On Line Veteran Interviews

[connie]

Veterans History Project (Library of Congress): includes video or audio interviews of these men from the 106th Infantry Division

What treasures these interviews are! We get to meet individuals from the division and learn their stories first hand...
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THE LIST BELOW WILL SLOWLY GROW as I:
1) eliminate those on the original search list who were not with the division during their time in the ETO
2) eliminate those on the original search list who were not members of the 106th Infantry Division, but the 106th Infantry Regiment --a different animal entirely
3) get caught up in listening to the interviews!

NOTES ON THIS AMAZING RESOURCE: It is powerful to be able to go back and time and sit through interviews with those who were there. We have been given an amazing resource. But a few words of caution are in order when using this tool. It has been noted that in writing a book that until a statement is confirmed with at least three different observers, it cannot be considered fact. As part of the post war generation, I now experience the impact of aging. Names of familiar people and places can slip my mind at any given time, to return in a few minutes or a few days. Other memories are indelibly etched. You will experience both when listening to these interviews. There is a goldmine of wisdom and information here, but it is necessary to confirm and review some of the details. You should also note that many of these accounts are truly clear, accurate, and rich. Confirming details will be easy.

To find the list I'm drawing from, click here: www.loc.gov/search/?q=106th+Infantry+Division&fa=original-format%3Apersonal+narrative&sb=shelf-id
It would take me forever to touch on all the names on this list, but I will add to this list as time and energy allows In the meantime you're welcome to explore on your own. Below are brief summary notes on a few random named:

Albert, Roy I, 590-B, POW engaging 1hr, 4min. video interview www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.38807/
units of service: 99th Infantry; 106th Infantry; 590th Artillery; Company B, 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, 3rd Army
Drafted at age 18, he was allowed to finish the semester of pre-med studies at the University of Michigan before entering the service. After infantry training, he went into Air Force training, but was called back to the infantry and did maneuvers with the 106th Infantry Division (correction to his mention of location: This was in Tennessee,) Crossed the Atlantic with the 106th but was again transferred and did not proceed to 106th Infantry Division. He did fight in France and Germany for a while before being captured.

Allen, John David, 423rd/ 3rd BN, HQ Co,PFC, POW Stalag IX B Bad Orb- 55 minute audio interview made in January 2009: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.66308
(unit within the 106th from Jim West's Roster); transferred to 106th for Tennessee Maneuvers (before that injured during a jump as a paratrooper with 101st Infantry); Lots of detail in his memories of POW days...

Anderson, Lyttleton Cook Jr, 81st Combat Engineers, Hq & Supply Co; 103 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.102390/
captured on Dec. 16 while en route to deliver maps to 422nd and 423rd but managed an escape and return to Heuem and westward...

Andrews, Richard W., PFC 424th Cannon Company, POW XIIA from Ct., 68:12 video interview from 2009: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.68293/
In ASTP program for semester and a half before that program was shut down; then in various units including Army Air Corps before being sent to the 106th at Camp Atterbury; account of capture and time in captivity; lost 42 lb. in 5 months; link to other notes on Andrews on this discussion board: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/3551/thread

Annable, Eliot, W. Master Sgt/ T-5 423rd Hq. Co. Communications Platoon-- Later with 424th; 63 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.114038/
b. 1924; 1 semester college & ROTC; drafted & inducted June 1943; after basic training sent to Auburn University's ASTP; after 2 semesters (late spring of 1944 government ended ASTP program; sent to 106th where after 2 days in a rifle company he was transferred to Hq. Company to learn radio work; sent to Ft. Benning for a couple more weeks of radio training; returned to Camp Atterbury shortly before they shipped to Camp Myles Standish deployment camp; Shipped out on Queen Elizabeth, landing in Scotland; Quartered in Cheltenham England before crossing channel; on the road away from unit on the 16th & unable to get back; eventually abandoned/ hid vehicles Sunday the 17th began traveling in pairs through the woods; on the 22nd made it to Trois Ponts and the 82nd Airborne... Worked with 424th from this point through the Bulge,the containment of the German Submarine pens on the Lorient,Peninsula, the reconstitution of the Division and the post surrender occupation of Germany.

