Wenger was born on 22 October 1949 in Strasbourg, Alsace, to Alphonse and Louise Wenger. He

was raised in the village of Duttlenheim, 10 miles south-west of his birthplace, along with his older

sister and brother.[3][4] Alphonse, like many Alsatians, was conscripted into the German army

by incorpore de force (recruitment by force) following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine during the

Second World War.[5] He was sent to fight on the Eastern Front in October 1944, at the age of 24.[5]

Wenger did not speak French until the age of seven, instead expressing himself in the local Alsatian

dialect of Low Alemannic German.[6] The family owned an automobile spare parts business and

a bistro titled La Croix d'Or.[4] Wenger regarded his childhood as "like being brought up in a kibbutz"

because everyone looked after the children in the village.[6] Reflecting on his upbringing in an

address to the League Managers Association in 2009, Wenger said: