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WWII POW Photograph group - Stalag IIIB


KASTAUFFER
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My father, Harold L. Reynolds, was with the Iowa National Guard, the 168th "Rainbow" Regiment, aka: The Red Bulls. Next week I will travel from my home in Norman, Oklahoma to Des Moines, Iowa to the 168th Museum in hope of turning up more information on my father. I would like to post some pictures and documents but can't figure out how to do it. Is there anyone out there who can tell me how? Also, are there other individuals who were prisoners or had fathers and grandfathers who were prisoners of Stalag IIIB? Or who had an association with the "Third Iowa" during this time? Please contact me if you are out there.

My dad was in Stalag IIIB too. His squad was captured on the beach head of Salerno, Italy in September '43. His log book is always interesting to look over, and I always find something new. He describes the brutal forced march from there to Luckenwald when the Russians got too close. Lots to tell. He was with the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion, 45th Division. They trained at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. I've read that over 12,000 men were either killed, captured or MIA during that landing. Seems odd that the invasion of Italy, or Africa for that matter, does not receive the attention that Normandy does. Many people think D-Day was the start of the war!

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  • 3 years later...

Hi, I just found this site and these great posts. My father, John Hoenscheid was a POW at Stalag IIIB. He was in the 34th Division, 168th Infantry in the anti-tank group (not sure what Company.) He was from Davenport, Iowa and was captured during the battle at Kasserine Pass on February 17th. I know that he kept in touch with many former POWs from the camp during the 1960's and 1970's but when we moved to Kentucky in the late 1970's and his visits to the reunions slowed down. I am pretty sure that he told me the story about your father having the problems with his last name being "Nix" I am not sure he was the one who explained that Nix was indeed his surname but I remember the story. Most of my dad's stories were about playing sports in the camps and trying to escape. While he did share some stories, all of them centered on how they dealt with everyday life in camp; trying to survive, eat, and get along with everyone. I know he was trying to shield us from the true horrors of war and being a POW so his stories were always more light-hearted or told a lesson on how important food, family, and freedom really are. He told some great stories about trying to play soccer when all most American's knew how to do was kick the opponent in the shins! I could go on and on...

 

He was very strict about not ever wasting food. When he enter the service he weighed 180 lbs. After 27 months as a POW, he left weighing 125 lbs. I can't image my father at 6'2" ever weighing 125 lbs.

 

If you, or anyone reads this post, and would like to contact me directly my email address is [email protected]

 

Best,

Jim Hoenscheid

 

 

 

 

My father, Miles Richard Nix, was also with the 34th Division, 168th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I. He was captured at Faid Pass, along with all of the Company B and K with 30 caliber machine guns and Antitank Company when they were positioned on DJebel (Mountain) Ksaira in Tunisia contemplating an enemy attack from the direction of Faid. They got their final rations and water on Staurday night, just before the German attack, on February 14, 1943. The 10th and 21st Divisions of Panzers under Germon Group Commnder of the Panzer Divisions, General Heinz Zeigler, attacked at 6:30 AM during a fierce sand storm. They faced heavy fire from the Germans with little to fight back with. Finally on the 17th they were given permission to withdraw. By this time, however, they were completely surrounded. Shortly after dark, after destroying everything that could not be carried, they started their escape down the mountain and onto the flat.The ground was rough with ravines every where and they had had little food or water for several days.

 

AT 7:30, on the 17th they were discoved by the enemy and quickly surrounded. Not many men escaped that day. Most were killed or captured. Those captured were marched barefooted and thirsty through the hot sands of the dessert until the 18th when trucks came by and they were packed in and taken to Sfax where they were corralled into an open wired-in compound where they were given their first food, sawdust bread, and water that they had had in five days. They scooped out holes in the sand during the night to keep them warn during the cold night. On the 19th they were loaded into livestock cars, 40-60 men per car, and transported by train to Tunis where they were then flown or taken by boat to Capau, Italy. They stayed there for about 2 weeks where, again they had to sleep on the ground and recieved cabbage watter once per day which had the effect of causing diarehia. Then they were sent to Stalag VII A in Moosburg, Bavaria where they were processed and sent out to their permanent camps. They arrived at Stalag IIIB in April 1943. By this time the men were covered in bedbugs, lice, fleas and other vermin. They had only the clothes on their backs and shoes.