Ash, Richard H: 424- B (b. 1922) 16 minute audio interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.12888/
in college when war broke out; enlisted; assigned to ASTP program at U. of Tennessee; when ASTP program was discontinued he was assigned to the 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division; Company B of the 424rh was in reserve at the time the Battle of the Bulge broke out & were attempting to move forward but blocked in that effort; On December 19 he and another soldier in his unit were sent out to to find the lay of the land and see where they were in relationship to German troops. They found nothing but when they returned their unit had pulled out. So they wandered for several days. Eventually they connected with an American Field Artillery unit. In the warmth of a tent with a fire they pulled off soggy boots and attempted to dry socks. Ash's feet swelled, and he knew he was not going to be able to get the boots back on again. The situation was evaluated. He had trench feet and began making his way through the hospital system. He was in Liege on Christmas Day and sent from there by ambulance to a monastery in Paris that had been converted into a hospital. From there he was evacuated to England. There was no more room in the trench foot ward there so they temporarily placed him in the psychiatric ward there. He told of the war-related trauma that others in that ward were experiencing. Eventually he was shipped back to the USA from England. (Also see Cub magazine notes: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4816/thread )

Atiyeh, Edward Ellis 423-E, POW IX-B Bad Orb 30 minute Video Interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.21246/
In college at the University of Oregon in Eugene when they heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was a Freshman enrolled in the ROTC program at the time. He was allowed to finish his second year of college before being inducted into the army and sent to training and the ASTP program at Auburn College in Alabama. From there he and many in the program with him(including his brother Richard) were sent to the 106th Infantry Division. He was captured, held, and eventually shipped in crowed box cars. He tells of the bombing of that train in a RR yard on Christmas Eve. At Bad Orb for around 4 months... He told of the limited meals of thin soup and bread, of Mal-nutrition and the fact that toward the end they were losing one or two men a day to starvation. Nearing their liberation they could, for several days, hear approaching American artillery in the distance. They were liberated on Easter Sunday. He and his brother Richard had been separated a day or two before captivity. He arrived back home about a month before Richard, who had also been captured. When his brother called home from the east coast and he answered, it was the first Richard knew that Edward had also survived.

Atiyeh, Richard Alex, 423/ E POW 30 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.21248/
in the same platoon as his brother Edward but a different squad; both mortar men on 60 mm mortars; mentions get a weekend pass to London while stationed in Cheltenham; mentions landing in Le Havre and the later arrival of a dump truck full of galoshes. He was on night patrol along the front when separated from his brother; As a POW he ended up working in an open pit coal mine in Sandersdorf (sp?) near Lipzeig. Here they bedded down on straw with one blanket for every 2 men. There were Russian prisoners here, too, and 100 British soldiers who had been their since 1939. He said that these British soldiers had constructed a radio from scraps and were following reports on allied progress. He spoke of the men in the camp dealing with malnutrition, frostbite and diarrhea. After the liberation of their camp he was flown to France and eventually took a freighter back to Boston. From here he called home, and his brother Edward answered the phone. This was for him the first confirmation that his brother was alive.

Ayers, Paul Carey,Cpl, 424-A, POW r camps XIIA, VIA? 2008 interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.60686/
drafted at age 18 while in his Jr. year in high school; basic training began in January 1944 in heavy weapons; At Camp Myles Standish preparing to be deployed as a replacement when a bill was passed that prevented 18-year-olds from being deployed as a replacement (ie not as a part of a full unit); Sent to be a part of the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury in May; additional training;; shipped out with units form the 106th aboard the Aquitania; remembers that the ship was crowded; Notes waiting at Camp Lucky Strike before moving to the St. Vith area in Belgium; speaks of being quartered with 5 men in the upper level of a private home with a woman and her teenage daughters; speaks briefly of a move to the front and being taken captive; quartered one night in a roof-less church; walked some 5 days to Stalag 12-A where they were interrogated (name, rank and serial #) & filled out a card that the Red Cross would mail home; then they moved out by rail (around 3 days with no food) to another POW Camp (VI-A?). In total he spent time in 4 different POW camps. He spoke of weight loss; lice and bed sores (from being on hard wooden beds and losing weight; he said each man had one blanket; two would share a bed, placing one blanket beneath them and one atop.

In his final move he in a group of 100 men taken to do forced labor at a railroad. Since they were expected to do work here, the soup was a little better.He gives a very interesting account of their last days in captivity... They were liberated in April by American soldiers in tanks & flown back to Camp Lucky Strike.

