June 22nd, 1941.

On the same day as the invasion of Russia, Claire is thrown from a rickshaw and breaks her arm.

Came the 22nd June 1941 a most fateful day for many millions of people. It brought in the end disaster and death to them in many a country. But it also brought disaster to Claire. We took two rickshaws to visit some people. A drizzle came down and made the streets slippery. And then Claire’s rickshaw puller fell and Claire was thrown over him and onto the street. When I tried to lift her up she cried out in pain. “I have broken my arm!” she cried and whimpered, I carried her to the curb and there she sat holding her right arm, and I ran to a telephone booth and called the ambulance. We brought her immediately into the best hospital of Shanghai, the country hospital. I had called up my doctor and he was there soon after our arrival. With great anxiety I stood outside the operating theatre, and hoped, hoped that she had not broken her arm. But then the doors opened and they wheeled her out and I saw immediately that it was a most serious accident. Her whole right arm was bound in heavy bandages and in plaster, and the plaster cast extended over her whole chest and back. This was indeed terrible. The ambulance brought her home and there she was a cripple and helpless and crying softly over her misfortune. I comforted her, but I too was very much downcast. Then came the evening news, and I switched on our radio. Came the terrible news that Hitler had attacked Russia. Until then I had received a few letters from my people in Czernowitz and was happy that they were alive and in comparative security. But now, as the Hitler armies began to drive into Russia, their fate became very critical. Everyone in Shanghai was terribly downcast. Hitler had one success after the other. Before long, he would conquer Russia with his superior arms and armies and then, who knows, he would join the Japanese, and then we refugees in Shanghai would be trapped. ^{(SS 210-63)}

Meanwhile however, I had more pressing worries, and this was Claire. She was helpless with her heavy plaster cast, and I had to wash und feed and dress and undress her II' Everyone who knows Claire would know what pain and unhappiness this helplessness caused her. She had no physical pain, but would the arm heal properly? Would not her arm become permanently crippled? After all, she was not young any more. But the doctor could say nothing until the plaster cast was removed, and this would be in three months’ time. In the meantime, the most terrible season of Shanghai came about, the summer with its suffocating heat. Our electric fan was of no avail. I dipped Claire's face and body with wet towels, but the water evaporated quickly. The terrible heat inside her plaster cast caused inflammations of the skin and terrible itching, which she had to endure. I poured whole bottles of methylated spirit inside her plaster cast in front and in the back, and this alleviated her itching for a time. All in all, these were terrible times, the summer of 1941. ^{(SS 210-63)}

Came the day when the doctor removed the plaster cast. He was satisfied with the result, but Claire was not so sure. She had great difficulties in moving her arm and we both feared that the crippling will be permanent. Our Jewish doctor was from Vienna, and his wife, a Christian woman also from Vienna was a trained nurse. She would come every day and massage Claire s arm and exercise it. Slowly, she could move it better and better, but it took many months until she moved it properly. Nevertheless, we were happy that this terrible accident had ended comparatively well. ^{(SS 210-63)}