¤ ¤
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On the 11th of December 1941
Adolph Hitler declared war on
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the United States of America
throwing the country into the
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heated bloodshed of World War II
As an act of aggression Hitler
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deployed his dreaded U Boat wolf
packs into the waters of the
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Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf
of Mexico to patrol the American
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coastline. The U Boats were
part of what became known as
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Operation Drumbeat, a covert
Nazi plan to target and sink
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merchant vessels carrying
supplies to the Allied forces in
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Europe. Amid the carnage that
followed a single U Boat officer
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stationed aboard the U 166
was plunged into the heart of an
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amazing story. A story of
love, loss and forgiveness that
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bridged the gap between
two continents and irrevocably
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changed the lives of two people.
Join us as we explore their
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amazing story and take a look
at the dramatic and providential
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events that
brought them together.
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¤ ¤
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This is Cape Hatteras, a small
curve in a thin strip of islands
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known as the Outer Banks.
The islands are nestled in the
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waters of the Atlantic
Ocean along the coast of North
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Carolina. During World War
II this swathe of ocean was
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frequented by merchant ships
carrying supplied to Allied
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nations in Europe. When Hitler
declared war on the United
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States these waters became a
special arena for the Nazi war
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machine. Beginning in 1942
Admiral Karl Donitz head of the
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Nazi Kriegsmarine or Navy
deployed dozens of U Boats to
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target and sink all merchant
ships carrying cargo and
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supplies to the Allies. It's
estimated that by the end of
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World War II German U Boats had
sunk more than 800 ships with
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thousands of casualties and
millions of tons of cargo on
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board. Nearby is the Graveyard
of the Atlantic Museum located
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in Hatteras, North Carolina
where you can learn more about
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some of these World War II
vessels. Of special interest is
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an Enigma machine used on board
U Boats to send and receive
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coded messages. This particular
Enigma machine was recovered
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from the U 85 the first Nazi
U Boat loss of the war sunk by
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gunfire from the U.S.S. Roper
in March of 1942. But Hitler's
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relentless U Boat wolf packs
didn't limit themselves to the
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waters of the Atlantic. In May
1942 a German U Boat surfaced in
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broad daylight and in full view
of sunbathers lounging on the
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beach in Boca Raton, Florida.
The U 456 proceeded to torpedo
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the oil tanker Eclipse and a
nearby freighter Galizel which
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was carrying a cargo of
camouflage paint. There were
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even rumors that locals
along the Gulf Coast had been
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recruited by the Nazis to supply
U Boat crews with food, fuel and
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other supplies. As intriguing as
all these stories are there is
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one story that stands out among
them all, a story that weaves
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all these pieces together
infusing them with a more
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personal human element. It's
a story of a man and a woman on
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opposing sides of the war,
a sailor washed ashore and a
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grieving widow walking along the
beach looking for answers. On a
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cool night close to the end
of World War II a young woman
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slipped into a small boat
from the shores of Orange Beach,
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Alabama. Quietly she dropped a
large vegetable tin at her feet,
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took up the oars and began to
pull toward the dim coast of Ono
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Island. Around the close of the
war Ono Island was nothing more
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than a dumping ground for
rubbish. It was this that drew
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the young woman toward the
island that night. The fact that
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it was devoid of human activity
not the sort of place that
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anyone would be likely to
be snooping around in. Reaching
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the island she dragged the
boat up onto the sandy beach and
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picked her way along the shore
cradling the precious vegetable
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tin in her hands. Inside were
the contents of a past life, a
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dangerous life that could
jeopardize her happiness and the
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life of the man she loved.
Dropping to her knees at the
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base of a large wax myrtle tree
growing on the crown of a sandy
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dune she began to dig a hole
around its big root. Once she
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was satisfied with its depth
and size she gently dropped the
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vegetable tin with its precious
contents into the damp sandy
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earth and covered it. The young
woman walked back to her boat
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dragged it into the water and
slipped into the waters of the
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Gulf of Mexico as silent as a
phantom on the dark waves. Her
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secret remained buried for the
next 60 years undisturbed on the
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tiny island. About 60
years later Ono Island was
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unrecognizable. The island was
no longer a vast rubbish dump
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but had become highly developed
and was home to many families.
