Bremerhaven: A Memoir of Germany, 1945-1947

by Bruce Haywood

The war in Europe had ended but a few weeks before and we in the room that afternoon, who had followed the victorious invaders by various routes into Germany, had wound up in a holding unit in a charming spa, Bad Salzuflen. It was there that 92 Intelligence Team had been cobbled together, its members being selected without their learning why they were being separated from their units.. Now we were being told that ours was not to reason why, but to go and work with the Counter Intelligence Corps of the United States Army. And so, a couple of days later, we did. But not before the Area Intelligence Officer gave us a final piece of advice. “The Yanks play hard,” he said with a knowing smile, “but they also work hard. Don’t ever underestimate them.”

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2010

About the author

Bruce Haywood served as a professor of German language and literature, dean and provost of Kenyon College, and was president of Monmouth College in Illinois.

Reviews

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly detailed memoir as he had access to his own letters home (his mother had kept them all in her home). Very informative and, of course, some dark subject matter, yet it is an easy read. Bruce Haywood paints a vivid picture of life in Germany during The Occupation with plenty of facts that I certainly had no knowledge of prior to this reading.

[Kathryn Bundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tribute to a town I loved

I lived in Bemerhaven from 1961-65 as a kid, 11-15. I was fascinated by this very readable account of post WWII intelligence operations. My family arrived only15 years after the war and so much destruction, but to my eyes it was a beautiful city, a place I loved.the