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Christoph,
I will not be able to finish this, but at least I can write for a couple of minutes.
I am looking at my send messages and I see them after the 24th. They are on the 25th, 26th, and 27th. I must be using the wrong address?
I will order the documents and for sure I want you to see anything that is useful to you.
I read the Ray R. info quite some time ago and I believe I had a problem with the dates. Don't want to go look now because then may lose this. Also I wanted to one day see what the history books on Siegburg provided.
My requests to St. Louis Archives have to be separated from way tried sending it. It was quicker for me but now have it in my queue to do it the proper way.
The wonderful gentleman I mentioned before at the Eisenhower Library is making quite an effort to find out what outfit could have been coming into the fields of Germany - (Two Men and a Jeep). I tried to figure it out as I mentioned the other day, but ran out of time. And even then who knows if I could have figured it out. I believe the 97th came after the 21st of March and I don't believe it would have been the 13th Armored, but who knows. He is also looking to see if there is any possibility debriefing records exist connected to the different outfits that were in Remagen at the time.
There is a great possibility that the debriefing records can never be found - and certainly not easily. However, I am prepared to stay looking for them for years to come. Thanks to the suggestion from the other wonderful gentleman at Carlisle I think I have a logical path to go down
Never heard from Abbey web site on the English issue. Or on anything.
When there is time, I am also working on the cemetery issues.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
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Christoph,
I went back and quickly looked at the Ray piece. Thank goodness Marion and everyone went to the effort of preserving and sharing all of that information.
This is the part that makes me think it was not their group that Dad so luckily connected with. "At 1725, March 28, 1945, division headquarters rolled across the German border a few miles west of Aachen. A short time later, it passed through the streets of the battered city, which Hitler once said never, would be taken by the Allies.
The division's first assignment was taking up defensive. Positions along the western bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf. Here, 97th doughs captured their first prisoners"
It will be fascinating to find out the unit that sent out an advance jeep. Could they have been lost? Just a joke. Dad said he could not believe while hiding outside that in the distance he saw this American vehicle. He waved them down, which it seems to me certainly had a lot of danger associated with it. These men were shocked to find Dad and Gidrie!! I believe somewhere some additional documents will appear.
Good night,
Jean J
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Christoph,
I use reply and last night replied to the address your message came from.
Jean
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Christoph,
With your help I contacted the Sister's Abbey by telephone. I decided that waiting for a response by email could take too long.
One very sweet Sister tried to help me and then she got another sweet Sister, Joanna, to come to the phone, one who knew a little more English.
My conclusion is that if a window of time opens when I can go (and that is sooo difficult) , and if you are on vacation at that time, I may chance it and still go there. It will be a very brief trip. The second Sister referred to Sister Edeltrud Koch as being old. But she is only 84 or 85. That sounds young to me! She also mentioned like you did about the deafness. I said no problem, we can write a question and she can say the answer. I will tape it.
I asked what could I bring her from America. She said nothing just the visit. Then I asked what could I bring Sister Koch and she said maybe sweets. She said the community is small - only 15 Sisters.
I called the German Embassy back in Washington to see what sweets they suggest. The lady there said maybe Reese's peanut butter cups (apparently some German's like peanut butter and others do not),a Snickers candy bar mixture, peppermint patties and for German ideas she said Milka Chocolato, Ritter Sport, or Ferrero Roche.
Joanna was adorable. She tried to tell me I might need a GPS to find the place. I told her not to worry I would come with one.
Now the other news is that I called Norton to give him the above update. Plus,..
Can't finish, more later.
Jean J
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Jean,
That sounds great, Ihope you'll find a window to come!
And I imagine the ambassador's face when you ask him which sweets he suggests for german nuns  If you ask me I would recommend the peppermint patties sound good, peanut butter is not every one's cup of tea in Germany and Snickers, Milka and the rest can be bought in every supermarket.