He was on a vessel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean headed for the USA when VE Day was announced; He was then sent to a hospital in Hampton Virginia. He notes that when they weighed them there he was 105 pounds and gaining a pound a day. He guesses that at the time he was liberated he must have down in the 80 some pound range. His weight at the time of enlistment was 172.

[connie]

Balzarin, John, 590/ B POW IV-B; Slaughterhouse 5-102 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.39669/
INTERVIEW in Feb. 2004 (102 minute):
John was in high school in a small town in Illinois when drafted and completed his high school after the war. He was 19 years old when captured; His basic training occurred at Camp Roberts in California. From there he joined the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury. He sailed from Boston aboard the Wakefield. He mentioned stopping in England, taking an LST to France, and briefly noted travel to Belgium and the front. Most of the interview focused on his captivity which included a long march to the box cars & the aerial bombing of the train while it was at the station in Limburgh. The stories of his captivity are complex and and moving. When freed he was flown to Camp Lucky Strike & later shipped back to the states, landing in the same port he had departed from: Boston.
Also find other links at: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4826/thread

Barnes, Kenneth Ralph, Cpl., 423-E, POW IV-B, work detachment near Lobau, hospital in Goerlitz, hard labor near Hohnstein - 2part video interview recorded in October 2006: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.51091/
excellent interview with clarity and compelling detail. During the depression Ken's family lost their 20 acre farm and moved to Baltimore to find work. He described these years as "tough times." Ken was in his Sr. year of high school when news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor hit the radio; His father died suddenly in late July of 1942 and he became the sole means of support for his mother and younger brother. Because of this he received two 6-month deferments from the draft, while working as a mechanical draftsman, but at the end of March 1944, he was drafted and inducted into the army.

Af basic training in Florida at Ft.Meade he met Mitch Baldwin* (6-7 years older than Ken) who would become his friend and confidant throughout his time in the army; After basic training he was sent to the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury. He tells of leaving Camp Atterbury for a train trip to Camp Myles Standish and leaving there to sail on the Queen Elizabeth. After landing in Grenoch Scotland he moved to Banbury England which he noted was close to Oxford. He noted that some of their training while in England took place on the Oxford U. campus. Anxious to view the city of London, he went there on a weekend pass toward the end of his time in England. He relates many of the sights he saw there and his fascination with the underground trains and the fares tied to distance traveled. In the night he stayed at a USO building near St. Paul's Cathedral. He was awakened by a thundering sound followed by sirens. In the morning he discovered that the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral had been hit by what he later learned was a V-2 rocket.

For the 15-mile channel crossing he moved to South Hampton and sailed on the Entiwock. He tells briefly of his travel from the port of LeHavre through France and Belgium to the St. Vith area and then to the front on the Schnee Eifel. He then tells a little of the quiet time and his first night on guard duty before giving the familiar account of the chaos that erupted on December 16th. He then recounts some of the action on the 19th with a mission to protect Schönberg. He describes Mark Anderson and tells of his death during an initial attempt to cross a 100 ft. clearing amid a wooded area. Then he tells of his own close-call grazing by tracer bullet fire and wounding by shrapnel. He then recalled hearing Col Cavender's loud-speaker announcement requesting that the men of the 423rd surrender. He notes that he was by then completely out of carbine and mortar ammunition and had no food. He was left with only a single grenade. Next came a march to Prüm where they spent the freezing night sleeping in a cattle yard followed by another 30 km march to the box cars at Gerolstein-- and their first food: a cup of soup and a piece of bread. He notes the loading of 68 men into boxcars meant for 40 men or 8 horses where they would remain from December 21 to 29 (without further food or water) as they traveled. They were parked in the rail yard that was hit by Allied bombers on Christmas Eve before arriving for processing at Stalag IV-B in Muhlberg. There they and their clothing were steam cleaned and the clothing marked in indelible ink with equilateral triangles that designated them as Prisoners of War.

