Contents
Chapter 72 - Homecoming
Overview
Hans Hubermann returns home on leave with his leg in a trimmed cast, reuniting with Liesel and Rosa. He recounts the LSE, Munich’s devastation, and Reinhold Zucker’s death. The family shares a rare, peaceful night, foreshadowed to last only a few months, marking a brief respite before darker events resume.
Summary
Early April brings relief: Hans Hubermann’s leg cast is shortened, and he’s granted a week at home before administrative duty in Munich, helping process cleanup paperwork for bombed sites. His travel is delayed by an air-raid scare, extending the family’s wait.
Arriving after dark at 33 Himmel Street, Hans knocks, echoing past arrivals at the same door. Liesel opens it, clings to him, and repeats, "Papa, Papa," flooding the kitchen with relief as Rosa and Hans settle him in.
Late into the night, Hans describes the LSE’s grim work—smoke-choked streets, disoriented survivors, and Reinhold Zucker’s fatal seat swap that spared Hans. He explains what he has seen and endured, giving Liesel and Rosa the clearest picture yet of his service and Munich’s ruin.
At 1 a.m., Liesel goes to bed and Hans sits with her as he once did, steadying her through the night. The house holds a rare calm and comfort, a peace the narration warns will last only three months, signaling that this homecoming is a brief interlude before hardship returns.
Who Appears
- Hans HubermannReturns home on leave with a shortened cast; recounts LSE work and Zucker’s death; comforts Liesel.
- Liesel MemingerOverjoyed at Hans’s return; listens to his war account; finds comfort as he sits with her overnight.
- Rosa HubermannWelcomes Hans home and hears his detailed account of the LSE and Munich’s devastation.