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Writer Andy Andrews and
his family were among these
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residents and one day he found
himself clearing a dead wax
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myrtle tree that stood
dangerously close to his home.
As he wrestled with
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the stump digging out the roots
his spade struck metal. Pausing
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Andrews went down on his knees
and began to dig out handfuls of
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sandy soil until he found a
rusted vegetable tin sunk deep
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in the sand. Prying open the
rusted lid Andrews discovered a
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swathe of leather hardened
by age and thick with mold. A
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silver button tumbled onto the
sand as he gingerly peeled back
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a corner Picking it up he
examined it noticing the anchor
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that was engraved on its face.
Completely flipping open the
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leather he found an odd
assortment of objects inside.
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After examining the contents
and doing some research Andrews
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discovered that they were
objects belonging to a German
Kriegsmarine officer.
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The Kriegsmarine or German Navy
together with the Heer or army
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and the Luftwaffe or air
force combined to make up the
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Wehrmacht Hitler's Nazi
armed forces. Fascinated by his
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discovery Andrews began to talk
to the senior citizens of Orange
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Beach in an attempt to uncover
as much as he could about Nazi
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Kriegsmarine activity in
the area. During his research he
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spoke to an elderly couple who
were members of his local church
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identifying them under the
pseudonyms of Helen and Joseph
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Newman Andrews spent several
afternoons with them asking them
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questions. What he discovered
was the that objects in the
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vegetable tin belonged to Joseph
and that they had been hidden on
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Ono Island by Helen. The
Newman's then proceeded to tell
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Andrews their story, which he
chronicled in his best-selling
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book The Heart Mender.
Their story is one of the most
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fascinating and touching
accounts of human experience
during the horrors of
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World War II. Yosef Lundemeier
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was a young German under
Lieutenant serving onboard the
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Nazi U Boat U 166 under the
command of Captain Hans Gupta
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Krumbach. Yosef had studied
world history at the University
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of Oxford on a full scholarship.
After returning to Germany he
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found work as a high school
history teacher and married his
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high school sweetheart Tatianna.
A year later Tatianna gave birth
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to a little baby girl whom they
named Rosa. When Rosa was still
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a baby Yosef was conscripted to
serve Hitler's armed forces that
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were mustering for war. He was
given three days to say goodbye
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to his young family and report
for duty where he was assigned
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to the Kriegsmarine as a cadet.
He was later assigned to the
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U 166 shortly before it began
war exercises in preparation for
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active combat. Before the U
Boat was deployed to the Gulf of
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Mexico Yosef went home on a
three-day leave pass to see his
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wife and daughter in May 1942.
While he was visiting them on
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the 30th of May over 1000
RAF and American bombers raided
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Cologne dropping bombs on the
city. When Yosef heard the drone
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of the airplanes, he ran out of
his small apartment to see which
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direction the strikes were
coming from. As he stood on the
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street staring at the darkened
sky filled with the empty
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silhouettes of enemy airplanes
he heard the sharp whistling
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over his shoulder. He turned.
He watched in horror as the bomb
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fell directly onto the apartment
building he had just come out of
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The bomb erupted in a huge
explosion. Desperately Yosef
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worked his way through the
rubble calling out for Tatianna
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and Rosa. At noon the next day
he finally found them, both dead
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Rosa tucked in Tatianna's arms.
Grief-stricken Yosef sat beside
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the debris until he was found
by the Gestapo who told him his
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primary responsibility was
to Hitler and his cause. They
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didn't even let him bury
his family but sent him straight
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back to serve on board the U 166
Before the U 166 was deployed
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Hitler along with Admiral Karl
Doenitz inspected the U Boat and
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its crew. Then crewmen were
informed by Doenitz that there
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would be an additional aspect of
their mission and an extra crew
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member. A Nazi party observer
Ninouns Schneider was assigned
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to the U Boat. Schneider would
act as a point man for Nazi high
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command sending and receiving
coded messages regarding their
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missions in the Gulf of Mexico.
