Memoir of a German Army Officer

Vince Panny was born in Kuling China in 1918, the second of four children. He was less than a year old when German settlers in China were banished from the country. The family returned to Hamburg Germany where the Panny children were to pursue their education in the best, most conservative schools. Vince rebelled against this structure and later attended the liberal Lichtwark School where he developed his love of literature and theater. Vince was drafted into the German army at the age of 18, and attained the rank of captain by age 25. In Spring 1945 he was taken prisoner by New Zealand forces in Italy and sent to a British POW camp in Egypt. In the camp Vince honed his language skills by translating English plays into German for prisoners to perform, and served as English speaking master of ceremonies for the touring prisoner orchestra. Vince was released in late 1948, and returned to Germany. He worked odd jobs for several years, never gaining a solid start or new direction. Eventually, as he heard leaders contemplating the remilitarization of Germany, Vince made a complete change, emigrating to Australia. He worked initially for the Australian railroad, and later as an elementary school teacher, pursuing amateur theater in his spare time. In the mid-1950s Vince moved to Eugene, Oregon and enrolled in the University of Oregon earning his Bachelors and Masters' degrees in Foreign Languages, and was active in theater during his time as a student. In 1963 he joined the faculty of Reed College in Portland, Oregon as an Associate Professor of German, and also became the Director of the Language Laboratory and coach of the soccer team. At Reed Vince found a home, a profession, and continued opportunities to pursue his love of theater. He remained there until his retirement in 1984. In the late 1980's Vince moved back to Germany to conduct research supporting the writing of his memoir. He joined the Hamburg Players, a theater group performing plays in English for German audiences. After several years abroad he returned to Portland, Oregon where he began taking and teaching classes and participating in a memoir writing group. The memoir group gave him the opportunity to share war memories in a safe space with veterans of WWII and other conflicts. At this time he began writing his memoir with his longtime friend Cynthia Gerdes. As the memoir was being written Vince developed macular degeneration first in one eye, and later in both, impeding the writing process. Sadly, Vince did not live to see his memoir published, but it was his goal. He passed away in September 2003. His younger brother Rolf's memoir detailing his own experiences before, during and after WWII was published in 2011, Between Hitler and a Hard Place.