Lars Moen

American Lars Moen, a chemist and former journalist, had lived in Europe for the better part of 12 years, moving from country to country with his work, when the Nazi invasion of Belgium caught him working on a project in Antwerp. Under the Iron Heel is his fascinating account of the invasion as he saw it from Antwerp, and his life under the first six months of the German occupation.

Perhaps the most fascinating component of the book is that Moen wrote it immediately upon finally getting out of Belgium and returning to the U.S. It was published in early 1941, before the U.S. was brought into the war by Pearl Harbor. So this book is a look back at the early days of the war, and a look forward, conjecturing on things Moen could not know but we now do.

Moen wrote (he died in 1951) with a down-to-earth style, refreshingly devoid of dramatics. He begins by describing such mundane factors as the rationing system the Germans soon put into effect, but flavors this with descriptions of how Germany quickly began plundering Belgium's storehouses of food and goods, and the effects this was having both on Belgian life and on the attitudes of the Belgians toward the Germans.

Because Moen spoke French, Flemish and German fluently, he was able to speak with Belgians, refugees from around Europe, and German soldiers. His descriptions of the morale of the German soldiers, and his conjectures on how they might be affected by a long war, are particularly interesting, especially given that at the time he was in Belgium, the German soldiers were still expecting a quick invasion of England and a quick end to the war, something few Belgians considered likely. The chapter "What a German Soldier Thinks About" is one of the centerpieces of the book. (Can something have more than one centerpiece?) Moen's description therein of the total acceptance by these soldiers of Nazi propaganda was quite surprising to me, actually.

The other is Moen's description of what it was like living under constant night bombings (as the RAF soon began trying to destroy the shipyards and factories of Antwerp). Made particularly harrowing by Moen's levelness of tone, the chapters describing the bombing and the effects it was having on Belgians and Germans alike are compelling, to put it mildly.

Perhaps the most curious note of the book is the fact that Moen makes scant mention of the Nazi's policy towards the Jews of Europe. He says that he saw no evidence of anti-Semitism in occupied Belgium, going as far as to note that as soon as the Germans showed up, antisemitic Belgians posted Jewish stars on the windows of stores with Jewish owners, but that the Germans ordered the stars taken down. Moen says something along the lines of, "I can't explain this. I only report what I saw."

And that's the one and only reference he makes to Jews throughout the book, other than one or two passing references to Antwerp's "Jewish Quarter." Towards the end of the book, there is a long discussion of the observations and beliefs of the many refugees he's spoken with from all corners of Europe, about all sorts of topics, from conditions under German rule to their expectations and conjectures about the future, but nowhere is the Nazis' attitudes and actions toward Jews brought up here.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this, other than to guess that Moen just didn't find the topic worth mentioning or worrying about. Either that or it was too early in the war for the Nazi's Europe-wide policies to have become apparent. Somehow, though, I feel that the former is probably the case.

As I've said elsewhere, I have no idea where I found this book. It's been on my shelf for a while. No doubt I picked it up at an estate sale, flea market or thrift shop someplace. Only six LTers, including me, list it in their libraries. Amazing the education you can get from a book like this, grown underservedly obscure, which you pick up by chance somewhere on your travels.

For folks who like to read history written as events unfold, rather than in retrospect, and who have an interest in World War Two, I'd rate this book a treasure.… (altro)