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Liberation This was written primarily "on the spot" during the liberation of Stalag Luft 1 near Barth Germany. On 26 April 1945, the Russians finally started a drive northwestward from their long held key point of Stettin. Their bridgehead across the Oder river had been secured long before and we all remembered the blasting rumble of their big guns as we heard them 100 miles away in Stalag Luft 1. We had been waiting anxiously for them to begin their push in our direction ever since, and now it was here. First came the report that they had reached Neubrandenburg and were headed for Anklim where the Germans had an air base. Sunday, the 29th, we saw FW-190s and 109s and miscellaneous aircraft landing at Barth, and we knew that the Ruskies had reached Anklim. Sunday night we hardly slept. Monday came and some of the German garrison stationed here left. Rumor had it that the Red army was at Griesenwald and on it's way to Barth! Explosion after explosion blasted the air and rocked our barracks as the Germans blew up everything that they couldn't take with them such as the equipment at the flak school next door. Overhead roared German planes evacuating again, only to the west this time and carrying passengers. We figured that it was probably the higher ups off for Norway or Denmark. We were still in our little encirclement of wire and still prisoners and still under guard, but we were mighty busy with tin cans and what-have-you digging fox holes for what might happen soon. This included strafing by German planes which had been done before, and possibly being caught in the middle of a bunch of bullets in case the Germans put up any resistance. By dark the guards were still in their towers and there was no sign the Russians. The place was still noisy with explosions and rumors were flying fast. Once more we spent a restless night under the usual blackout and lock-up. As the dawn started to pierce the darkness on the morning of 1 May, I was at the window peering at the tower where the German guard usually stood with his machine gun. As objects appeared I saw the dim outline of a man in the tower and my hopes ebbed, but as I continued to watch it became a clearer and different picture. There was no gun. There was no long German uniform coat. There was a Kriegie hat on the man and a white arm band on his right arm. It was one of our boys in the guards tower!! It was the same in all the towers!! Yelling and cheering, laughing and crying, we received the news from the C.O. The Germans had left during the night, leaving the camp in the hands of Col. Hubert Zemke, our ranking American Officer. He was running around in a German staff car they had left behind, and had everything under control. Col. Spicer of San Antonio, who had spent the last six months in the German "Cooler" (Solitary confinement) for making a demonstration against the Nazis, came swaggering into his old compound sporting a Luger on each hip. Rumor has it that the Russians are only four kilometers away now, and we are anxiously awaiting their arrival. Col. Zemke has asked that we stay in our usual compounds to help maintain order, but that we could roam the peninsula on the next day. He released all the available food to us and we are really throwing a feast. Value dropped on our food items like the stock in 1929! The local bergermeister is sticking close to Col. Zemke and the camp and offering his services. He knows who will butter his bread from here on out! 1 May 1945 2300 hours: I shall never forget this night as long as I shall live! The excitement of this morning had worn off somewhat. The only German troops we saw were a handful that surrendered to us rather than evacuate. After gorging ourselves all day and listening to a few short wave radio programs broadcast over the public address system we had salvaged from the German equipment, we resigned ourselves to another blackout and night much the same as before. Suddenly over the loudspeaker came the announcement above rousing cheers from the South Compound that the Russians had arrived! Wild! You should have seen the boys cut loose! They hugged each other, did a victory dance in the halls and cheered the Russians with the full capacity of their lungs. We were interrupted by another announcement that the German radio had just admitted the death of Adolph Hitler. We went wild! The climax came a few minutes later when the Star Spangled Banner was played over the P.A. system. I have never been more deeply stirred, and every man there felt the same way. All were standing stiffly at attention and there were tears in more than one mans eyes. Only a prisoner of war could understand this feeling. We spent the rest of the evening talking it over, and I am now taking time out to record this before bed. I'm coming home, Helen! 2 May 1945: Today was perhaps the most fantastic of my life in spite of it beginning with a rain and orders from Zemke to stay in our holes because the Russians were appearing in force. About three in the afternoon we were told to pack ourselves a blanket and what food we could carry and be ready to move in two hours! The Russians were going to march us 57 miles to transportation out through Odessa! This wasn't good. However, Col. Zemke went to work on it an hour later and ended that foolish idea by ordering us to tear down the fences and do what we damn well pleased. Thereby scattering us so that an organized march was out of the question. The three parallel 17-foot fences of barbed wire came crashing down, followed by the guard towers. Thousands of us were getting our first taste of freedom in a long time, and we made any wild college mob look sick as we wrecked everything symbolic of our old prisoner status. I saw a group of boys chase down a rabbit and a deer, while the souvenir hunters made for the remains of the German store house. They returned laden with German uniforms, skis, swastikas, flags, guns, knives, helmets, etc. The climax came with the invasion of Barth. Frisco and I along with a half dozen others took off for the town to take in the sights. Some of the fellows were already returning to the camp, and carried a wide assortment of loot such as bottles of liquor (half empty), live chickens and ducks, live rabbits, vegetables from German gardens, etc. Some were riding horses bareback, some on bicycles, four were driving a horse pulled hearse, some had an old charcoal burning car, and others had buckboards. We continued past this endless screwy parade to enter the town through its aged gates. Every window and every door in every house had a red flag prominently displayed. The Russians were everywhere in no particular uniform and drunk with victory. Every store was smashed in and looted. Old people, women and children were the only Germans around. The girls were flirting with the Russians and anyone else interested, while the