New photo? [see Sean's post below for the actual photo] Gefangene Amerikaner warten vor einem Sammellager in der Normadie auf ihren Abtransport ins Hinterland.
Hello, The link didn't work, at least on my computer... Presume this is the one: Well done for finding it- I'd not seen it before. Cheers, Sean
Hi Guys, Nice find Niels - definitely new to me. It kind of reminded me of the 'small building' at 'Starvation Hill' in La Chapelle sur Vire when I first saw it, facing the north-west corner, arrowed yellow below: Same stonework in the walls, but on closer examination, I would have expected to see some sign of the small lean-to shed at the furthest most open window. The shed roof joins the building quite high up the wall in one of the other photos taken at the south-eastern gable below: The eave is too low for the main building, so I don't think this one is at 'Starvation Hill' I could be wrong though Regards, Pat
To add one more POW cage: According to a member of the German military police, he was for two weeks at a camp near Condé sur Vire. This may be a new location or one already known. I'll let you guys figure that out. The prisoners there were filmed by German war reporters during "the last week in July". There were only 30 prinsoners there and they had to march in a circle to give the impression there were many more.
Hi All, Recently I was reading 'Tonight We Die As Men' by Ian Gardner & Roger Day and discovered that the authors have already identified the exact location of the photograph below in St Lo: Its looking north on Rue St Georges at this point. The authors also confirm the location of Depot de Remonte as the location for the Allied PoW cage and even identifies Captain John T. McKnight, I Company CO, 506th PIR as the trooper looking up, second from left below: They have also devoted an entire chapter in the book to PoWs from 3/506 and interestingly includes accounts therein of troopers at Abbaye Blanche in Mortain which was apparently used by the Germans as an evacuation hospital. The abbey featured prominently later in early August during the fighting to hold Hill 314 above the town. I wonder is this location the one listed in Dale's opening post of this thread as: Anyway, well done to both authors and for those readers who don't have a copy of the book, I can highly recommend it. Regards, Pat
Hmm I may have to go through my copy of the book again to see if I can find any nuggets of information.
Hi Dale, It seems the Abbey Blanche in Mortain was a preliminary treatment centre with the first American prisoners arriving on the 13th June according to this French blog. However, the first account in chapter 11 of 'Tonight We Die As Men' relates to T/5 John Gibson and seems to indicate a much earlier arrival: It sounds to me like Abbey Blanche was the first staging point for wounded American PoWs as they were being taken southwards out of the Cotentin. Regards, Pat
Just to come back to Maj. Krüger: Members of Feldkommandatur 748 (Rennes) also confirm he was in charge of the POW camp. These men appear to have been very well informed,* so it suggests that the change in command happened after the beginning of the Invasion and they no longer had time to keep up with recent changes. * They also provide a long list of units stationed in the town. 27 in total. The kommander of Kriegslazarett 4/612 is identified as Oberfeldarzt Dr. Dürwald BTW.
Kriegslazarett 4/612 was located in Hotel deVille in Rennes just down the street from the PW hospital at the EPS.
Bonjour à tous ! As I indicated in my introductory post, I am making researches about parachutists prisoners on D-Day or following days. I had this idea when I read an article from the Washington Evening Star (june, 25, 1944) writed by Walter Mc Callum. Like me, all others members of the local history society, Les Amis du donjon de Bricquebec, did not know anything about a prison camp for parachutists set up there. So we decided to learn more to write an article for our quarterly magazine. On the web, I found indications about Bill Sullivan's story and also Robert Keeler, James Irvin and George Hendrickson journey (all from 505th PIR - 82nd Airborne). So there was really a transit camp next to Bricquebec. I discovered the "E&E reports" on the NARA site, I'm reading all those about parachutists to find elements about Bricquebec (with the dictionary !). We also interviewed a number of witnesses, people who were between 10 and 20 in 1944. An we found where was the enclosure : in an old manoir (16th-17th century) still existing. Some days ago, I found this very interesting forum and this topic about the american POWs transit points. So I propose to add here what I found about the Bricquebec's camp, about the German hospital where the parachutistest were cared for (nearby), but also about the La Chapelle-sur-Vire's enclosure (Starvation hill). But I need time to write a post in english, so there will be several episodes. After that, may be you will give me good advices to go on. This evening, I just have time to tell you that the Bricquebec's enclosure opened from 6th or 7th of june to the 17th. The last evacuation to the south was on 11.00 pm, in the night, 250 prisoners with 20 german soldiers across the american lines : surprising, isn't it ? 75 years and three days ago... Regards
Welcome to the forums. That is great that you are interested in the PWs around Bricquebec. I was wondering was there a strafing incident outside of town involving PWs heading toward Hayes du Puit? I believe my Father was in a column of German vehicles leaving from Bricquebec where he ended up being the only survivor.
