Huguette Bottaccioli Berger

14 August 1924 - Born in Nice, France.

Huguette grew up in France during the depression. Her older brother was in shool. Her father was an electrician and her mother was a housekeeper for an elderly lady. They lived in a two room basement and her parents played the guitar and banjo in a local bar to make extra money. Her parents were good to them and they always had nice toys at Christmas. Her grandparents had some land and gave it to her father to build on. They moved into a nice stucco villa when she was seven. In 1938 she began high school where she rode her bike to school. Rumors of war loomed. Rene graduated and began work in a coffee factory making deliveries to many local towns. Huguette enjoyed riding with her brother on these deliveries. In 1939 Huguette was starting to learn to be a seamstress when Hitler invaded Poland. Shortly afterward, France bagan to mobilize for war when Italy declared war on England and France. Her father was 42 years old and was placed in a bomber plant in Cannes.Huguette continued to do various jobs such as delivering clothes and once was an extra in a movie. Food rationing began and eventually houses and buildings in the area were bombed.

1941 - Her brother Rene enlisted in the French Army and served in the 20th Battalion, Chassurs Alpin.

(Rene in the uniform of the French 20th Battalion, Chassurs Alpin with Huguette)

1943 - Italian Army occupied many areas in South of France, French Army was disbanded and the Soldiers including Rene were sent home.

8 May 1943 - The Germans sent Rene a letter ordering him to report to work in a labor camp. His mother was very distressed and wanted to go with him.Their father told their mother that he would go instead to take care of him. They both left but were split up their father was sent to Wiesbaden, Germany then to Dresden, Germany. Rene was sent to Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Huguette and her mother did not see them again for two years.

One day Huguette and one of her girlfriends named Lisette was off work from shoe factory where she made Raffia shoes. They decided to go to the local bar to get some lemonade and listen to music of the Glenn Miller Band. Outside a black car stopped and two men dressed in black with a little SS pin on their lapel. Huguette told her girlfriend if they ask anything just say yes. The SS men asked if they could join them. They asked about their jobs and how well they were paid. The SS men then offered them a job to work at the SS Headquarters. The SS men gave them a card and told them to report the next morning at 9 o'clock to work. Huguette and her girlfriend slowly got up and exited the bar. Their boss and family friend at the shoe factory across the street witnessed the whole thing. He told them to pack and he arranged for them to stay with families in the Maritime Alps. Huguette stayed on a farm and her mother stayed behind in Nice for awhile to close up their Villa and then joined Huguette later. Eventually they rented an apartment in Belvedere, France. Her mother did housekeeping work to earn a living. Huguette made friends with Victorine and Leoni while living in Belvedere, France.

September 1944 - Met Pvt. Jack Berger near Belvedere, France while she was hiding in the Maritime Alps. At first, first Jack was very shy but Huguette thought he was very good looking so little by little she got nearer to him and he started to mellow. They started going together and he finally asked her to marry him.

07 December 1944 - Married Pvt. Jack Melvin Berger at Cimiez Church in Nice, France. Jack went AWOL on 06 Dec 44 at 2300 hours in order to marry her. He reported back to his unit on 08 Dec 44 at 1530 hours. Another Soldier named Dick Fisco also went AWOL at the same time and married a French girl.

1945 - Huguettes father came home to Nice, France from Germany after the war. Huguette was pregnant and still living in Belvedere. She wanted to go to Nice, France to greet him but security was still tight and a pass was required to travel from town to town. She finally snuck out and made it to Nice, France and met with her father. Her father was at first very upset because he thought Jack Berger was a German but she explained that he was an American Paratrooper she met and married and things were alright. A bus driver helped her to sneak back to Belvedere.

Rene was reported as missing. Their mother would not believe it so she would go down to the train station every day to see all of the guys returning from Germany. One day she heard Rene announced over the microphone. Rene was finally home. Rene also brought with him a French girl from Grasse home with him. Everyone was happy to be home again, Rene had a large wedding and a week later 21 September 1945 John Berger was born. Pvt. Jack Berger was able to return to Nice, France in time to be there for the birth.

07 November 1945 - Jack was honorably discharged from the Army while in Germany as a Pvt. and was on his way home to America. Jack tried to take Huguette back with him but while in Paris the Red Cross told her that she would have to travel back with all of the other war brides. Jack took her back to Nice and she waited for her papers to arrive.

May 1946 she returned to Paris with her papers and was assigned to Camp Phillip Morris in Le Harve. The camp was awful and the ship Zebulon Vance (Ship of Death) to New York was even worse. 13 babies and 360 women died while enroute.

1946 - Traveled to America as a War Bride this was a big change for her and she still did not speak English and Jack did not speak French.

08 May 1947 - Son Richard was born.

31 January 1948 - Jack Berger re-enlisted in the Air Force at Offutt Field, Fort Crook, Nebraska which gave them an opportunity to travel.

17 June 1948 - Daughter Jacqueline was born.

1951 - Stationed in Rabat, Morocco at first they rented a house off post but riots calling for Arab Independence from the French occured and all US personnel were ordered to move on post.

1953 - Departed Morocco for

1955 - Stationed in Morocco

1959 - Departed Morocco

1962 - Stationed in Chatearoux, France. This was a great opportunity for Huguette because she was able to go down to Nice, France every weekend and see her parents.

1967 - Departed France

Jack Berger was transferred to the 507th Transportation Squadron, ADC at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan were he retired on June 1, 1967 as a Senior Master Sergeant with 24 years and 7 days of service.

30 April 1984 - Jack and Huguette went to France to participate in the 40th Anniversary events in Europe.

1996 - Jack Berger entered a Veterans Home after suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

15 October 2004 - Jack Berger passed away

Huguette interests and hobbies include listening to opera like Andrea Boccelli, Josh Groban and Sarah Breightman, crochet and reading.

Huguette has many interesting stories that I look forward to sharing in the future such as hiding out from the Gestapo and what it was like to be a War Bride in WWII.