If your dad knew that the Ludendorff bridge was under american control and also the direction to Remagen, they could find the way cross-country quiet easy. It's a way of about 20 km bee-line, not so much in peace but in war-times... They would have passed the Siebengebirge ("Seven mountains", but a trained person can climb them all in one day), and these mountains can be seen from the Michaelsberg so theyhad a landmark for their orientation - but if they were hiding in a farm I assume that they have not reached the mountains. After leaving the city of Siegburg most of the way was untilled at that time. There were heavy battles in the Siebengebirge, but on 21 March the area was under american control. I have ordered a book about the last days of the war in this area, I hope we'll find some information about the american units in the area. I have googled a bit, but it seems as if hundreds of escaped prisoners of all nations were hiding in farms at that time all over Europe, and there have been hundreds of (also forced) labourers in the area between Siegburg and the Siebengebirge, many of them working for the farms, and many also from Belgium.
Christoph
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Christoph,
You are asleep but you won't believe it - I did not get the peppermint patties! Instead I purchased about 10 pounds of other things. That included 3 lb. 6 oz. (1.53 kg) of the peanut butter cups. You must be of the group the Embassy warned me of - that doesn't like peanut butter. But the lady I talked to was of the group that loved them and she seemed hesitant on the peppermint patties. Then I got 5 lbs (2.27 kg) of a combination of Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, Musketeers, Baby Ruth, and Milky Way Midnight (something new to me). And I got 21.2 oz (600 g) of the Ferrero Rocher. I hope no one is diabetic at the Abbey.
My husband has already reminded me that since I have a bad back and can not lift much, this could be a big problem - for him!. Also with each of us taking only a carry on, I am wondering what I won't bring where the candy will now be located. If I do not stay very long, I won't need much but I will need some things and he will too.
I have not been to Europe this century, and it shows, because shopping was limited in the "olden days." Now my husband has to hide this candy from me. And I need to see the Nun's fast before I figure out where he is going to hide it.
What I was going to tell you about Norton: I relayed the 2 Nun stories that you shared with me, and he remembers being told about the Red Cross on the roof of the building at Siegburg when he was there. He heard about it when they first started to get bombed. He has no memory of the Dec. 23rd bombing and we discussed that because of discussing Dryden.
I am so excited about the book you are acquiring. I do not know what Dad knew about the Ludendorff bridge on March 15th, he never mentioned that. I do recall he said because of the kind of planes going overhead he knew the Americans were close. I recall that he said they did a lot of hiding during the day. I will one day get out the notes I have on that. But I never heard what group he first met up with.
Have no clue as to my schedule yet.
Good Morning,
Jean J
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Christoph,
I wrote you a fairly long response could I of lost it?
Now quickly, Yes, Mallory recently died of Cancer. What a horrible loss for humanity. An absolutely super human being!
Eisenhower Library, did fabulous job of research but no luck. Will take many many hrs. and the thing to help them the most is knowing what outfit my Dad met up with in the German Countryside on around the 20th of March.
You will never believe it - I called Stolz. Long story made short he does not understand me and I do not understand him. But, after just writing him a letter, I did get a test email from him. When it became obvious that I had no clue what the letters were that he was trying to tell me for his email, I tried telling him mine. That was almost as bad but he did it! If you had gotten my last message, you would have probably called him. Anyhow now I will go and copy over the letter to send to him. I mention your first name but now without your approval I will go ahead and mention your last. I assume you will not mind. Everyone should know about you as a researcher!
Candy still unopened. I started craving peanut butter and fortunately had some here. Will be a long week with those sweets here.
Bon Voyage!
Jean J
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Christoph,
I think you leave tomorrow. Have a Great Vacation!
When you return, I will let you know if I went to meet the Sister.
By the way, the candy is still unwrapped - even the peanut butter cups!
I am going to miss you,
Jean J
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Christoph,
I hope you are enjoying the Sun and Surf!
Thanks to you I hit another jackpot! You are truly amazing!! Mr. Stolz sent me information on Dryden and with it came an answer we have both wanted - a little map of where the Cemetery was located! and more! When I return, I will make copies of it. More to follow when you are back. I am thrilled with what all he sent!
I still am rushing and hoping to go see the Nun on a preliminary visit.
Jean J
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