From there he, his friend, and 34 others were shipped on Jan 10 to a work detachment at Vobau, near the Polish border where they worked in a blanket factory. Here life was a little better than at Stalag IV-B. Here he come down with Bronchitis and was running a fever. He was briefly shipped to a hospital in Goerlitz (sp?) on the Polish border & then returned to the blanket factory. He speaks of his train passing the beautiful city of Dresden when traveling in one direction; and the bombed city of Dresden in the other. His next account is about life in a hard labor camp near Hohnstein where they worked on repairing damaged rail tracks. Finally in early May as Russian troops approached, he tells of the guards taking them out of this camp and then abandoning them to find their own way back toward allied lines... There ends a brief summary of the first of his two-part interview. If the second is as compelling as the first it will be worth the time investment.

alse see IV-B: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4946/thread

* later noted the name of this friend (who kept a detailed diary) was George Mitchel Baldwin

Bates, Frank F., Cpl. POW. 31 minute interview given in 2011: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.84937/ interview does not give his unit in the 106th; Indiana Military site Roster states he was with 424 CN and 422 L;born (1925) & raised Madison Indiana; moved with family to Ohio; another 18 year old draftee; basic training @ Camp Shelby, Mississippi; then sent to 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury; in newspaper article available on Indiana Military Site gives more details: www.indianamilitary.org/German%20PW%20Camps/Prisoner%20of%20War/PW%20Camps/Unknown%20Camp/Frank%20Bates/Bates-Frank.pdf

Beck, Edward H. 422 A, POW 29 minute video interview: https: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.08361/
Another member of the 106th who enlisted before graduating high school and who graduated after the war, this young man born and raised in Pennsylvania did his 17 weeks of Basic training in Georgia and was placed in the 97th Infantry before being transferred to the 106th. Because of his training in Georgia, he was chosen to be "BAR man" wielding this high caliber weapon that fired 750 rounds per minute. He crossed the Atlantic on the Aquitania. His account tells of his units capture on December 19th, their 5 day march with only water (if you had a canteen)to a rr. car that was to move out that night but bombed, more marching to Stalag IVG in Muhlberg , move to a work camp at Stalag XIV, work there, hospitalization, an escape and more...

Bell, Harry Homer Jr.,PFC 422 F, POW Bad Orb. 30 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.27977/ Clear and compelling account
Bell tried to enlist in the Navy while still in high school. His father had been in the navy & he wanted to be a naval aviator. However, color-blindness ruled him out of the Navy but not the army. After his enlistment attempt Bell, waited to be drafted. He became a mortar gunner with the 106th Infantry division. He spoke briefly of more training in southern England and his crossing and climbing down nets to reach landing crafts in France and of a night of tenting in the mud before riding across portions of France and Belgium and ending up in 6-man log lean-to along the Sigfreid Line. His account of his unit's activities in the days before the Bulge, the first few days of the Bulge, and the surrender and march to a holding area and then a train that was bombed while they sat in the train yard are clear as is his account of life as a POW. He also speaks of his liberation, time at Camp Lucky Strike, scant memory of the boat ride back to the states, and final recovery location.
also see link to obituary on this discussion board: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4844/thread

Bennett, William John, Cpl. 424th 3rd Bn. 6 part (250 minute) audio interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.31407/
The audio interview took place in February 2004 and was facilitated by Bennett's daughter using the standard list of interview questions. The family connection with the interviewer results in humor, warmth and added insight.
Interview # 1 (39 minutes) focuses on this Massachusetts native's background history, history of his draft, early military history, and training and locations (Ft. Devens, Mass, Ft. Jackson, S.C., Camp Atterbury, Indiana, & Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts) before shipping out on the Aquitania. Born in 1915, Bennett was a husband and father to a small child before being given a two week notice to report for service. He spoke briefly about the Cadre/ understudy concept used in training and activating the new 106th Infantry Division. And he also noted that while serving in the ETO his duty would be with a heavy weapons company and he spoke in detail of training on a 30 caliber water-cooled machine gun and on 80mm mortars. But he also noted that his specialty would be the repair of weapons during combat, a little to the rear of the men using them. This Job he described as an "armor artisifen" (spelling?). He mentioned a "friendly fire" incident during his crossing on the Aquitania-- an incident I have heard mentioned by others-- which involved the Aquitania firing a warning shot across the bow of an Allied freighter that had failed to identify itself when requested. He noted that after this warning shot, the vessel responded quickly to identity requests! If this first audio tape is any indication, the others should worthwhile to hear, too.

