Mechelen is a medium-sized town in northern Belgium with a population of over seventy thousand. It is 22 kilometers from Brussels and 13 kilometers from Antwerp.
Mr. Minyole ran a gas station at the southwestern entrance of the town, and recently he was reluctantly planning to close his business.
After the Germans occupied Belgium, they drove cars and motorcycles to the gas station every other day, refueled, but never paid a penny.
"At least they didn't cause us trouble," his wife said with a tone of relief, "I thought they would loot everything we have."
"Do you think that's a good thing?" Mr. Minyole replied, "They just don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. They are using our supply chain to provide them with gasoline in the long term!"
Mr. Minyole, who was concerned about international affairs, knew that Germany was under the blockade of the Royal Navy, and Britain intended to "starve" Germany in trade.
