Born in 1925, he never attended a German school in Alsace and did not speak German, even when he was conscripted into the German military during the war. His father, on the other hand, had fought on the German side during the First World War. Such is the complexity of history.

Monsieur Prince was conscripted for the dangerous task of clearing mines along the pre-war border between Germany and Poland. His knee was severely injured, yet he was expected to continue working. Fortunately, he encountered a doctor who had spent 17 years working in France and who helped him obtain permission to travel to Strasbourg for recovery. Once there, Prince went into hiding, returning to his parents’ home, where his father concealed him in the hayloft until the war ended.