European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                R a amps de Rosavis Wolfgang Nitsch sits surrounded with historical material in English and German on the a Day invasion. Amateur historian has passion for a daybed Reaves staff writer Wolfgang Nitsch is one of those people who strike fear into the heart of the professional historian a he is the erudite Amateur with adj the names dates and numbers on the tip of his Tongue and a memory like a computer floppy disc. Nitsch can lecture on the military situation in the United states and Germany before a Day the command Structure of both Milit Aries and the factors that made a German surrender impossible despite the futility of its War efforts. Quot i be been fortunate that i was Able to speak to former High ranking Cerman officers and heard what it was like to be on the receiving end of the a Day invasion Quot Nitsch said. Nitsch a German american now working As a business consultant in Germany has a passion for a Day Quot it s hard to pin Down when i first became interested in a Day Nitsch said. Quot perhaps it was when i was tracking Down american military patches or when i was stationed with the 101st airborne div a the screaming eagles a in the 1950s. Their Day room was full of a Day and Battle of the bulge  he also said one of the strongest reasons for his interest in a Day was the speech former president Reagan gave at Pointe do hoc for the 40th anniversary. Quot the Man was a great actor on the political scene. His gestures and intonation of the speech that Day brought Home to me How important a Day was for the future of Europe and the world Quot he said. Nitsch s grasp of both the big picture and of the human details of a Day has helped him pass his passion on to others. A lecture and Slideshow on the subject Given recently at a German Bank kept listeners riveted to their seats for three hours. Quot i think this stuff is ancient history for most people but if they take the time to listen or to read they become just As enthralled As i am with the  Nitsch said his fascination with the american military goes Back to his teens when the army marched into the town of Stolberg in the Harz Mountain Region on april 13,1944. Quot it was Phenomena Nitsch said. Quot the Little half timbered Village houses i think this stuff is ancient history for most people but if they take the time to listen or to read they become just As enthralled As i am with the subject a Wolfgang Nitsch Shook on their foundations As equipment poured into the Hamlet. The germans stared in amazement at the amount of equipment. This was Only a Side episode to the War and the americans had such material superiority that people wondered How German leaders Ever thought they were going to win the  Nitsch said when they realized the americans were not going to harm anyone they crept out of their houses and stared gaped Mouth at the spectacle. Soon however there were rumours that the americans were going to Retreat and give the Region to the soviets. Quot Many people fled. My Mother was tired of fleeing and flatly refused Quot he said. But two years later  sister 17, ran away from a compulsory work unit his Mother knew there d be trouble. First his sister and then Nitsch and his Mother fled the few Miles to Goettinger in the . Zone. He was 16 years old. Nitsch was apprenticed to a Cotton import firm in Bremen then by great Luck to an american firm which led to his moving to Memphis Tenn. But then came the korean War and immigrants had to declare whether they would serve in the . Forces or not. Quot i was really in a dilemma. I had survived the Hitler youth and the War and now was faced with going into another War Quot he said. In the end Nitsch signed a statement that he would serve in the . Army and before the Ink was dry he was going through Basic training at fort Jackson . Quot my Hitler youth paramilitary Drill helped me. I was soon a squad Leader and later served in Wei Brusken at the replacement depot he recalled. Nitsch lived Well in the 1950s in Germany with the Dollar Worth 4.20 Marks and the average wage for germans at 500 Marks. Quot we were Kings a our uniforms were Sharp and our Money unending. In addition As an my that spoke German All the germans were eager to be on my Side Quot he said. Nitsch became an american citizen in 1955. After he left the army he studied business administration in Chicago and landed a Job with Ford motor co., which returned him once again to the country of his birth. He is now retired devoting much of his time to researching his next project a the Battle of the bulge around Bastogne  Subjec Britain May be latest to legally go to pot by Judy Jones London observer service cannabis is beginning to give the British government a headache. Government officials Are firmly against relaxation of the Laws that prohibit Possession and Supply of even the minutest amounts of the drug. They also forbid its use by doctors or patients to relieve medical problems. But this month police chiefs in the counties will debate whether Possession of Quot soft drugs for recreational purposes should be decriminalized. Keith Hellawell chief Constable of West Yorkshire recently said he could foresee when Possession of marijuana would no longer be a crime. And an observer Survey reveals widespread support among Britain Stop doctors and nurses for cannabis to be available on prescription. Cannabis has a Long medical Pedigree a Queen Victoria is said to have taken it to ease her menstrual pains a but it was removed from the pharmacological armory in 1971 under the misuse of drugs act. In recent years there has been an increasing tide of anecdotal evidence supporting its therapeutic value. Doctors and nurses have reported that cannabis has eased pain relaxed Muscles and reduced anxiety. It has been used successfully by people with multiple sclerosis arthritis and pain. Some say it has a particularly useful role for people who Are dying of illnesses such As cancer. Last october or. Anne Bieganek a family physician in Merseyside Liverpool for 25 years was acquitted by Liverpool Crown court of five counts of supplying the drug to her daughter she had admitted supplying her daughter with the drug to help alleviate the symptoms of a Quot serious and intractable illness a but denied the specific charges. Following the Case Home office minister David Maclean said the government s policy of not issuing licenses to allow it to be prescribed was based on Quot Long standing advice that cannabis has no recognized medical  he added Quot in the absence of convincing evidence. I see no reason to reconsider this  some figures in the medical world think he a right. Or. Alastair Donald president of the Royal College of general practitioners said Quot i know of no evidence that cannabis is Superior to existing a describable agents for the Relief of pain a but of the nine senior medical figures who responded to the observer Survey six favored allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana. All nine a who represented leading British medical organizations or colleges a were in favor of proper clinical trials to assess the medical Efficacy of cannabis. Such trials at the moment would involve breaking the Law and so cannot take place. A growing number of senior health professionals Are willing to attest publicly to marijuana s potential As a Healing and useful substance. Marijuana is. Legalization on Way scrupps Howard news service 22 the stars and stripes wednesday june 15, 1994