* For more on the Aquitania voyage as well as links to notes on this friendly fire incident see: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4642/thread

Berkelhamer, Larry, 422-F* POW Sad to say that the wrong tap of a Christmas concert, not the interview) was accidentally given to this site. This tape has just been removed.
They will attempt to retrieve the correct tape from the original source, if it still exists. Fingers crossed... I'll be checking the site periodically hoping that this man's memories have-not been permanently lost.
Written notes on this site are limited:
" Berkelhamer was from Illinois. He was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge on 12/19/1944 and was a prisoner of war (POW) until 4/1/1945. He was wounded at the time of captivity and lost 42 pounds while in a POW camp." memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.39275
*note company within the 422nd found on Indiana Military Site Roster

Birdsall, Clifford H., 422 Anti-tank Co. POW IV-B, work camp-94 minute audio interview in 2009: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.69734/.
This Ohio native, born in 1924, enrolled in Ohio State U in Columbus Ohio, hoping to get as much college as possible in before he was drafted. He was drafted in January 1943 and did his basic training in Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He then went into the ASTP program, studying first at Drexil Institute in Philadelphia, Pa. before joining 360 other enlisted men in a program at Amherst College in Massachusetts. From there he was sent to help fill the ranks of the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. From there the division headed for Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts & he sailed for England from NY on the Aquitania. He noted that when they replaced the men of the 2nd Division on the front on December 11th, they had no winter equipment. After the surrender of the 422 on the 19th of December he noted being taken to a holding area for the night and then being loaded on 40 and 8 boxcars. He was at Limburg when that railroad station was bombed. His box car was not hit. He was taken to Muhlburg for processing and then sent to a brick factory work camp. He knew it was in the vicinity of Whittenburg because, as they walked through the city, someone in the group pointed out the church where Luther had posted his thesis. (Later in the interview he went into much detail about his efforts on a return trip to Europe to locate his POW work camp. He spoke of their liberation, his time at Camp Lucky Strike working on recovery after his loss of 50 pounds, and briefly mentioned that he traveled back to the states on a Liberty Ship. He arrived in the states on June 19, 1945 -- his 21st birthday. His call home was when his father learned that he was still alive...

Bishop, Vester 422 2nd Bn. 33 minute interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.108459/

Black, Ewell C. Jr (Rev) 422 A POW 64 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.50158/
Just began listening to this interview... more notes to come...
This native of Columbia, S.C. began his basic training at age 18. After that he was sent to Auburn College with the ASTP program and was there until the program was dissolved in March of 1944. From there he was sent to join up with the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury.

Blazin, George P, 589/A memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.49028/
34 minute video interview made in 2006 Blazin was in the 90th & 104th Infantry Divisions before being transferred to the 106th at Camp Atterbury and shipping out with the to England & then the continent.
Battalion and Company from Roster: www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Rosters/RosterZOHO.htm (also confirmed in this account by inference from statements: with a 105mm howitzer field artillery battalion; fought off tanks on the first day of the bulge; made it out; later fighting at a crossroad (name not stated but sounded like: Baraque de Fraiture/ Parker's Crossing). Tells of an episode with a commander's racism when in Colorado Springs before being shipped to Camp Atterbury to join the 106th. Some African American soldiers had made a delivery late in the day and he (a 1st Sgt.) had ordered a meal be served to for them. The superior learned of this and ordered that the food these men were eating be tossed and they be sent on their way...

Block, Robert Stewart, Sgt. 423/ 3rd BN/I, POW IV-B- 90 minute video interview from 2009: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.69745/
born in Ohio in 1922, block spent most of his life in Prescott, Az. except for a brief return to Ohio when his grandmother there offered to pay his college tuition in Ohio. Attempted to enlist in the Air Force but what later proved to be a mix up in X-rays pronounced him to have advanced TB. After that he moved back to Prescott where a later draft call took & he headed to Texas for basic training. Another attempt to get into the Air Force led to some training which ended in the April 1, 1944 announcement that the Air Force had determined that they did not need anymore personnel. The sequence of some of these trainings is unclear, but he also spent some time in the ASTP program In Waco Texas (Baylor U.) Eventually he was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury and shipped out with his unit on the Queen Elizabeth. (Unit assignment not mentioned in the interview but obtained from Jim West's Roster: www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Rosters/RosterZOHO.htm ). These notes cover only a small segment of the interview...
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Browning, Earle Lynwood, T-3/SSgt, DHQ AG section (stenographer)- 64 min. interview memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.82351/
(rank & assignment compiled from interview and Roster) b. in 1924; graduated H.S. in 1941; drafted in Jan 1943; After Basic at Camp Hood, Texas he went into the ASTP program studying at Vanderbilt U. in Nashville Tennessee. When that program was phased out in the summer of 44 he was sent to Camp Atterbury where he became part of the 106th Infantry Division. He began in the 422nd Infantry Regiment but was transferred to Division Headquarters & he was assigned to the AG's office where he worked with personnel records-- later in Europe specifically focusing on awards and decorations records. He notes that this transfer may have saved his life. He had a two week leave before he moved to Camp Myles Standish and shipped out on the Wakefield. He also mentions that at the end of his stay in England, he took a train before he crossed the channel to Le Havre. He was stationed in Vielsalm when the Battle of the Bulge broke out...

