Editor's note: After concluding his studies at Northrop, Eugene Kimling became a consulting engineer, frequently changing jobs to pursue better opportunities. He met and married his wife, Nelline, in California, and they had three children, Joseph,…

"After I provided the Veterans Administration with my Regents Examination results, I was approved by the College G.I. Bill. I had been accepted at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York as well as the Northrop Aeronautical…

"Since I was very young looking even for 17, some of the noncoms thought they could pick on me, and I did have a couple of fights. One occasion our sergeant-- who was a short man-- was trying to impress other recruits and accused me of something…

Editor's Note: On September 8, 1946, Eugene and his brother, Carl, sailed back to the United States on a Liberty Ship. They stayed briefly with their Aunt Mimi and then enlisted in the U.S. Army, hoping to return to Germany to be close to their…

"I went with the G.I.s at night, and they all picked up girlfriends along the way. Another rather interesting experience I had during this time period was a trip I made to Hameln with a young neighbor lady who was concerned for her family living…

"I had left most of my clothing and belongings at school, so I asked for a four-day pass to get my things. The Company commander said he needed me, so he sent a jeep to collect my things, which only took one day. The teachers that were still there…

Editor's Note: After Eugene's grandmother Johanna Muller's apartment in Hannover was lost to an Allied Air Raid in 1944, she had to spend the remainder of the war in a government-run shelter.  Once the war was over, she remained in Germany and…

Editor's Note: When he was 16 years old, Eugene and other members of his Hitler Youth group were taken to a training camp where they were run through military drills and ultimately asked to commit to joining the SS (Schutzstaffel) a major…

“During the war Carl was classified as a conscientious objector and was assigned to a special troop division. These were troops used to hold a line while other troops were pulled back. He fought outside of Stalingrad and his position was overrun; he…

“After Christmas 1944 I was returning to school from my visit to my grandmother when the train to Stadtoldendorf stopped… Several days later we were skiing in that general direction and we saw what looked like vapor trails going straight up, but no…