children were taking in all the excitement not understanding what was happening. There was blood in evidence now and then where the Russians had met a little resistance. To describe the Russian army as I saw it is difficult. There are no comparisons that would be adequate. Uniformity was completely absent. Clothing was so mixed that I saw very few dressed alike, and they were officers. The advance troops chief mode of transportation was horse and wagon and saddle supplemented by a great deal of good old American lend-lease trucks, tanks, armored cars, jeeps and trailers, not to mention the captured German equipment and European automobiles. The equivalent rank of the G.I. private in the Russian version was a mixture of Mongolians, Serbs, and what-have-you, a really tough looking individual. They all carried automatic guns and handled them like a woman throwing a cigarette around. If they saw something they wanted, they took it. I saw an American major hurriedly give his flying jacket to a Russian who made it clear that he wanted it by pointing his tommy gun! The Russian horsemen carried beautiful sabers and were well mounted. All Russians were resplendent with ribbons and medals. For the most part, they were friendly and some even gave us American salutes, but the average mentality was so low that some of them couldn't tell the British and Americans from the Germans in spite of the flags and U.S.A. markings on all of our clothing. A few of the boys were killed for that reason!! We returned from that town with a picture engraved on our minds that we won't forget. The Germans undoubtedly deserved no better treatment than that received from the Russians, but seeing a city of human beings looted and broken and raped, with drunkenness and disorder so prevalent is a vivid sickening sight to eyes used to civilization. 3 May 1945: We were restricted to the camp and the peninsula today by Col. Zemke because of yesterdays happenings. Ten of the boys from the camp had been killed from such things as land mines, booby traps, and Russian mistakes. About 400 of the freedom happy and more adventurous P.O.W.s had started out on their own for Rostock and other points west. Some were with the Russians and others were on their own. I saw one fellow with a bike, a bottle and a girl on the handle bars. The day started with an identity roll call, after which we dug in and cleaned up. The water system was "kaput" and the latrines were out of order, so we rigged a temporary water system and dug slit trenches outside the broken down fence. We policed the area and then took stock of our supplies. In spite of the starvation rations, the Germans had left a well stocked warehouse in our camp in addition to Red Cross food that they had kept under lock and key. The German food consisted mainly of potatoes and barley. We built stoves outside for cooking and gathered fuel from our abundant supply of torn down towers and fences. It seemed that the boys couldn't get enough to eat and it was a satisfying sight to watch them gobble it down (But not without penalty, for diarrhea and indigestion were prevalent). Some had chickens and rabbits that they had picked up in Barth the night before, and others had fish that they had gathered from the German nets in the weeds off shore next to camp (Mostly Flounders and Perch). Two boys had a hen that they were coaxing eggs from, and some others had mutton from a sheep they had caught. We never had fresh meat as prisoners. Life was on the upgrade for us as we awaited news. Two concentration camps were nearby. Of two hundred prisoners in one, several were dead and several more died after they were freed. They were in a deplorable state, and our doctors did what they could for them. It is true, I've found out personally now, about German barbarity and cruelty throughout this war. Russian soldiers have gone to work on the air strip with sappers and are doing a fine job of clearing mines. 500-pound vibration bombs were planted along the runway. Late tonight Col. Zemke made contact with British and American forces at Lubeck and learned that our evacuation plans are in progress. 4 May 1945: Much the same as yesterday, we heard several radio short wave programs including Bob Hope and Crosby. Also the Hit Parade headed up by a new song called "Don't Fence Me In". I guess that makes our liberation complete! Also the Russian C.O. of this area couldn't understand our not wearing black arm bands in mourning for F.D.R. so we rigged up some make shift ones to humor him more or less. 5 May 1945: I spent the day getting my stuff in order for the trip home which appears imminent. I washed my pants, jacket and other clothes and gathered together a few souvenirs. Col. Zemke informed us that we leave in a very few days and that planes are already grouping in England for our evacuation. An American Major, two captains, and two privates arrived early today in a jeep named "Moe" to take stock of our situation and assure us a hasty departure. They took a letter back to mail for me. The Russians have been trying to keep us happy since we are still in their territory. They asked us what we wanted to eat and got "FRESH MEAT" for an answer. They drove 150 cows and 500 pigs onto the peninsula for us! We butchered them with table knives and souvenir daggers and were happy. The Russians also tried to keep us happy and brought in entertainment. They produced a dozen front line troops who did Russian folk songs with the instruments they brought from home to war and also some folk dances. They brought in the equivalent of an American U.S.O. show that put on a very good ballet dance, excellent singing and beautiful music, replete with costumes and three women. Sunday, 13 May 1945: These two weeks since the Russians came have been two of the longest in my life, but we are on our way out now. B-17s from England came into the little field at Barth and we organized into groups of 28 and walked over through town, four miles, and climbed aboard. We flew over Hamburg, and the big Ruhr valley cities to Rhiems, France. We flew low and circled most of the cities to take a look at the destruction. At Rheims we boarded trucks for another forty-mile trip to a little camp where we were fed good old G.I. chow and sacked up for the night. That white bread tasted like cake! The next morning we got in line for a delousing and shower and new G.I. clothes. Next we boarded planes, C-47s, for Le Havre where we again took a forty-mile truck ride to camp Lucky Strike. We sat there two weeks!! We got a little pay, some officer's clothing, some P.X. supplies, and saw a lot of camp shows of the U.S.O. Toward the end of May we moved to camp Herbert Tareytown on the edge of Le Havre and awaited shipment by boat. We sailed 2 June 1945 on the SS Marine Dragon for Southampton and then Boston, arriving 11 June 1945. |
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