Colin Cottle describes what it was like to grow up during WWII, when the Blitz meant camping out in the basement, plane spotting and finding shrapnel on the way to school. When the war ended, many young people struggled to find work so Colin signed himself up to the army, aged 16, and was swiftly sent to the front line of the Berlin Airlift as a mechanic, helping to get often overloaded allied planes to Soviet-controlled areas of the city. Colin shares details of the devastating impact war had had on the German landscape, and how life inside the military bases changed with the arrival of the Americans and their all-you-can-eat breakfasts and nightly trips into town. He also shares fascinating insights into the black market, where cigarettes and coffee were a strong currency for the impoverished locals, and explains how these clandestine trades took place and what he would do with the cash. Many years after his service, Colin chanced upon others who served in Fassberg at a book talk on the Berlin Airlift. A deeply emotional trip back to the base with them served as a reminder that, although he was just 18 years old, he played an important role in the history of the Cold War.

Bert Crane started work in a factory making military components at 14, but volunteered for the Reconnaissance Corps at 17 despite this being a reserved occupation. In 1944 he completed extensive and varied training for this specialist role, which he believes was comprehensive. In January 1945 he joined C Squadron 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment as a replacement gunner/operator in an armoured car, serving through to the end of hostilities. In an excellent account that blends operational details with personal reflection, he notes that his first instruction on joining his unit was to forget everything he had learned, which was good advice because on his first night patrol he returned fire without waiting for orders; however, when he saw the dead body next day, it caused a moment of reflection. On another occasion they spent 5 hours carefully covering 5 miles of forest, fearing contact, only to find the terrain had already been taken. He recalls the impact of taking casualties in a tight-knit unit in the last days of the war, and how a final task was cancelled. He believes he was lucky because the Germans were retreating by the time he joined, though he remembers being afraid and the risks they took.