A tribute to Vilkas aka Walter Gruzas.
I first met Walter in the late 1990’s. We both lived on an Island off the west coast of British Columbia called Salt Spring Island. Population 12,000. I had just moved there with my young family and purchased a hobby and craft store with a SEARS Cataloque outlet. Walter was in the store often to pick up Sears packages for his wife Lucie. It did not take long before Walter became aware of my interest in all things WWII and Walter began to share his life experiences from the war. Over time, I learned of the highlights of Walter’s wartime experiences. I would like to share those with you.
Walter was born in Lithuania. His family owned some land with a mill on it. Shortly after the Germans invaded Poland in Sept 1939, Lithuania was invaded by the Russians. As was a convention during wartime, a Russian officer and his assistant moved in with Walter’s family and remained until the Germans invaded Russia in 1941. At that time, the wartime convention continued and a German Officer and his assistant moved into Walter’s house. Walter was soon conscripted into the German Army at the age of 16.
Walter was sent to an Island U-Boat base off the north coast of Germany, in the Baltic Sea, where he remained for the rest of the war. During this time, the Germans put Walter through high school, while he also performed military duties. Walter told me that his base was bombed by the British every day at 12:30, just after lunch time. He told me that you could set your watch to their arrival and that the British bombed them at 12:30, because this allowed them time to get back to their base for afternoon tea. I don’t know if this is fact, or just some of Walter’s humor thrown in, but the idea sure made me chuckle. Walter’s main military duty, was to drive a motorcycle with a side car around the base and throw out smoke canisters during these air raids.
I recall two of Walter’s stories that really reinforced the fact that this was wartime. There was an occasion, during one of these regularly scheduled British bombing raids, where a single bomber turned back over the base and flew particularly low. As the bomber flew over, Walter was shot at by the tail gunner. On another occasion, Walter was leaning against a power pole, eating an apple, while he watched a single P-38 fly overhead. As Walter was standing there, the P-38 dove down and did a strafing run at Walter. I can’t recall on which of these occasions it happened, but Walter received a leg wound from the bullet fire either from the bomber or the P-38.
You may recall discussions of degrees of separation, which is about how many people separate you, through direct contact, from someone famous, or infamous. Well, anyone who knew Walter, is only two degrees of separation from Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering.
Adolf Hitler visited Walter’s base on one occasion, where there was a big gathering to attend Hitler’s speech. Walter saw Hitler from a distance of a few 10’s of yards. Walter’s proximity to Goering was much closer, as during Hermann’s visit he was only a few feet away.
Walter had a sister, who worked in a German Intelligence office. This allowed her access to information, which allowed her to become aware of the imminent German defeat that was coming. She arranged passage by train, for herself to a train station on mainland Germany, near Walter’s off shore base and asked Walter to try to get leave, so that he could meet with her. Walter received his leave of a few days and waited for his sister to arrive at the train station. He ended up waiting for about a day and a half before her train arrived.
Upon Walter’s sister’s arrival, she shared her knowledge of the pending German defeat and the Russian occupation, which was to follow. It took some time, but she also was able to persuade Walter to not return to his base and join her to travel to western Germany, where they had an uncle. The two made their way to their Uncles and Walter surrendered to the Americans. At first, the Americans treated Walter with some hostility, but when it became known of his Lithuanian citizenship, his forced conscription and ability to speak Lithuanian, Russian and German, Walter was put to work as a translator.
After the war, Walter connected with relatives in Toledo Ohio, and received sponsorship to emigrate to the United States. Walter ended up on Toronto Canada, where he met and married his wife Lucie. Eventually, Walter became an employee of Pratt and Whitney, where he worked as a technical illustrator. Walter and Lucie enjoyed their retirement living on Salt Spring Island, where we met.
I introduced Walter to Aces High in about 2005, (can’t recall exactly) where he eventually met all of the fine folks in the Aces High Community. I was absent from Aces High from 2009 to 2020, so I missed many of the experiences, but I did keep in touch with Walter during these years. I moved away from Salt Spring Island in 2008. When I did speak to Walter, he spoke of Fuzeman and his squad with much affection. I understand that at times, members would get together and help Walter pay his monthly fees so that he could continue to play, wow what a great community!
To everyone who knew and flew with Vilkas, I just want to say thank you for taking care of my friend, and making him feel at home within the Aces High community. We are all better off for having known him. He is very much missed by us all.
