December 5, 1944
Introduction to the content
Curt Bloch published St. Nicholas in Wartime just in time for St. Nicholas Day in 1944: In the Netherlands, there is such great suffering that St. Nicholas cannot distribute gifts. The German occupation prevents his traditional generosity. He sadly thinks of all the delightful things he can not deliver to Dutch children and adults. St. Nicholas and his servant Pieterman must suspend their work this year and hope for better times.
The German Wehrmacht launched almost 9,000 V1 (Vergeltungswaffe 1) cruise missiles during World War II. In 1944, the Germans introduced an improved model, the V2. Before the war ended in 1945, they launched 3,200 of these supersonic rockets, 1,610 targeting Antwerp and 1,358 targeting London. Thousands of civilians lost their lives to these “wonder weapons.” In his poem The V2, Curt Bloch points out that contrary to high expectations, neither the first nor the second “V” led to victory. Addressing the attackers, he insists: “Soon you will be out-Vee-ed”
Farewell from ‘the Golden Bombs’ is a unique OWC poem. Only a fragment remains. One page was completely torn off, and a piece is missing from another page. In the remaining lines, Curt Bloch speaks about his move to a new hiding place. Perhaps the poem contained information that could have revealed his previous location. This would explain the subsequent “censorship.”
In contrast to the apparent famine, a newspaper report claims that the German supply of raw materials and food is excellent. Curt Bloch considers this German Reich Balance November 1944 to be massively manipulated and emphasizes: “The German bankruptcy is grinning at the door.”
