The story of Helge Welling
Target Practice
In the spring of 1943, German soldiers came to tell us of a scheduled target practice south of our farm, using live ammunition. We asked how far the bullets would travel and they told us we'd be safe in the fields north of the farmhouse. "Just stay away from the south fields", they said.
I took a team of horses to harrow one of the north fields. It was a sunny day and it felt good to be out. Soon I heard shots but didn't worry. The north fields were safe.
But then I heard a whistle and a plop, then another and another. The last plop was very close to me and my horses and I realized that the whistling was a projectile and the plop was the bullet landing!
I quickly unhitched the horses; we tore back to the barn, and made it safely. Enough excitement. Work was over for the day!
Listening to the BBC
German soldiers billeted on neighbouring farms often came to our door. Most wanted to hear the latest BBC radio news from London. They'd listen intently and watch out for approaching soldiers. If a soldier came along, our visitor would quickly turn off the radio and leave. Invariably, the new arrival would ask us to turn on the BBC news.
Adapted from the 2007 Heritage Book, with permission from the Federation of Danish Associations in Canada
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