Tracing a POW's march from Stalag VIII A

[jeff]

I am the son of Wayne C Smith, who was separated from his FAB 592A during the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge and was captured on December 19, 1944. Many of you on this site have helped me piece together his experiences before capture and his subsequent time in Stalag IVB and VIIIA (Gorlitz). Thanks to all for your help! However: I hit a wall when I get to his march out of VIIIA opn Valentine's Day, 1945 and his march (sometimes referred to as the Long March) back through Germany until he was Liberation in April 1945.

Does anyone know if there are records, reports, memoirs, or other information that would allow me to trace the exact route of my dad's march on that brutal winter? I can't even find records of where he was liberated.

Any suggestions for my research would be much appreciated!

Jeff

[jrwentz]

Hi Jeff,

John Kline's diary covers this.

www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/SoThinkMenu/106thSTART.htm

Open up the Diaries menu in the sidebar on the left and then go to John Kline's diary and scroll down many pages until you find the place where he describes the events prior to release and then a detailed description of the places and events on the march.

Kline, John P,
423/M

Jim W

[connie]

Jeff,

I'm working on updating info on this discussion board on Stalag VIII A under "The POW" experience: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4960/thread

It includes a link to a thread on John Kline, who Jim mentioned, with links that include and a series of video interviews. It also includes links to the diary of John Beals that included his trek from VIII-A, begun on Feb. 14. Hope this helps.

I'm glad you and Jim have connected. He is a great source since he is tracing his father's path which appears to overlap that of your father.


Connie


Update: Sept 19, 2022: That link to the thread on John Kline 423 M (which includes links to video interviews, bio on Indiana military site, etc.) is: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/2959/thread

[connie]

I am posting links to the the threads on the POW Camps where your father was. These threads contain some info on these POW camps as well as links to info about the stories of some of the men who were there:

A lot of work on these threads has been done since you last checked in!

Stalag IV- B 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4946/thread

Stalag VIII- A 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/4960/thread