Brumfield, Vernon E, PFC 589 C POW IVB Muhlberg, Leipzig work camp
2009 41 minute video interview memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.70575/
Brumfield recounted his reactions on learning of the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor when he was 16 years old. He was 18 when he received his draft notice & was inducted at Camp Shelby Mississippi & did 17 weeks of basic training at Ft. Bragg N.C. He then trained in communications at Camp Atterbury Indiana where he joined the 106th Infantry Division. The basic focus of this specialty was on laying wire to maintain contact essential for the supportive fire of a field artillery battalion. He spoke of losing some vehicles during his unit's channel crossing.(This is the first I've seen this noted...) He also spoke of later learning that the area that the German's moved through during the bulge as having an historic area for wartime movement in previous wars.

He was captured on December 20 and spoke of being moved on a boxcar when it was strained by RAF bombers. He also spoke of later forming the letters POW in the snow when Allied soldiers flew overhead. After arriving at IV-B Muhlberg he stood all night in a column in the snow before being interrogated. He was later sent to a work camp in Leipzig where he did work on the railroad. He mentioned getting down to 98 pounds during his time as a POW. As Russian troops approached that area, the prisoners were marched out. On April 4, 1945 Russian troops caught up to them and he was freed...
Also see Staleg IV-B: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4946/thread
Also notes found on Indiana Military Site Roster- search name: www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Rosters/RosterZOHO.htm

Brutus, Glen J. PFC 1st BN HQ Co 423rd POW IVB, IIIA, IIIB, unknown camp
list of POW Camps found in Roster: www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Rosters/RosterZOHO.htm
OVERVIEW of CAMPS that Held Members of the 106th 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/752/thread
79 minute audio interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.00319/
Brutus--from Pine Village Indiana-- was 21 and attending Purdue University when he was drafted into the Army in October of 1942. He did his initial training at Camp Atterbury and served a year as an M.P. in Franklin Indiana and a year playing the bass horn in the 2nd Coast Artillery Band before he was sent once again to Camp Atterbury on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) to become part of the 106th Infantry Division. Here he served as the battalion bugler and a runner for Lt. Col. Craig (who was killed by schrapnel early in the Bulge.). In Oct. 44 he sailed on the Queen Elizabeth with his unit and spent time in Cheltenham England before crossing the channel to Le Havre, France and then heading to the Ardennes where the division covered a 27 mile front. (He also mentions an Albert Olshig who was in the Intelligence Platoon of his company & who spoke fluent German.) He speaks in detail of the time surrounding his capture on December 19, 1944. He was eventually taken a rr station where he and other prisoners were placed in box cars & fed once in three days, and he tells of the Christmas Eve bombing of these box cars by the British. On January 1, 1945 he was registered as a POW He tells of waiting in line and sleeping in a cold building on a dirt floor where he experienced frost bite. He was also vaccinated for typhus. He was "liberated" by the Russians in May of 1945...
Note: Roster also lists a number of Cub Magazines in which this man's name appears

Bryant, Gerald R., 424th 40 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.18337/
This interview included some interesting discussions about things like military pay and insurance but not much in the line of details related to the 106th. Bryant was from Missouri and was sent by train to Tyler Texas after being drafted. After his 16 weeks in basic training he was sent to Advanced Motorpool training in two different places in Texas to become a mechanic. No dates were given but he mentioned being sent over to the ETO as a replacement and being on the Siegfried Line. I heard no mention during the interview of the infantry unit he was assigned to as a replacement. The notes on the interview page said he was in the 424th Infantry Regiment but did not name a company.

Bryant, Leslie Reese, Tech 4, Co D 331st Medical BN, 106th Infantry Division memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.1354. Apparently there was no audio or video interview, but the list of information notes that typewritten note do exist. Initially he was assigned to a medical company in the 28th Infantry Division but was transferred to a similar unit in the 106th Infantry Division in February 1944-- before his active service began.