Schneider had known Lundemeier
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when they were both students
at Oxford. While at Oxford
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Schneider and attacked a Jewish
professor in the middle of a
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lecture and Yosef along with
another student had hauled him
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away before he seriously injured
the man. Ever since that day
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Schneider had harbored a serious
grudge against Yosef. When they
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both ended up on board the U 166
Schneider plotted for a way to
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get rid of Yosef without
arousing suspicion. On the 19th
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of July 1942 when the U
Boat was surfaced for a routine
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rendezvous with a supply
ship Schneider shot Yosef in a
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premeditated attack. Yosef
tumbled into the waters of the
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waters of the Gulf of Mexico
bleeding and terrified in the
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darkness. The submarine was
bobbing alongside the anchored
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supply boat and Yosef managed
to hide in the shadows of the
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boat grabbing onto one of the
tires tied to its rail. When the
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boat ran Yosef hitched a ride
letting go 30 meters away from
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the U Boat. He was hoping that
the captain would turn on the
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searchlight to look for him but
the searchlight never came on.
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Instead the submarine melted
seamlessly beneath the dark
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waters and disappeared. Alone
in the water trailing blood from
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two open wounds Yosef began to
panic fearing an imminent shark
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attack. But the tide was rushing
back into Mobile Bay carrying
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everything in the water towards
land. Clinging to a piece of
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timber Yosef allowed himself
to be carried along by the tide
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until he hit the Dixie Bar,
a massive sand bar not far from
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shore. When Yosef felt his feet
hit the sand bar he stumbled
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towards shore for three
kilometers before falling face
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down on the beach. That night
Helen Mason, a young widow, was
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out walking on the beach at 2:30
a.m. Helen lived in a little
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cottage she'd inherited from her
aunt located on the sand dunes
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of Orange Beach, Alabama.
Helen's husband had been an
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American air force instructor.
Helen and Tyler Mason had been
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married four months when Tyler
volunteered to teach a two-week
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course to a detached wing of the
RAF outside London in February
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1941. Tyler finished the
training in 12 days and was
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getting ready to head back home
when he was killed in a Nazi
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Luftwaffe bombing raid. His
death left Helen numb with grief
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and bitterness. She hated
America for allowing her husband
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to go to England and she hated
the British for not protecting
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him while he was in their care.
But her most bitter rage was
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reserved for the Nazis who had
killed him. In the early morning
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hours of the 20th of July 1942
as Helen Mason walked on the
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beach near her house she spotted
a dark form slumped on the sand
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near the surf. As she came
closer she realized it was a man
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washed up on the beach. The man
was lying face down in the sand
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blood oozing from his right arm
and leg. Helen rolled him on his
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back and looked him over
realizing he was alive. She was
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about to offer him help when
she took a closer look at his
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uniform and it occurred to
her that he wasn't an American
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sailor. She asked who he was and
he gave his name in reply. When
00:16:21.21\00:16:28.88
she pointedly asked if he was
German, Yosef had no choice but
00:16:28.92\00:16:33.76
to say yes. That single
innocuous word let loose a storm
00:16:33.79\00:16:39.19
of emotion inside Helen.
Screaming at the wounded man
00:16:39.23\00:16:43.60
lying helplessly before her she
began to punch him in the face
00:16:43.63\00:16:48.07
and pummel his wounded shoulder.
She accused him of killing her
00:16:48.10\00:16:53.14
husband as she directed her pent
up anger to the wounded sailor.
