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Just a thank you to all the guys that took part in taking Hitler apart 61 years ago. You're not forgotten!

Jim

Honor a WWII vet today. Honor all WWII vets today! Love you guys! All our thanks to the men and women who took part in the war and gave it everything they had. Thank God the war ended when it did and that many of you got to come home. I wish more of you could have returned, but if it weren't for YOU, God only knows how many more deaths and how much more destruction would have occured. Thank you for giving us freedom, for giving them freedom and making the world a better place to live. WE SHALL NEVER FORGET!

Victory in Europe!

WE the 48th were in Berchtesgaden on VE Day.

Great day when I announced it Offically to the company. AL

WE the 48th were in Berchtesgaden on VE Day.

Great day when I announced it Offically to the company. AL

AL- I'm not all that familiar with who all you Vets are on this great site (yet) but a personal Thank You for your service to our country a'' those years ago".... and BTW Did you manage to "liberate" any of Der Fuhrer's goodies?

Jim

Hey Al. Glad someone got to enjoy Berchtesgaden. Hope we left you guys enough

drinkables. After my 3rd Bn. 7th Inf Reg. captured and cleared Berchtesgaden on the afternoon of 4 May '45 we were "requested" to leave on the morning of May 6. Naturally, our vehicles were loaded to the gills with old Goeriings booze cellar drinkables

but we couldnt carry all of them with other goodies we left with. By the morning of the 6th Berchtes was a mass of other troops. This was our final objective in WW 2. On May

5 even the 101 A.B. showed up and many authorized and unauthorized soldiers showed

up for "souvineers". I am somewhere in this pic but God only knows where.

My turn;--- My Regt. "135thInf. Regt. Page 639 "Dogfaces Who Cried and Smiled---"

April 29 the 135th had arrived in Brescia. There they waited for the withdrawing

German 5th Mountain Divn. and the German 34th Divn. Would their German counterpart fight or surrender? As the German Divns. advanced the joyful

news was recieved. Col Faulmueller, Chief of Staffof the 75th Corps. acting in

behalf of General Schmaler, offered to surrender at 9;15 A.M. and acceptence

was given by Capt. Patrick Amore of the British Military mission.

Negotiations were conducted by Capt.Amore, Col. John M. Breit, 135th inf.

Commanderfor the surrender of the German 5th Mountain Divn. and their

34th Divn. and naval elements along the western seaboard of Italy. General

Bolte Commanding General of the 34th,Red Bull Divn. placed Col. Breit in

charge of receiving and processing prisoners of the German 34th Divn.

GERMAN TROOPS IN ITALY HAD SURRENDERED

TWILIGHT OF HELL HAD JUST SETTLED IN AND TOMORROW WOULD BE THE

DAWNING OF THE FIRST DAY OF P-E-A-C-E!!!!!

This is where I wuz just before V-E Day.

In the final drive the 34th I.D. took 40,000 German prisoners.

Then I came home, alone, and only was greeted by ONE Man ON THE STREET

close to where I lived. Roque Riojas,1st Bn. 135th Inf. Regt. 34th RED BULL Divn.

P.S. Brescia is slightly N.E. of Milano,Italian campaign ended May 2. 1945............

Jim...The battalion hqs. of the 48th was at the Hotel at the Koening Sea. A beautiful place. We only stayed in the area about three days & then WE moved back to the area of Heidelberg. I managed to bring several "Items" back to the States. SS Knife, Flags, chevrons, caps, & five beautiful pistols. The day before the war was over I liberated a munitions dump & "salvaged about 250 German pistols. On the eight of May I had my 1st Sgt. lay them all out on the company street. Every man in the company selected one to bring home. My son has all my goodies. AL

Wow....this thread has been a real learning exp for me! Like many who viewed the "Band of Brothers" series, I was under the impression that the 101rst AB were the first ones to "liberate" Berchesgarten and Goebbels wine celler ...wrong! If ever anyone deserved a good drunk it was you guys!

AL- I would LOVE to see some pictures of your son's "loot" from there. I have a few nice items in my collection but I'm sure I would be embarrassed to put it up alongside that haul! The fact that you were the one who actually got them must be a source of great pride, and certainly no doubt about authenticity, as is usually the case with German collectables from WWII. It is so great of ALL YOU GUYS to share your memories with us here...can't thank you enough.

Today (May 9th) is the day they celebrate V-E Day in the former Soviet Republics, rather than the 7th like we do...I have a friend in Ukraine who's Grandfather was in the Red Army and spent time in Mauthausen concentration camp, so we always needle each other in a friendly way about which is the "real" V-E Day...of course you and I know it's May 7th !

Thanks again!

Jim

Al ,

Thank you for being there .

Thank you for our freedom !

Lenn from the bulge !