course not woman, once you are ready to move and travel".
So, a few days after my birth the family moved to Neue Muehle and in with the mad scientist - as it turned out a rather fateful move indeed (more about that in the next blog). Here is a picture of moi, three weeks old being adored by my sister Gisela - more about her in another blog.
But, at least I was born, survived the wroth of British bombers and ended up in what was to become East Germany.