00:16:53.17\00:16:58.48
Josef Lundemeier lay impassively
on the beach as Helen assaulted
00:16:58.51\00:17:03.99
him. Finally physically unable
to punch him anymore Helen
00:17:04.02\00:17:10.06
crawled away from him and
collapsed on the sand sobbing
00:17:10.09\00:17:14.86
hysterically. When she had
finally calmed down Helen tried
00:17:14.90\00:17:20.90
to figure out what to do with
Yosef. Should she kill him? She
00:17:20.94\00:17:25.84
didn't have any weapons on
her. She seriously considered
00:17:25.87\00:17:30.11
dragging him back into the surf
and holding his head beneath the
00:17:30.15\00:17:33.78
water but decided that she
didn't have the energy to do it.
00:17:33.82\00:17:38.39
Finally Helen decided to turn
him into the police the next
00:17:38.42\00:17:43.36
morning. Having formulated a
plan Helen shakily got to her
00:17:43.39\00:17:49.26
feet and began to walk back
towards her cottage when the
00:17:49.30\00:17:53.50
man's quiet voice drifted over
the pounding surf to reach her.
00:17:53.54\00:17:58.61
Apologizing for the loss of her
husband, he then began to cry
00:17:58.64\00:18:04.08
a horrible wail that filled the
air and rose heaving against the
00:18:04.11\00:18:10.82
roar of the waves. Lying on
the beach sobbing in anguish and
00:18:10.85\00:18:15.46
shame Yosef Lundemeier called
out to God repeating the names
00:18:15.49\00:18:21.33
of his wife and daughter over
and over again in the darkness.
00:18:21.36\00:18:25.80
Helen stood there watching
him until he had calmed down. He
00:18:25.83\00:18:32.27
asked Helen for her husband's
name and Helen gave it to him.
00:18:32.31\00:18:36.08
Then without much thought she
walked over to him and grabbed
00:18:36.11\00:18:40.68
him by the collar jerking hard
and commanding him to stand up.
00:18:40.72\00:18:45.89
Struggling Yosef managed to get
to his feet. Helen steadied them
00:18:45.92\00:18:51.76
both and then commanded him to
walk. But when Yosef asked where
00:18:51.79\00:18:57.37
they were going and
Helen pointed her chin in the
00:18:57.40\00:19:00.50
direction of her house. Together
they ambled along Yosef leaning
00:19:00.54\00:19:06.84
heavily on Helen for support.
Why are you helping me, Yosef
00:19:06.88\00:19:12.11
asked, breaking the silence.
Who said I was helping you Helen
00:19:12.15\00:19:17.09
shot back as she navigated the
sandy path homeward. When they
00:19:17.12\00:19:23.26
reached the cottage Helen left
him on the bottom step of her
00:19:23.29\00:19:27.00
home and told him to get up the
stairs and into the house. She
00:19:27.03\00:19:31.70
then left for work. When Helen
returned home from work she
00:19:31.73\00:19:36.40
found Yosef lying on the
bathroom floor still in his wet
00:19:36.44\00:19:40.84
clothes and burning up with
fever. Scheider's bullet had
00:19:40.88\00:19:46.15
sliced clean through his
shoulder leaving a gaping exit
00:19:46.18\00:19:49.72
wound on his back but no broken
bones. Helen tended to Yosef's
00:19:49.75\00:19:54.76
wounds as best she could and
left him on her couch where he
00:19:54.79\00:19:59.33
remained deliriously calling out
for his wife and daughter for
00:19:59.36\00:20:03.50
several days. Then one day Helen
returned home to find Yosef
00:20:03.53\00:20:08.64
recovered and sitting on the
couch in her tiny living room.
00:20:08.67\00:20:13.07
He was polite and courteous
and something about his manner
00:20:13.11\00:20:17.91
prevented Helen from turning
him over the authorities. Yosef
00:20:17.95\00:20:22.75
remained in Helen's cottage
where they maintained an uneasy
00:20:22.78\00:20:26.62
truce until one evening about a
month after she found him things
00:20:26.65\00:20:31.39
took a dramatic turn. They were
out walking along the beach one
00:20:31.43\00:20:36.67
evening in August when Helen
asked Yosef if he missed his
00:20:36.70\00:20:41.30
wife. Yes, I do. You miss your
husband don't you, he asked.
