You can find power and humor in even the most dire circumstances, even during war.
The man in this story showed a lot of resilience. He was a prisoner of war (POW), and he still kept his wits about him.
See his act of malicious compliance and how the guard got even…
My Grandfather (*1924) died some twenty years ago, but I recently got the letters he wrote as a prisoner of war to his family (1944-1946).
I am creating digital copies.
While most are very heavy, sad and personal, I came across two letters written in a brighter mood with some malicious compliance.
There was courage in these letters, too.
He was a prisoner of the US forces and POWs had to work, mostly helping with construction of barracks, rebuilding infrastructure and such.
Of course they complied and did what they where told to do, but only what they were told, nothing more, nothing less.
Letter #1: One day they had to carry construction lumber from A to B and each one grabbed a single piece of lumber and went on their way.
An American guard thought that that wasn’t enough and wanted them to carry at least two at once but with the language barrier the order given was a blend of German and Englisch: “Hey, nimm two an das!”
So they did comply: two prisoners would carry a single lumber. And they refused to understand any other meaning.
The letter doesn’t state the immediate fallout and it seems that he enjoyed this little act of resistance.
But something did go wrong.
A few days later letter #2 mentions some kind of malicious justice from the guards.
A local bakery is finally restored and the camp received a load of fresh baked farmer’s rolls (rolls made from dark bread dough).
Every one got a ladle of soup and two rolls … except when my grandfather and his friends where up one guard said with probably the biggest grin “No! Nimm two an das!”
The joke was not lost on my grandfather but he was utterly destroyed to miss out on these freshly baked rolls as food was scarce and often there was only water soup with old bread edges.
It sounds like both sides were playing this game of malicious compliance and revenge!
Here is what folks are saying on Reddit.
I’m sure it helped him survive.
All POW stories are sad in many ways.
With our ancestry tools today, you may be be able to figure this out.
That must have been so hard mentally as well.
It’s poignant in a way, the human need to connect no matter what.
I hope his grandpa got rolls next time.
If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.
