Just past this area, a frightening experience happened to Fred Karen’s mother during the American occupation in the fall of 1944. In October 1944, the family had been evacuated from their farm, located on the other side of the forest about 500 meters off the right side of the road. Mme. Karen nevertheless returned periodically to check on the family orchard and garden located to the right of the forest. This time she opted to walk back along the forest in the distance. The Americans in the outpost spotted her and commanded her to
”Halt”. She sped up her pace instead, but the GIs caught up with her at the lone tree visible in the foreground. A jeep ride to HQ in Dickweiler followed, along with a gentle interrogation as to her presence in the “forbidden” area. The same soldiers gave her a ride back home later in the day.
Later in the fall, the entire field in the foreground to the right of the road was mined.The road gently rises just before dropping into Dickweiler. It was here that hunger and short rations in Dec 1944 forced a surrounded American squad to butcher and eat pigs they watched feeding on German corpses three days earlier. Many years later, a veteran remembered those cold days and said "That's the essence of war, I guess, eat or be eaten." To the right on the descent into Dickweiler are beehives the soldiers raided for honey.
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