The presence of the Tobruk was well-known locally, and French civilians would give us a formal greeting as they passed; there was a herd of dairy cows nearby, and the farmer was under instructions to give us a can of milk every second day. We rewarded this with cigarettes and boiled sweets from our ration. The farmer’s daughter was a very charming girl of about our age, who had taken the sensible precaution of learning to speak some German words and also some English. In general it can be said that we had an excellent relationship with the local people.
Would she be regarded as a collaborator after the war, I wonder?