Bonjour Dale Happy to discuss with you. What details can you give me about your father’s itinary in Normandy? There were several convoys to take the prisoners from Cherbourg or Valognes to Bricquebec, then several others to send them from Bricquebec to the south. In my next post, I will present what I know about these convoys.
Yesterday, I retrieved the last E&E reports on the NARA website about parachutists taken prisoner in the days following D-Day . They gave me a few more details.They confirm what I already knew. I have prepared a (provisional) map on this subject: my hypothesis is that the parachutists who jumped far from their DZ and north of the indicated line and who were taken prisoners by "Jerries" were evacuated mainly towards Cherbourg. Some (how many?) still managed to regain their units or hide while waiting for the advance of American troops. Around Montebourg and Valognes, mainly soldiers from the 505th PIR. Further west, soldiers from the 507th and some from the 508th. Along the east coast, more from the 101st AB. The prisoners were grouped in Montebourg or Valognes. On the 7th and 8th of june, they were taken to Cherbourg, several convoys by trucks or on foot, where they were locked up in two different places. No doubt, at this moment the Germans understood that Cherbourg was at risk of being besieged and wanted to evacuate these hundreds of prisoners.immediately. They had to choose Bricquebec to create a transit camp, quite far from the bridgehead and located on a road and a railway track leading south (Coutances and Rennes). One train arrived at Bricquebec on June 9. Another was strafed on the 10th and block the track somewhere before Bricquebec. May be, the last ones arrived from Cherbourg by road on 12th (by trucks or on foot). I think the isolated parachutists taken prisoner after 8th of june were taken directly to Bricquebec. The wounded prisoners were treated in the civilian hospital of Valognes or in the "Hôpital maritime" (a french military hospital for sailors) in Cherbourg. Those wounded after by aerial attacks were able to be treated in the german military hospital set up in April at the monastery of La Trappe, just close to Bricquebec. Next time, I can speak about the Bricquebec's enclosure and also about the diferents convoys who left the manoir to go south. Can you explain me the difference between "injured" and "wounded" in military language ?
Injured usually means that the individual suffered an accident not from enemy action. For example, a number of paratroopers were injured from the jump, usually a broken ankle or leg. Wounded means that the individual received a wound from enemy action, such as bullet wound or shell fragment. Sometimes it counted as wounded if you injured yourself while fighting against the enemy. My Father, who was in the 508th PIR, landed near Chateau Berneville north of Picuville, was wounded in action when he attack German tank platoon bivouac by himself. He escaped from that action and was moving toward the beaches when he was wounded again in action against a German patrol. He passed out from lack of blood and woke up in the early afternoon without any ammo, so he surrendered to a passing German column. They put him in a truck, I believe heading for Valgones, when that truck was attacked by Fighter Bombers and slightly wounded and the truck destroyed. He was picked up again by nearby Germans and sent to a nearby aid station at a farm. He was patched up there and put into a barn near the aid station. On the morning of 7 June that aid station was attacked by light Bombers and the barn suffered damage and my Father was wounded again with wood splinters. I believe he went on foot with other PWs to Cherbourg or Valgones probably arriving around the morning of 9 June. He was operated on to remove debris from his original shoulder wound which became infected. He says he was put on a train that went to Paris, which couldn't have happened but the train might have gone to Bricquebec. Bricquebec had an imitation Effiel tower and a Notre Dame Cathedral. I believe he thought he was in Paris from those landmarks. After staying the night nearby, he was taken by a wood-burning truck, I believe toward Haye du Puits, and his convoy was strafed and his truck carrying other wounded PWs was destroyed, he received a concussion and was the only survivor of the convoy. He laid next to the road for several hours before he was picked up again. There were houses nearby but no one came to investigate. I have IDPFs which have the names of the other PWs that were found at the site later. He was then taken to Rennes Military Hospital were he was checked in on 13 June.