Bugner,Thomas F, S.Sgt 590th Field Artillery BN, Battery B., POW memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.11966/ unfortunately what is supposed to be a 124 minute interview with this personable man seems to degrade and stop early in the interview. Bugner did mention he was captured on December 19, 1944 but most of the interview that I was able to view spoke of early days of service prior to the ETO. He joined the National Guard in 1940 and on March 5, 1941 was inducted into what he referred to as "Federal Service" During this peacetime draft period he did a lot of work on infrastructure at Camp Forrest Tennessee. He was home on leave from this "1 year" assignment with the army when the December 7 bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred. Three days later he was back in camp with his army service extended indefinitely. (It turned out to be 5 1/2 years... I have let the National Archives know of the degradation of this tape and asked if a transcript exists. But I'm not holding out a lot of hope. At least there is a name, a face, and a little of the history of this man still preserved here.
UDATE: MAY 6, 2022 Thankfully, the first interview seems to be up and working now, too!! Fingers crossed!

July 2003 interview: 87 minutes I've started listening to this one. No problems so far. memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.15448/
He expressed some confusion over where he landed in the UK. For the record: Some from the division did land in Scotland but the Field Artillery landed in Liverpool England) He tells of some sniper fire after the channel crossing as his delayed vessel headed up the Seine to Rouen.
Info from other sources: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5120/thread

Burnett, James Leroy, Cpl, 422-C, POW Stalag IX-B 59 minute video interview Feb 2015: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.103312/
Although it was not mentioned in the interview, the written notes here say that he served as Company Clerk & that his unit was overrun on December 19, 1944.. He was drafted in 1943 at age 19. There were several transfers between the Army and the Air Force but eventually he ended up assigned to the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury and later shipping out on the Aquitania. He spoke of being able to purchase better food aboard the Aquitania if you had money. This is not something I have heard or read elsewhere from anyone else. About 36 minutes into the interview he begins to recount the story of action in the bulge, his capture and the walking and train journey that eventually ended at IX-B and some recollections of his time there.
For more info on Stalag IX-B and others who were there see: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5012/thread

Butler, Harry William Jr. 424th from Nov 2001:63 minute audio interview plus transcript: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.00977/

[connie]

Campagna,Nicholas (Nick), 589- A., POW XIII C Interview Oct 31, 2003 www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.39285/
Grew up in Chiicago; drafted ; mentions being at Camp Atterbury ( and links that to Mississippi) Maybe he was stationed first in Mississippi). Camp Atterbury in Indiana is where the 106th was stationed prior to their being sent to their embarkation camp-- in Massachusetts. So it ia pretty good bet that he was here with the 106th. He noted the scarcity of food in the POW Camp but said they were not mistreated by their guards. Didn't watch through the full length of the interview time, but the bulk of the interview with Nick seems to have wrapped up in 15 minutes More info found in 106th Infantry Division Roster: 106thinfdivassn.org/roster106/rosterc.html
Also see notes on POW camp Stalag XIII-C: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5022/thread

Carawan, Christopher C., PFC 424-F Here's the link to a 27-minute interview: www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.84553/
If you want to listen to an extremely articulate and well-informed interview from a 106th soldier, this is definitely one to view. Carawan, who carried a 10-lb radio at the time of the Bulge, clearly describes what he saw and what happened to his unit. He also was able to add later acquired the context info to what happened. He spoke of moving into what was thought to be a quiet zone on the Schnee Eiffel. He spoke of the sounds they heard prior to the artillery attack on them on December 16 and how their concerns were dismissed before the Bulge broke out and even during the initial German attack. He notes, as others have also noted, that normally an infantry division covers a 5-7 mile front, while they 106th Infantry Division was covering a 27 mile front on rugged terrain with limited road networks. He spoke of the conditions that led to the forced surrender of the 422nd and 423rd. He also spoke of his his being wounded in action by a mortar shell that hit his boot (and broke his foot) when his unit was outside St. Vith; of the immediate on-site care he received; and of his continuing on with his unit. He noted that he was 18 years old at the time. He also tells of seeing a snow covered field behind a restaurant in Malmady where the Germans had slaughtered many Americans. The bodies were still there when he saw the field from the road. When asked, he clearly described the German Tiger Tank and compared them to American tanks. He also told of being near Manhay on Christmas Eve and of his participation in the take-back of that town on Christmas Day. He lost two of his closest friends in that battle.