00:20:41.34\00:20:47.61
Aghast Helen stared at him for
a moment before saying, but it's
00:20:47.64\00:20:53.58
not the same. Why is it not
the same Yosef asked quietly.
00:20:53.62\00:20:59.99
Because my husband is dead,
Helen responded. Then it is the
00:21:00.02\00:21:04.93
same, Yosef said. It was only
then that Helen realized that
00:21:04.96\00:21:11.77
Yosef's family was dead. With
tears streaming down his face he
00:21:11.80\00:21:17.14
recounted the events surrounding
their deaths to Helen and then
00:21:17.17\00:21:21.01
collapsed onto the sand weeping.
Helen sat beside him a gentle
00:21:21.04\00:21:27.18
had on his heaving back in quiet
solidarity. Finally regaining
00:21:27.22\00:21:33.29
his composure Yosef looked up
at her and told her that he knew
00:21:33.32\00:21:37.79
that he must forgive her and
those who had taken his family
00:21:37.83\00:21:41.86
from him. We are the products of
our past he said, but we don't
00:21:41.90\00:21:48.37
have to be prisoners of it.
Confused Helen asked him why he
00:21:48.40\00:21:54.08
needed to forgive her and he
responded by telling her that as
00:21:54.11\00:21:58.88
surely as Germans had killed
her husband Americans and their
00:21:58.91\00:22:03.59
Allies had killed his wife.
Incredulous and incensed Helen
00:22:03.62\00:22:08.72
insisted that her husband had
nothing to do with the RAF and
00:22:08.76\00:22:13.06
the Allies bombing the city of
Cologne. Yosef listened to her
00:22:13.09\00:22:18.13
quietly before standing
up and glaring down at her.
00:22:18.17\00:22:22.34
He acknowledged that the RAF had
bombed Cologne and then pointed
00:22:22.37\00:22:27.14
out to her husband had trained
the RAF. Over the month that
00:22:27.18\00:22:34.32
followed Yosef moved out of
Helen's cottage into a smaller
00:22:34.35\00:22:39.15
squatters cottage along
the beach. Their friendship
00:22:39.19\00:22:43.09
developed and both of them
learned to forgive not only each
00:22:43.12\00:22:47.66
other but also those who
had taken so much from them.
00:22:47.70\00:22:52.70
In order to hide his German
origins Yosef Lundemeier changed
00:22:52.73\00:22:58.77
name to Joseph Newman and
adopted a cover story and an
00:22:58.81\00:23:04.25
English accent. He and Helen
fell in love and were married in
00:23:04.28\00:23:09.15
1947 well after the end of the
war. Joseph and Helen's story is
00:23:09.18\00:23:16.79
remarkable not only because
of the unusual circumstances
00:23:16.83\00:23:21.13
surrounding how they met and
developed their relationship but
00:23:21.16\00:23:25.93
also because of the very essence
of their story. At the very
00:23:25.97\00:23:29.84
heart of their journey as
individuals and as a couple is
00:23:29.87\00:23:34.44
the story of restoration
and forgiveness. In the book he
00:23:34.48\00:23:39.18
wrote about their story
author Andy Andrews says this:
00:23:39.21\00:23:43.45
Helen was consumed by bitterness
after the death of her husband.
00:23:59.57\00:24:03.54
Yosef was filled with grief
after the senseless deaths of
00:24:03.57\00:24:08.88
his wife and child. Each of them
had to choose to forgive those
00:24:08.91\00:24:13.92
who had taken so much from them.
