This is a quick note: I have a book, Tigers in the Mud, by Otto Carious, a German Panzer Commander, and he has a chapter on the Ruhr Pocket. He mentions Siegburg and the railroad. It did not sound like, from my limited knowledge, that Otto was in the area of the Abbey during the Battle for Siegburg because he did not mention that. Harold, of the 303rd Regiment mentioned railroad tracks in our conversation and they may be on the map he wants to sent me. I would assume there are a lot of railroad tracks but will be interesting to see why Harold remembers them. What point of reference they were for Harold.
I can't wait to have you see the map Christoph and whatever else he sends me. And you wonder what was going on in each of the houses in Siegburg. Harold and a couple of guys did occupy a house in Siegburg that night of the Battle. I will eventually further refine details of the battle from the American side and it will be interesting to see how that compares to what you have heard Christoph. And now we will have more to talk to Sister E. Koch about. Also, I think Co. B spent the night at the Abbey - but not sure until I see it written down somewhere.
Still trying to go to NARA. I am getting anxious to see what I can learn from the few requests I made. I have so many requests that I want to make but felt I should only do a few each time. Maybe some information on McClara will be there that lets me track him down, or maybe someone in his family. It would be wonderful if he did what Walter Brineger did with and for his family! What a great gift that Walter provided to all of us with his information on his time as a POW!
I now have the announcement of McClara being awarded the Bronze Medal for his heroic services on Dec. 12th and 13th. The entry says it was awarded to the following enlisted man now Missing in Action. I also have an item that the 78th Inf Div reported April 10, 1945 that on April 9th McClara was admitted with diagnosis as "SF, Pan w rt buttock, sacral area, Recovered POW." "No further info available at this time." So this sounds like Waldbrol.
There is also like a card file card that I got from the Archives in Md and it came up in a search on my Dad. It has some data about someone Dad would have buried, Morelock, but it says 'Memo From' McClara. Did Dad provide the info or Memo From sure sounds like McClara provided the info. Did McClara remember my Dad's real name after he was liberated. Or did my Dad have McClara's name in his papers when he escaped. How interesting that Dad, McClara, and Morelock are all referred to together.
So it goes, lots of questions, and slowly over time lets hope the answers appear.
One day I should be able to locate this 78th Div report and maybe solve lots of puzzles.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
And maybe with Harold's information I can determine what outfit was so far East that it could have met up with Dad after his escape.
More to follow,
Jean J