US pilot found after 70 years

[AB45]

Hey

Unfortunately only in German. But maybe someone can translate here

The man was killed after his crash and buried in the woods.

A German goes on a search and finds the grave of John Williams Herb

 

 

 

 

http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/er-wurde-70-jahre-lang-vermisst-im-krieg-ermordet-deutscher-deckt-tod-eines-us-piloten-auf_id_4737340.html

 

Greetings from Germany

AB45

[doinworkinvans]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Herb&GSfn=John&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GSsr=41&GRid=56299699&df=all&

 

 

 

[doinworkinvans]

The images of a downed fighter pilot in WWII plagued Wolfgang Römer his life. 70 years later he went to the story of the crashed pilot - and covers a war crime on.

On 13 April 1945 crossed the paths of John William Herb and Wolfgang Römer. The lieutenant of Ohio was 23 and the boy from East Prussia five, as the refugee child saw the crash burning machine of fighter pilot between Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg. Seven decades did not let the Romans picture going.

As an old man he went to the story of the young lieutenant. With the help of American and German authorities he covered a war crimes, a man helped to rest - and caused a bit of understanding.

 

 

"The image of the burning aircraft took me seven decades not let go," the little boy from back then says. "There was this man, of whose fate no one knew anything." Manfred Römer pauses, then adds the 75-year-old: "My father has remained in Russia, no one knows where. Somehow I always thought that a family lives in America with the same pain. "

Herb is this family, today proudly in twelfth generation Americans with as much pride in their German ancestry. "He was the only child of my great uncle," says Michael Herb, 62. "All we knew was that he was missing over Germany. His parents have not gotten to her death that she never had confirmation of the fate of her son. "Even Michael heard the story many times as a child and told them his children. He never would have thought that he could tell to end once.

Herb survived the crash
Romans made himself as a detective to work, ransacked files and wrote to authorities. Nothing. "A lot of mouths remained closed. But two witnesses have me independently but then tells the same story. "Thus had the crash of his Herb" as Mustang survived "miraculously. When he tried to free himself just out of the burning wreck, were "men in uniform" and shot the 23-year-olds with a carbine - 25 days before the war ended. Then the corpse was searched and eventually buried with the face down.

 

 

Romans followed and made notes for years to identify the point in the forest. Experts from the United States who are looking around the world for fallen soldiers, traveled to and found a skeleton - with a bullet hole in the skull. The bones, good and intact, were still in the equipment of pilots, including headphones and lifejacket. Finally, the identification was achieved by the ring on the finger of the skeleton. It was John William Herb.

"It's the most incredible story"
"The first reaction was: Is this a fraud," says Michael Herb. "When we learned that this German wanted Williams body was found, we could not believe it." But he was quickly convinced of the good motives Roman. "It's the most incredible story I've ever heard. And this German, Manfred, I have never seen, William has brought home. "

The remains of the pilot are to be buried in the military cemetery in Arlington on June 18, just outside Washington. "I do not like Heldenbegräbnisse" says Roman. "But the man was shot in cold blood, when he fought against the Nazis. Therefore, he is something of a hero. And the murder was a war crime. "

 

 

"We should embrace all firmly"
Despite the fact Michael Herb can recognize in his family no aversion to Germany. "We are somehow even German. And I have lived from 1971 to three years for Kaiserslautern because I felt no sympathy for Hitler. But on the contrary. "

 

 

Moreover, he had just found out a detail to the point, had been buried at the William: "An old forest worker has the grave maintained two decades until they died themselves. Her son had fallen somewhere in Russia and it has done for the unknown American soldiers because they hoped that perhaps somewhere a Russian mother does the same for the unknown German soldier. "He was silent a moment. "We should embrace all quite firmly."

[thefallenbuddha]

Looks like the English text was a Google translation?

[doinworkinvans]

yes it was indeed

[Guest ireneesmith]

On 6/9/2015 at 6:33 PM, doinworkinvans said:

The images of a downed fighter pilot in WWII plagued Wolfgang Römer his life. 70 years later he went to the story of the crashed pilot - and covers a war crime on.