It was not a case of managing
00:24:13.95\00:24:18.15
their anger. This simply
cannot be done. The key to their
00:24:18.19\00:24:22.86
restoration lay in their
willingness to forgive. But
00:24:22.89\00:24:28.76
forgiveness is not something
that we can do on our own. The
00:24:28.80\00:24:33.10
much used proverb tells us that:
00:24:33.13\00:24:35.17
And indeed it takes a
supernatural act of divine grace
00:24:40.14\00:24:44.58
to empower us to forgive and not
only forgive but to surrender
00:24:44.61\00:24:50.52
the past and experience healing.
00:24:50.55\00:24:53.89
The Bible gives us some
incredible exhortations and
00:24:53.92\00:24:57.49
assurances about forgiveness.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32
00:24:57.53\00:25:03.13
says this:
00:25:03.16\00:25:04.50
We're also given the
secret to accomplishing this.
00:25:13.24\00:25:17.08
In Philippians
chapter four and verse 13:
00:25:17.11\00:25:20.85
You see God is the greatest
forgiver of all time. His
00:25:25.25\00:25:30.16
ability and willingness to
forgive those who have hurt him,
00:25:30.19\00:25:34.00
betrayed him and taken so much
from him far surpasses anything
00:25:34.03\00:25:39.30
we can ever imagine and that is
why we should turn to Him with
00:25:39.33\00:25:44.67
the pain and bitterness of our
past asking Him to help us do
00:25:44.71\00:25:49.41
what we can never accomplish on
our own. If you'd like to let go
00:25:49.44\00:25:54.82
of the past and face the future
with hope, if you'd like to
00:25:54.85\00:25:58.85
experience inner peace and
happiness, if you'd like to cast
00:25:58.89\00:26:02.72
all your burdens on God today
and find true peace and healing
00:26:02.76\00:26:07.30
for your heart, then I'd like
to recommend a free gift we have
00:26:07.33\00:26:11.50
for all our Incredible Journey
viewers today. It's the booklet
00:26:11.53\00:26:17.24
Forgiving the Unforgivable. This
booklet is our gift to you and
00:26:17.27\00:26:22.98
is absolutely free. I
guarantee there are no costs or
00:26:23.01\00:26:27.58
obligations whatsoever. So
make the most of this wonderful
00:26:27.62\00:26:31.35
opportunity to receive the
gift we have for you today.
00:26:31.39\00:26:36.02
Phone or text us at 0436-333-555
in Australia or 020-422-2042 in
00:26:36.06\00:26:47.20
New Zealand or visit our website
TiJ.tv to request today's free
00:26:47.24\00:26:54.14
offer and we'll send it to you
totally free of charge and with
00:26:54.18\00:26:57.35
no obligation. Write to us at:
00:26:57.38\00:27:12.26
Don't delay. Call or text us now
00:27:12.29\00:27:15.96
If you've enjoyed our journey to
Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks
00:27:16.00\00:27:20.44
and Orange Beach on the
Gulf of Mexico along with our
00:27:20.47\00:27:24.41
reflections on the priceless
gift of true forgiveness then be
00:27:24.44\00:27:28.61
sure to join us again next
week when we'll share another of
00:27:28.64\00:27:32.68
life's journeys together. Until
then let's ask God to lead us
00:27:32.71\00:27:37.95
to find real meaning and purpose
in our lives and inner peace and
00:27:37.99\00:27:42.72
lasting happiness. Let's pray.
00:27:42.76\00:27:45.63
Dear heavenly Father, we all
face challenges in life and we
00:27:45.66\00:27:51.80
often struggle to forgive those
who have hurt us, but Lord may
00:27:51.83\00:27:55.97
we remember that we can only
find real peace when we turn our
00:27:56.00\00:28:00.51
pain, bitterness and our past
over to you. Please grant us
00:28:00.54\00:28:06.31
this inner peace and happiness
that comes from knowing that
00:28:06.35\00:28:09.88
you're in charge of our lives
and that you will care for us.
00:28:09.92\00:28:13.66
Please bless us now we
pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:28:13.69\00:28:20.10
¤ ¤
00:28:20.13\00:28:25.90