War has an impact on more than the soldier. When the soldier goes to battle, the whole family is affected. This is the story of a couple that was separated by war and a little of the battle they fought to keep their family safe and together.

Rudolf Metzger, the son of Fritz and Berta, was born in 1916. Rudolf was born and raised in the Silesia Region. The Silesia Region lies in three countries, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland. For Rudolf, Germany was home.

Rudolf attended school through the eighth grade and at 15 years of age began learning the bricklaying trade. When he reached the age of 18 Rudolf attended the construction trade school in Brieg, Germany. Today Brieg is part of Poland.

The future looked bright as Rudolf worked as a bricklayer until he was drafted by the German Army in 1938.

Else Metzger, the daughter of Emil and Luise Proske, was born in 1921. Else was born and raised in Peisterwitz, Germany. Peisterwitz today has been renamed Bystrzyca and is located in Poland. Else attended elementary school in Peisterwitz through the eighth grade and upon graduation worked in various jobs: housekeeper, metal factory, and even at a cigar factory. Else was destined to fall in love with a soldier. Her soldier was Rudolf Metzger.

What would a love story be without a conflict? For Else and Rudolf the conflict was World War II. In 1938, Germany attacked Czechoslovakia and in 1939 Poland. Rudolf was a member of the Railway Pioneer Regiment 3. The primary function of the regiment was to construct and maintain the rail lines as the German Army advanced or to destroy the lines if they retreated. Rudolf was with the German forces as they conquered Poland in 35 days. Germany attacked from the west and their allies, the Soviet Union, attacked from the east.

By 1940 Rudolf and Else were married and had their first child, Hanna. Rudolf was on his way to Italy, as he said, to “Bail out Mussolini with the Greeks.” After Italy, Rudolf and the German Army attacked their old ally, the Soviet Union. The railroads in the Soviet Union were a different gauge than the railroad in Poland, so the Railway Pioneer Regiment was tasked with re-gauging sections of the tracks. Rudolf and the Railway Pioneers pushed all the way to Kiev.

Even though they were bogged down in the Soviet Union, the German Army had new problems. Rumors of an Allied invasion of France were growing. Rudolf fought in Belgium, Holland, and France. The invasion of France took place in 1944. What Rudolf and the Railway Pioneer Regiment had built, they now destroyed. Rail track and bridges were demolished to deny the Allies transportation of troops and supplies. German troops were in retreat.

By 1944 Else Metzger was living in an apartment in Peisterwitz with her children, Hanna, now 4, and newborn Karin. Rudolf was backing across France and the Soviets were moving across Poland. The Mayor of Peisterwitz ordered the town evacuated in January of 1945. Else and her girls were forced to flee to Schwarzenberg ahead of the Soviet Union’s advance.

Else and the girls were displaced and by May, Rudolf was in a prisoner of war camp in Italy. Every day Rudolf would send postcards to past addresses looking for Else and the girls. The end of the war saw Rudolf released and back at work as a bricklayer. There was much to be rebuilt.

Else and her children returned to Peisterwitz but Peisterwitz was no longer part of Germany. In June of 1946 they were forced to leave Peisterwitz and sent to a refugee camp in Haselunne. Within a week, Rudolf found his family and they were reunited. With Peisterwitz no longer an option, the Metzger family settled in Heilbronn, Germany.

The end of a war is not the end of the war’s impact. Germany had literally been blown back to the veritable Stone Age.

Electricity and water were not assured, buildings needed to be rebuilt, food was in short supply and Else had a family to feed. From 1948 through 1949 the Soviet Union blocked roadways, waterways and railroads into Allied controlled areas in an attempt to starve out the German citizens.

Food was in very short supply. Else would recall eating raw turnips and rutabaga when food was short. According to her family, Else refused to eat either later in life.

The United States and United Kingdom dropped 2 million tons of food in the impacted areas. For many German children this was their first chance at a Hershey candy bar; about 23 tons of Hersheys were dropped.

One time the Metzger family received a food package from the Allies. Else opened the box and was confronted with her first serving of a new food, potato chips. As there were no cooking instructions Else used her best guess. The chips appeared to be dehydrated so she first soaked them in water. This did little to improve the chips so she baked them to dry them out. At the end of the day Else had returned the chips to their original consistency and the family shared the treat. The family continued to grow, Karl in 1947 and Ursula in 1948. But conditions were still austere.

Germany had changed and Rudolf had bigger dreams. Uncle Adolf Metzger had moved to the United States of America in the 1920s and offered to sponsor Rudolf and his family.

Unfortunately Adolf passed away in 1951. So in 1954 when Rudolf was ready to make the move he had lost his sponsor. It was Martha (Bialis) Metzger who saved the day. Martha was Adolf’s widow and she offered to honor her husband’s wishes; she would sponsor Rudolf and his family.

Although Else was not sure about the move, her parents told her that her place was with her husband. So it was on April 18, 1954, Else, Rudolf and the four children boarded the MS Ryndam at the Port of Rotterdam and set sail to New York.

The oceans were rough and Else nursed her four sick children through the ordeal. Rudolf was on the same ship but the men and women were kept in separate areas. From Ellis Island to Chicago, then onwards to Rochelle, the Metzger family had found a new home. Lois joined the family in 1955 and Brenda in 1959.

Else and Rudolf fought through seven years of war, several years of recovery and crossed an ocean to make a better life for their family, a cause worth fighting for. On the east side of Kyte Creek near the bridge at the Little League fields is a memorial marker that reads, “Rudolf Fritz Metzger 1916 – 2006 Dedicated to our father and the town he loved.”

Tom McDermott is a Flagg Township Museum historian and Rochelle city councilman.