My grandfather had to join Nazi German military towards the end of the war at the age of 15. Fully indoctrinated of course, thinking, that he must serve his country. Got captured in Russia, survived prisoner camps there, by eating grass to avoid starvation. He told me stories about the conditions there. Hard work, and every morning someone would be dead from the cold or from starvation, or from suffocating in puddles of water. Later he was moved to an US managed prisoner camp, where food was plenty and good.
He also survived a head shot wound (visible on the side of his head) and doctors told him, that he should drink and smoke as much as he wants, because he wouldn't make it long anyway ... Well, he made it to old age and only dies a few years ago. (He did stop smoking, when my grandma also stopped. He smoked cigars and then from one day to the next, they both stopped doing that.)
However, I think it is in those Russian PoW camps, that he developed something we call "Hungerhast". I couldn't find a translation in 2 dictionaries, so I am not sure it is a proper term. Basically, body begins shaking, cannot stop hands from shaking, if he got hungry.
He didn't have higher education, but definitely had an engineer's mind. He built many things out of wood to sell them. For example he got into woodturning and also made traditional nutcrackers, which he also painted in various colors. Back in DDR this stuff was highly sought, because getting it from West Germany was not possible for everyone. He also had a writing side. Was able to come up with spoonerism (I just looked up that word. Not sure if correct. Some kind of phrase that rhymes.) and collected them.
He also survived a head shot wound (visible on the side of his head) and doctors told him, that he should drink and smoke as much as he wants, because he wouldn't make it long anyway ... Well, he made it to old age and only dies a few years ago. (He did stop smoking, when my grandma also stopped. He smoked cigars and then from one day to the next, they both stopped doing that.)
However, I think it is in those Russian PoW camps, that he developed something we call "Hungerhast". I couldn't find a translation in 2 dictionaries, so I am not sure it is a proper term. Basically, body begins shaking, cannot stop hands from shaking, if he got hungry.
He didn't have higher education, but definitely had an engineer's mind. He built many things out of wood to sell them. For example he got into woodturning and also made traditional nutcrackers, which he also painted in various colors. Back in DDR this stuff was highly sought, because getting it from West Germany was not possible for everyone. He also had a writing side. Was able to come up with spoonerism (I just looked up that word. Not sure if correct. Some kind of phrase that rhymes.) and collected them.