Cartier, Richard Erwin, PFC 424 K, 2nd Squad 1st Platoon, POW XI-B; IIA 1 hr.49 minute video interview: www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.67717/
This man from Minnesota gave a very detailed, clear interview that also included some humor.
Born in 1923, he was drafted in march of 1944. He did his Basic Training at Camp Roberts, California with training in communications (Morse Code). He was first sent to an Embarkation Camp in Washington D.C. but then sent to join the 106th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury (Indiana) for 3 or 4 weeks before they left for a Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts where they were sent to NYC to embark for the ETO. His ship to Scotland crossed the Atlantic in 7 days with no escort. From Scotland they traveled to a camp near Oxford. He spoke of the Infantry experience of crossing the channel in 2 days and then climbing down the ships nets to jump onto landing crafts weighted down by full gear.

He then spoke of his journey toward the front and finally being one of 4 men in their unit who were quartered in a stone farmhouse-- a Sgt., a Cpl, himself and a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) man. (For more info on this weapon see 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/1219/thread ) The BAR man had developed frostbite and was sent back for medical treatment. He spoke of the German shelling that began at 5:30 AM on December 16th. By 1:30 or 2:00 that afternoon, some German troops moved in on them. They saw some action before they finally surrendered, and Cartier sustained a wound. He then spoke of the stages of his trip to a POW Camp: XI-B, where he spent some 5-6 weeks. He believes his transfer from this POW camp was for at least one of 2 reasons. This was a camp for non-commissioned officers, and as a PFC, he didn't qualify to be in the camp. His wound may also have played a part in his transfer. He was transferred to II-A where he stayed for about 5 weeks before being "liberated" by the Russians who held them for another 3 weeks.

Eventually some 50-75 Russian trucks showed up and took the former German prisoners on an all day drive to the British lines near Hamburg. There they cleaned up and worked on eliminating lice with showers and DDT. Finally, they were flown 25 at a time on a plane to Brussels where they were placed in hotel rooms with clean sheets and went out to a bar for drinks, many of which were paid for by Belgian citizens there.

Also see POW Camp threads:
XI-B: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5018/thread
II-A 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/3924/thread

Attachments:

[connie]

Gardner, James of the 2nd Bn.HQ Co 422 Regiment POW Stalag II A memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.101494/
2015 AUDIO INTERVIEW (43 minutes) Veteran's History Project; also see discussion board post with links: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/3926/thread


Phillips, John 1st Lt. - 424 E POW field hospital near Koblenz, Oflag XIII-B - 63 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.70251/
Link to Phillips' thread on this discussion board 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/1235/thread

Prell, Donald B. Lt. 422 (2nd Platoon Anti-tank Co.) POW Stalag IX-B, Oflag XIII-B, briefly freed, Stalag XIII D/ Oflag 73, Camp hospital
Veteran's History Project Video Interview 157 minute: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.104418/
also see links on discussion board: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5027/thread

Ray, Marion Staff Sgt 424 D, POW Stalag II-A: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.80245/
72 minute veteran's history project interview
Also see discussion board post with links: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/3818/thread

Schaffner, John Robert 589/ A, B, A; 592 2011 Veterans History Project Interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.92048/
discussion board post with numerous links: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/3795/thread


Zak, George K., Cpl 422M; POW IVB 69 minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.86194/
Post-war this former POW read up a lot on the history of the war. The interview given for the Veteran's History Project covers a lot of ground in a smooth, coherent way. My listening yesterday was interrupted but here are a few notes gleaned about his pre-battle days. His accounts of battle are detailed, too.Just out of High School, Zak was drafted and chosen to go into the ASTP program. He and others with him received the military training that was a pre-cursor of this college program but at that point the program was cancelled and he and those with him were assigned to the 106th Infantry Division in Indiana. He shipped out on the Aquitania and was quartered in a former ballroom. He tells of a freighter that was following them at one point and had a warning shot fired over the bow to tell it to leave.
Author of Soldier Boy; link to more info: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/2798/thread

[connie]

11-30-23 Cartier, Richard Erwin, PFC 424 K, 2nd Squad 1st Platoon, POW XI-B; IIA note, link. & POW photo added in the thread above: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5025/thread

11-11-23 Carawan, Christopher C., PFC 424-F name, notes, and link to very articulate interview added above


11-10-23 Campagna, (Nick, 589- A., POW XIII C name, notes, and link to interview added above