Well, he was actually taken prisoner and suddenly appeared on our Hamburg doorstep in 1948. He found work on a building site in Essen and is shown here with our Hamburg neighbour and also ex-POW Herr Bonke.

Hans Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolph

A man taking his children walking, just before leaving for wherever he would be sent. France was his first destination.
My Father was stationed at the Hanseaten Kaserne, Fuhlsbuettel - Hamburg.

My grandfather, Vaito Starck (on left) with his mate during winter war. In winter war, he served in an MG-squad part of the 4th infantry regiment at Summa, which is often stated as the toughest place in the whole winter war because it was the place where the Soviets decided to make a breakthrough (Summa held until order to retreat was given). When the continuation war started, he was sent to the anti-tank artillery regiment, which was part of 56th infantry regiment. Continuation war took him all the way to Petrozavodsk (Äänislinna), and ultimately to Vansesero (Krivi) and Medvezhyegorsk (Karhumäki). During continuation war he was decorated with the Mannerheim Cross, but i don't know what he did to deserve that honour (Something brave i suppose). My grandfather died peacefully in 1998.