 

Daddy was sent to Work Kommando #1 in Trattendorf where they were put to work building a Turbo-electric power plant. The men worked 10 hours a day. Their daily diet consisted of ersatz coffee or tea, reportedly made from oakleaves and coal for breakfast, watery soup made from cabbage or some other vegetable for lunch and one loaf of German black sawdust bread for supper which was often moldy. When they were available the got potatoes which were often spoiled or peas that had worms in them. If they were caught throwing away any of this food their rations would be cut by 1/3. When available they also got a little horse meat. Thier loaf of bread had to be divided between 5 men. When they received Red Cross parcels, they had to be divided between up to four men. They were often not given or had been "searched" by th German guards and much of the contents gone. Once the Germans discoved that the POW's were gathering discarded potato peelins and eating them so they began urinating on the peelings to make them undesirable.

 

Daddy's surname was Nix. "Nix" in German means "NO!". When asked his name, rank and serial number, Daddy said "Nix". The guard became furious and made Daddy carry two pails of sand up and down a hill. After this happening two or three times, the guard raise his rifle to shoot him. Another POW finally made the guard understand that "Nix" was his name, to look at this dog tags, and he was saved.

 

In January 1945, dthey heard the rumble of the Russian guns coming closer to the camp. On February 15th, 1945 the POW's were told they were evacuating the camp. Little preparation was made for the enforced march on the part of the Germans,and the approximately 600 POW's suffered greatly for it. They marched for 4 days in freezing cold and snow. They finally stoped at a barn about 10 kilometers from Stalag III A at Luckenwalde. They stayed in a barn from February 19th until March 15th, nearly starving to death while there. The POW's were givenabout 47 grams of flour soup a day. They couldn't build a fire and had no means of staying warm.

 

As the Russsians advanced, the prisoners were kept moving. The Germans wanted to captured by Americans instead of the Russians if they were to be over run and captured.Finally, they were caught up with. On April 26, 1945, after almost twenty seven months of captivity, they were free.

 

They had marched for fifty-three days with little food, water, or shelter. Thy had nearly been starved and frozen. Their march later became known as "The Black March" because of the hardships and abuse suffered along the way.

 

Later, Daddy wrote to his Mother from the Repatriation Center in France. He said that the food was great and plenty of it. He hoped that his weight would be back on soon. He was getting the best of attention because "he was in Uncle Sam's hands now."

 

Sandra Nix Dean

 

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  • 2 years later...
  • 8 months later...
Therese Maiers

My dad, Ambrose J. Tauke of Dyersville Iowa was a member of the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry, 168th Infantry Division, 3rd Battalion.  He was captured on February 17, 1943 in Algeria, North Africa.  The attached photos were taken in the POW camp.  On the first photo- my dad is last on the left, second photo-back row, last on right, third photo - last on the left and fifth photo- second last on the right. On this photo, Jack Pilcher of Independence Iowa is the last to the right.  Any info on the identity of the other soldiers would be appreciated. 

 

So glad I found this website.  But my dad would have REALLY appreciated if he were alive. He died of cancer in 1993 at the age of 80.  Amazing he lived that long after all he had endured.

 

 

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Therese Maiers

Ambrose was part of the Invasion of North Africa ( Algeria ) campaign. The Germans attacked them on Feb 14, 1943 in Tunisia. Captured on February 17.  Rommel captured 4,000 men, moving them across the Mediterranean Sea to Palermo, Italy , thru Sicily, continuing to Germany via box cars..  A short wave message as received on June 26, 1943 that he was a POW in Germany.  Was held at Stalag IIIB for 2 years and 2 months. 

 

He had a little book that he wrote names and addresses.  Also tracked their route when they were released by the Germans and had to meet the Allied.  Liberated on April 17, 1945.

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Hello Theresa, 

 

Thank you for your post.  Those pictures are amazing.  Do you have your father's little book?  I am very curious to know if he know my father and if my father (John, "Tony" Hoenscheid) is listed in the book.  

 

My father passed away in 1994 and I completely agree with you; they were incredible men to endure what they did.  

 

Best, 

Jim 

 

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Therese Maiers

 

I could not find your dad's name in his book.

Attached is the link to the book I published a few years ago with all the mementos my mother saved, waiting four years for the love of her life to come home and marry her.

I made copies of the pages in his little book and added to my book "For God and Country".  My sister bugged me until I compiled all this info and published it so we could all have a copy of this info for our children.  Click on the arrows at the bottom and you can page thru. 