Thanks for these useful vocabulary explanations. As I understand it, your father jumped very close to the DZ planned for the 508th PIR. I know it was not an easy place because of the German soldiers bivouacking all around the HQ of the 91. LLD. You told that, after being wounded, he tried to walk eastward towards the beaches. It would not have been possible because of the flooding of the Merderet and no one was able to cross the two bridges, down La Fière and down Chef-du-Pont, because of the crossfire... but he couldn’t know, of course. I know that Germans locked up a lot of captured paras in this area in a farm in Picauville before sending them to Saint-Lô. But your father was wounded, this would explain why they have sent him to another direction. May be to Orglandes, a little village six or seven kilometers north-west, where I believe there was a field hospital. After, he could have been sent to Valognes, ten kilometers further north, then put in one of the several prisoners groups walking to Cherbourg. These are hypotheses, of course. We know that convoys of prisoners left Valognes on 7th and 8th of June to Cherbourg. It is possible that your father was in a convoy on foot from Valognes on the night between 8 to 9 and arrived in Cherbourg in the early morning of the 9th (walk on the night because of P-47?). If he has been operated on from his shoulder this day, may be he was put in a train before evening. Because we know that the train on 10th was strafed and bombed between Cherbourg and Bricquebec and could not start again (see Bill Sullivan’s testimony indicated in my previous message). If your father didn’t mention of it, he must have been in a train which left on the 9th... Or may be two trains on 10th. We don't know anything more about theses trains. If you want to work more precisely on your father’s journey, you can contact me by clicking on the "Ecrivez-nous" section on the website of the Association (on the right of the front page). I will be happy to help you more. You know, my father have seen C-47 carrying paratroops over his village, on the 6th june night. He was forteen and he speak of this to me still very often. The next time, I will post pictures of the manoir which was Bricquebec's enclosure. Sincerely.
FWIW: On 9 June LXXXIV.A.K. was informed that it would receive 13./Sich.Rgt.193 to guard the POW camp at Amigny (just NW of Alencon). Generally speaking it is probably a good idea to look into the histories of the security regiments and/or Landesschützen units as these would be the kind of units you could expect to guard PW facilities.
Radulf My name is Jim Fuller, telling a story about my brother, Geoff Fuller, who was a Jeep Driver, in a Glider, in support of the Merville Battery attack. He was a UK 6th Airbourne parchutist. My brothers Glider, believed to be Chalk 66, crashed. Most were believed killed but my brother and one other a Lt Johnson, were shot and captured. Mt brother was operated on by the Germans (he was shot through the jaw) and was recovering in a German field hospital when the Free French arived in a lorry, shot the gaurds, and loaded the patients onto the Lorry. My brother ended up in a building in Paris, run by Nuns. Here I copy the names from the postcards my brother brought back of people he knew. I believer there are four US servicemen and two Canadians. Copies of names at the same hospital as my brother c June/july 1944 9 Other Postcards – all undated Hopital de la Croix Saint Simon (18, rue de la Croix-Saint-Simon, Paris (20e)e Six of these are blank. All display scenes of the Hospital run by Nuns. 3 of this set have various addresses ,written by separate writers, swopping addresses: Groupement de Jeuness (filles) Mathew Davies, Riverhill Rd, Monorgahela,(might be PV) Penns. Kenneth L Hickerson, 2727 Teleplaphy Ave., Oakland, California. Roland Simard, 329 ?, Cord Street, Montreal, ?, Canada. Fred W Kintner, 94 Endicott Ave, Johnson City, NY Madeleine Andrieux, 125 Ru dAvron, Paris 20 p Jane Andrieux, 225 Rue d Avon, Paris, XXp Elizabeth Focerut, 17 Av de lo Notte, ? (poss Belgium) Marrinette - (with no address) Mr J Anderson, 40 Spring Guscien (or Gascien), Aberdeen, Scotland Le Ray Brown, Weir, Kansas 9 RRI Johnny G Greg , RT ♯2,Canras(or Cannas)Texas. Could it be that the female names were nuns at the hospital? Source: Postcards from Flossy Fuller, Geoff’s wife and Widow of 94, still alive in Jan 2020. I hope these names may be of help to you. If you have any news of the above hospital 'de la Croix Saint Simon (18, rue de la Croix-Saint-Simon, Paris (20e)e" or the people who may have helped him escape, I would love to hear from you. Also, the German field hospital, would you have any advice about them? Regards Jim Fuller j3rivers@gmail.com or jimnkay@virginmedia.com