The End of the War with Chocolate Cake

Far away from his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, Ernie sat on the front slope of his tank, watching the people walked around their small German village in the Black Forest region. The night before, reports from headquarters indicated that Germany was prepared to surrender, and Ernie’s unit was responsible for securing the town square. As Ernie watched and waited, he began thinking about all the things he missed about home.

Ernie remembered playing stickball in the streets with his friends, and they dreamed about being future Brooklyn Dodgers or New York Yankees. Ernie remembered the chaotic neighborhood where his best friend Tony would go around playing pranks on people. His best memory was of his high school sweetheart Maria and her mom’s wonderful chocolate cake. At that moment, Ernie realized he had not had a good chocolate cake since he left for boot camp when he joined the Army in 1943.

Ernie spent time in England waiting for the Big Invasion and enjoyed the camaraderie he developed with his four tank crewmates. Ernie’s crew was a mix of America. John, a tall, lanky fellow from Montana, nicknamed “Big Country,” was the tank leader. Billy, the tank loader, was from Arkansas and always shared stories about hunting in the mountains. Tommy, the gunner, was from California and always talked about sunny beaches and surfing. Carlos, the assistant driver, from Texas came from a large family of ranchers.

In 1944, Ernie’s tank crew crossed the English Channel during the Normandy Invasion and fought in multiple battles throughout 1944 and 1945. The most brutal fight occurred in the Ardennes Forest when the German Army attempted a counter-offensive. It was the harshest and coldest fighting that Ernie and his crew experienced. Ernie lost many good friends in that fight but remained thankful that he and his team survived the battle. The shared experience cemented the bond between Ernie and his crewmates.

In May 1945, the fight seemed to be ending. German resistance seemed to be crumbling, and Ernie and his fellow soldiers witnessed German civilians and soldiers surrendering to the advancing American Army. On May 7, 1945, Ernie’s unit was ordered to secure a German village in the Black Forest south of the industrial city of Stuttgart. That night, reports were flooding in that Germany may surrender and the war would be over.

On May 8th, Ernie woke up like usual to help perform maintenance on his tank and eat Army rations for breakfast with coffee strong enough to remove the camouflage off the vehicle. Ernie’s crew appeared festive and were chatting in the distance as Ernie finished working on the tank’s engine.

John walked up to Ernie and said there was mail for him. John gave Ernie and the package and asked him if his sweetheart Maria had sent him anything nice. The rest of the crew gathered around to see what was in the box, and Ernie opened it with excitement. Inside were pictures, some small gifts, and a birthday card. Ernie smelled the card since it had Maria’s perfume all over it. It had been two years since he last saw her and always cherished her letters. John, Billy, Tommy, and Carlos asked Ernie if there was any of Maria’s mother’s special chocolate cake inside. Ernie said no and said he would die for a slice of her mother’s chocolate cake. At that moment, reports came over the radio that Germany had surrendered.

Well, you will never forget this birthday, John said. Ernie said he would remember the day the war ended, and he got a letter from his beloved Maria. Ernie’s crew had big smiles on their faces, and John told Ernie there was one more thing. John told Ernie that the previous night when they got into the village, he had walked around to see what was there, and he discovered something special. Ernie asked what he found, and John replied that it was not something he could tell him because Ernie needed to see it for himself. Excited, Ernie and his crewmates walked across the town square, and they arrived at a small bakery.

John told Ernie that he found the bakery the previous night and spoke with the lady inside. The lady was scared at first since it was her first encounter with American soldiers, but John said he pulled out some money and asked her to make something for him. When Ernie and his crewmates walked inside, the German lady was smiling as they entered. John nodded at the lady, and she presented Ernie with a giant chocolate cake. Ernie was in shock as his crewmates sang Happy Birthday.

The German lady smiled and cut a slice of cake for Ernie and presented it to him. Ernie took a bite of the cake and felt like he was in heaven. It was a chocolate sponge cake with a rich cherry filling with layers of cream. The cake melted in his mouth, and he savored every bite. John asked Ernie if the cake was as good as Maria’s mother and Ernie replied that nothing could be as good as Maria’s mother’s cake, but this was close to perfection. Ernie thanked his crewmates for going out of their way to celebrate his birthday by surprising him with a German chocolate cake known as Black Forest Cake.

John responded by telling Ernie and the rest of the crew to enjoy it. John said today is the end of the war, and we are celebrating with chocolate cake.