Friends and family in prewar Germany

Hans Wolfgang Lindemann (a German) married Ethel McGloclin (an American) in Philadelphia in 1929. He had come to the US looking for work, but had a strong German family heritage and served in the German army in WWI as a radio operator. After his father died, the couple moved to Germany (Braunschweig), toured Europe, and started a family (Oda b. 1934 and Karin b. 1936). Wolfgang joined the German reserve as he found that the least difficult way to protect himself and his family. He worked in a truck factory which was vital to the German war effort. Later, he became a Wehrmacht captain as an automotive engineer. He was discharged in November 1944 and later became a prisoner of war of the Americans in France. Wolfgang's two brothers also served in the German military in WWII. Ethel raised their two girls in a small farming town in Germany. She exchanged letters with Wolfgang as well as with her brother who was serving in the US Army. She kept a diary in English during the war period. In 1946, Ethel and the girls returned to the United States (Oda was 12 and lives in Philadelphia; Karin died in 1976 at age 40).