As the war approached its end, Frederick’s status as a prisoner of war also hung in the balance. When Hitler committed suicide in April 1945, it was clear that Frederick had only so much time left in the United States. There was no way he would be allowed to stay in America as a German prisoner, and the possibility of his being allowed to walk out of the barbed-wire-enclosed camp and start fresh as an immigrant was particularly remote. His return to Germany was inevitable, but the idea of going back to an obliterated country where homes and businesses had been reduced to dust was incomprehensible to him and the other prisoners. Additionally, Frederick hadn’t seen his family in years, and the thought of a reunion was complicated. He had no idea what his father would think of him as a returning POW—it’s quite possible Karl Albert could have considered his son to be a coward for getting captured in the first place instead of fighting until the bitter end.

Elinor and Frederick remained at Florence through May 7, 1945, when Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces in Rheims, France. World War II was over and May 8, commonly known as VE Day for “Victory in Europe,” became a public holiday marking the end of the Third Reich. Celebrations erupted around the world, and masses of people gathered in major cities, from Los Angeles to London, singing, crying, dancing, and celebrating in the streets.

It was a bittersweet time for Elinor and Frederick. Their future as a couple was in question, and they weren’t prepared to live apart. In desperation, the two decided to seal their bond with an act that would unite them forever. As the months passed and the POWs were in the process of being transferred to temporary transitional camps before embarking on the transatlantic journey back to Europe, in April 1946, Frederick and Elinor made love in the hope of conceiving a child. As a nurse, Elinor knew about birth control and had access to it presumably from the moment she and Frederick began an intimate relationship. But whatever precaution they had been taking to prevent a pregnancy was intentionally discarded.

They pledged their love to each other by attempting to bring a baby into the world to symbolize their union and commitment. They wanted to have a life together and decided that it would be easier for Frederick to get back into the United States if he were reuniting with his child.13 It was a planned act of rebellion between two lovers, seen as soul mates by some, as silly fools by others.