On 13 April 1945 crossed the paths of John William Herb and Wolfgang Römer. The lieutenant of Ohio was 23 and the boy from East Prussia five, as the refugee child saw the crash burning machine of fighter pilot between Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg. Seven decades did not let the Romans picture going.

As an old man he went to the story of the young lieutenant. With the help of American and German authorities he covered a war crimes, a man helped to rest - and caused a bit of understanding.

 

 

"The image of the burning aircraft took me seven decades not let go," the little boy from back then says. "There was this man, of whose fate no one knew anything." Manfred Römer pauses, then adds the 75-year-old: "My father has remained in Russia, no one knows where. Somehow I always thought that a family lives in America with the same pain. "

Herb is this family, today proudly in twelfth generation Americans with as much pride in their German ancestry. "He was the only child of my great uncle," says Michael Herb, 62. "All we knew was that he was missing over Germany. His parents have not gotten to her death that she never had confirmation of the fate of her son. "Even Michael heard the story many times as a child and told them his children. He never would have thought that he could tell to end once.

Herb survived the crash
Romans made himself as a detective to work, ransacked files and wrote to authorities. Nothing. "A lot of mouths remained closed. But two witnesses have me independently but then tells the same story. "Thus had the crash of his Herb" as Mustang survived "miraculously. When he tried to free himself just out of the burning wreck, were "men in uniform" and shot the 23-year-olds with a carbine - 25 days before the war ended. Then the corpse was searched and eventually buried with the face down.

 

 

Romans followed and made notes for years to identify the point in the forest. Experts from the United States who are looking around the world for fallen soldiers, traveled to and found a skeleton - with a bullet hole in the skull. The bones, good and intact, were still in the equipment of pilots, including headphones and lifejacket. Finally, the identification was achieved by the ring on the finger of the skeleton. It was John William Herb.

"It's the most incredible story"
"The first reaction was: Is this a fraud," says Michael Herb. "When we learned that this German wanted Williams body was found, we could not believe it." But he was quickly convinced of the good motives Roman. "It's the most incredible story I've ever heard. And this German, Manfred, I have never seen, William has brought home. "

The remains of the pilot are to be buried in the military cemetery in Arlington on June 18, just outside Washington. "I do not like Heldenbegräbnisse" says Roman. "But the man was shot in cold blood, by the way I read here https://graduateway.com/essay-examples/in-cold-blood/ about this, when he fought against the Nazis. Therefore, he is something of a hero. And the murder was a war crime. "

 

 

"We should embrace all firmly"
Despite the fact Michael Herb can recognize in his family no aversion to Germany. "We are somehow even German. And I have lived from 1971 to three years for Kaiserslautern because I felt no sympathy for Hitler. But on the contrary. "

 

 

Moreover, he had just found out a detail to the point, had been buried at the William: "An old forest worker has the grave maintained two decades until they died themselves. Her son had fallen somewhere in Russia and it has done for the unknown American soldiers because they hoped that perhaps somewhere a Russian mother does the same for the unknown German soldier. "He was silent a moment. "We should embrace all quite firmly."

 

Sorry for raising this thread but I find this post extremely emotional and it touched me to the core.

This heartrending story of Wolfgang Römer and John William Herb brings tears to my eyes. It is a testament to the enduring impact of war and the profound connections that can be forged across national boundaries and generations.

The image of the burning aircraft haunted Römer for seven decades, a vivid memory etched into his soul. As a young boy, he witnessed the crash and never forgot the unknown fate of the pilot. It is deeply moving to see how Römer's search for the truth unfolded, with his unwavering determination to uncover the story behind the tragedy.

The fact that Michael Herb, a member of John William Herb's family, learned of Römer's efforts is a testament to the power of shared pain and the longing for closure. The Herb family had carried the weight of their great uncle's loss for generations, never knowing his fate. The realization that a stranger from Germany, Römer, had diligently worked to uncover the truth is both astonishing and inspiring.

The discovery of John William Herb's remains and the subsequent burial at Arlington National Cemetery provide a bittersweet resolution to a decades-old mystery. His sacrifice and the circumstances surrounding his death make him a hero, and Römer's insistence on highlighting the war crime committed against him is a testament to seeking justice even after so many years.