The Abbeville Boys

Chapter 25: Life After the War

      The Allies had invaded France and moved towards Germany at a fast pace. Even the most loyal Nazis knew the war was over. There were more and more Germans coming across the Swiss border wanting asylum.

      Kurt, Gretchen, and Joseph started looking for work. They all stayed in the hotel and enjoyed a relaxing lifestyle. They decided to stay in Switzerland even after the war was over to see what would happen.

      Joseph found a job working for a radio repair shop. The money was good and allowed him to get a small apartment. He enjoyed the work and the people he worked with.

      Kurt got his car and drove out to a small airport north of town and talked to man about a job. He walked up with a big smile, “Hi, I’m Kurt Reichard. I flew ME 109’s for the Luftwaffe and know about airplane mechanics. Is there anything I can do around here? I need a job.”

      The man smiled back, “You’re Kurt Reichard? I’ve heard of you. The ace of the Abbeville Boys. Hello, I’m Peter Bachmeier. I run this small transport company. Would you like to fly mail and packages to other cities in Switzerland? You could also work on some of our planes. I could pay you forty Francs a week.”

      Kurt’s eyes lit up, it was a lot of money for the time, “Yes sir. That sounds great. When should I report?”

      Peter said, “You can report day after tomorrow at 8:00AM and I’ll show what to do. I’ll see you then.”

      Kurt thanked him and went back to tell Gretchen. He walked into the hotel room and immediately started kissing her. They began taking their clothes off and crawled into bed. They made love for close to an hour and then laid there talking. Kurt said, “I got a really good job at the airport this morning. It pays great. I was walking around and found a charming apartment around the corner we can move to. It’s partially furnished so we won’t have to buy a lot. We can go look at it if you want.”

      She starred into his eyes, “I don’t need to see it. If you like it, I like it. It sounds perfect darling. I want to get a job though. I want to help with the money.”

      Kurt had a stern look, “I understand, but with what I’m making we’ll have plenty of money. There are a lot of Germans entering the country and I’m concerned for your safety. I don’t want anything to happen to you again. I’ll tell you what, how about you find a job at a small shop close to the apartment.”

      She snuggled close to him and started rubbing his face gently, “That sounds great. When we get settled in, I’ll start looking for a job. I’ve seen a lot of police walking around so I should be safe.” They was hugging, kissing and just enjoying being together.

      In the afternoon they went and rented their new apartment on the second floor. There wasn’t much to move from the hotel room. They began setting up housekeeping. The apartment was good size and clean. It was well decorated, and Gretchen fell in love with it. The living room had several large windows and wooden floors. There was a large throw rug in front of the couch. There was one large window and rugs in the bedrooms also. The kitchen was good size, and Gretchen would enjoy it. The entire building was nice. There was a building on one side and an open area on the other with a park nearby. The apartment had a great view all the way around.

      The next day they decided it was time to buy groceries from the market down the block. There were several nice restaurants nearby, but they still needed food at the apartment. As they walked Kurt was pointing out shops less than a block from the apartment where Gretchen could apply for work. She was holding his hand and smiling as he pointed them out.

      They got back to the apartment and Gretchen said, “You go sit down and I’m going to fix you our first dinner in the apartment.”

      Kurt went and sat down to read the local newspaper. It was a great source of information. It wasn’t censored so it was accurate. He read about the advances by the allies on all fronts. He sat there and pondered his decision to leave the Reich. Should he have stayed with his Boys. After seeing what the Nazis did to the people he loved, and the broken promises to the Luftwaffe, he was done. It was time to start a new life with Gretchen.

      The next morning, he drove to the airfield and met with Bachmeier. They greeted each other and he slapped Kurt on the back, “I got a short mail run for you to Bern Berne. It should just take a few hours. Can you fly a Stieglitz?” 

      Kurt got a big smile on his face, “Yes sir. I took flight training in that plane. I know it well.”

      Bachmeier said, “Great, we’ll pack the mail in the back seat, and I’ll give you the co-ordinates to the airport just east of the city. We’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.” After about fifteen minutes Kurt crawled in the cockpit and took off headed for Bern Berne.

      Meanwhile, Gretchen walked down the block to a dress boutique two doors down from the apartment. She walked in and a beautiful middle aged lady dressed exquisitely was frantically running around putting dresses on racks. The lady stopped when Gretchen walked in, “How are you doing today?”

      Gretchen answered, “I’m fine. This is a beautiful shop. Do you own it?"

      The lady stopped to talk, "Yes, I've been here about five years. I'm Willamina Voss." She stuck out her hand.

      Gretchen smiled and shook her hand, "I'm Gretchen Reichard. You look really busy."

      "Yes, I stay busy. This place has become popular."

      They were talking about the types of dresses Willamina sold when Gretchen asked, "Do you need any help here? I need a job."

      Willamina thought about for just a second and said, "Yes, I think you would be great for the job. I can pay you five francs a week. The hours are good, only five hours a day. It might include some weekends."

      Gretchen had a big smile, "It sounds great. When can I start."

      "You can start tomorrow at ten o'clock. I'm glad to have you working here."

      They chit chatted some more, and Gretchen headed back to the apartment to wait for Kurt to give him the good news.

      Kurt made it to Bern Berne and everything went smoothly. He arrived back at the Zurich airport and Bachmeier told him, “You did a good job. That’ll be all for today. I’ll see you in the morning.”

      Kurt thanked him and headed back into town. He decided to stop off at the radio shop where Joseph was working. He walked in and Joseph was right there. He was looking more like his old self. He had put weight back on and had a spring in his step. They hugged and stepped back. Joseph said, “I was just getting ready to come check on you. Everything going alright?”

      “Yes, my friend. I’ve got a job at the airport flying mail to other cities. How about you, are you happy here?”

      All Joseph could do was smile, “I can’t believe I’m here. This is great. I enjoy the work, and I’ve already met a sweet young lady friend. I have you to thank for it. I can never repay you.”

      “You don’t owe me anything. As I said, we’re brothers.”

Joseph showed him around the shop and Kurt decided he needed a radio. Joseph showed him a good one and Kurt bought the radio, which was newest model. He told Joseph, "Gretchen will love it." They departed and agreed to have dinner tomorrow evening. Joseph was going to show off his lady friend. They didn’t know what was about to happen because of all the Nazis in Switzerland.