During World War II, from 1939 to 1945, Tomi Ungerer spoke German at school, Alsatian with friends, and French at home. This could have even landed him a fine of three marks per "bonjour" and later resulted in imprisonment. During this period, he was known as Hans Thomas. At school, he was taught that Leonardo da Vinci was of German descent and that his real name was Leonard von Wincke. Despite the chaos, he collected helmets from French soldiers. He also received beautiful statuettes made by Russian prisoners of war who helped in the garden. Today, he tells his story without worrying about etiquette, always speaking with an accent.