 

https://www.bookemon.com/flipread/430723?fbclid=IwAR3UaXUG_lbkf3oLOsqkD5Wwr2Hj2ur--r-QQ8Oe7TucKynSYrG7AsqmHR0

 

Let me know if you have any problems....

thanks 

Therese

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  • 7 months later...
Rebecca Cole

My father was Charles A. Wiedman.  He was a medic captured in Selestat France on 12-2-44.  Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of details about his capture other than he was in a house and a German tank drove up to the tank and shot at point blank range.  He was a medic and was treating patients when his happened.  The first thing the Germans said to him was, "What's a good german boy like you doing fighting for the Americans?"  He said that all of the Germans spoke English.  Charles was taken first to XIIA first and then ended up at camp 3B at Furstenberg.  He told me that as the war ended they noticed that the Germans had disappeared and a Russian soldier appeared.  He took Dad and another prisoner, whose name he could not remember to the office and gave them their German paperwork, which I still have.  The russian then took them outside and took two Germans off of their bicycles and told them to ride to the American lines, which they did. Dad said he told him that with a name like Wiedman he did not want to be caught behind Russian lines.  I never knew how far that was or how many days it took.  I sort of think now that it took several days because Furstenberg is on the far side of Germany.  

Dad was sick when he finally returned to Kansas.  He was hospitalized with an appendicitis on the Fourth of July.  I don't know that he ever fully recovered.  He had stomach issues for the rest of his life.  He could not eat cooked turnips, cabbage or potato soup.  Dad talked about sitting on a bucket of potatoes during a bombing raid.  He talked about the Russians in the same camp being treated even worse than they were.  

My Aunt picked him up in Wichita Kansas and drove him to Kiowa, Kansas.  She told me years later, "I had never seen my dad cry before, but he did that day."  He said, "I never thought I would see either of my boys again." They didn't tell my grandmother until she got off work, because they knew she would go to pieces.  They said that he didn't look as thin as they expected, but that he didn't look healthy.  

Another aunt told me that he told her he was treating a German officer when he was captured.  She said that she was home when an officer from the war department called dad and wanted him to go accept a big award.  She said she remembered dad screaming, "You don't understand, I'm not going anywhere that if I call to my mother she can't come to me."  He did not go.  

Prior to the war dad had been a college boy at Emporia state university with plans to become a doctor.  More than one person has told me that Charles was the smartest man they ever knew, but after this experience he struggled.  He never wanted to leave Kiowa, Kansas again.  And he didn't.  He worked as a machinist and mechanic for the rest of his life.  Dad could make a lathe sing.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Rebecca Cole said:

I wasn’t sure this would work before but these are Charles Wiedman’s documents! 

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These are great! Thank you for posting them.  That paper dogtag from Stalag XIIA is scarce, I do have 1 in my collection. 

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Rebecca Cole

Honestly, I wasn't sure what it was.  It sort of showed up as I was going through things, stuck underneath the picture some how.  I believe that dad wrote on the German camp paper, Night hawk, 1586.  Do you know what that means.  I think he must have written it himself.  I have more paperwork from the army showing that he was appointed the leader of a group of soldiers coming home from Germany and it looks like he was at RAMP camp Lucky Strike.  I've been trying to figure out if there was a camp roster, but so far haven't found one.  As I go though his paperwork with new eyes I find things out.  Thank you.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

RAMP means recovered allied military personnel.

 

Lucky Strike was basically a processing center these ex POWs passed through before boarding a ship home. There is no roster for the camp .

 

Thanks again for sharing it!

 

Kurt

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Rebecca Cole

Thank you again.  This keeps me from searching for a needle in a haystack that doesn't exist.  Frankly as a child I thought that Dad's story was very unique.  I am beginning to figure out that it wasn't.  Many of the men in these camps just left them and started walking to American lines.  What has struck me though is the monumental effort that must have been.  Many were sick, all of them were hungry and they left with nothing on a trip that took several days.  I know I am rambling on, but I am sort of amazed.  I spoke with a friend of my dad's in Kiowa, Kansas who stated he told the guys that after they were captured, they dug fox holes for the Germans.   I'm putting together a time line from the time he was captured until he returned home.  I think that after he recovered a little bit he went to Fort Leanardwood and took care of soldiers on a medical unit.  I need to figure that out.  Thank you for your input.  By the way I found some information that every POW was interviewed to learn of their experiences and possible war crimes. 

Thank you so much!   

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  • 9 months later...
On 2/13/2011 at 10:18 PM, KASTAUFFER said:

IIIB_6.jpg

My dad, Richard M. Gray, is on the far left in this photo as viewed. 

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