Camp near Siegberg Germany?

[Jean Jacobson]

Christoph,

 

I was going through some papers I got off the internet in times past looking for clues on outfit Dad could have come in contact with after escape.

 

76th Field Arlillery Battalion on March 20th was at Neiderdollendorf. Crossed the Rhine River at Konigswinter on Pontoon Bridge. And March 22 1945 in battle position at Holzlar.

 

The Hodges Diary entry was that they were picked up in the morning of the 21st.

 

This is one of the better possibilities for me to try to follow up.

 

Bye for now,

Jean J

[Jean Jacobson]

Hi Guys!

 

This is just a quick note. I am working on my Mom's 90th birthday party and will stay extra busy for the next week or so.

 

In spare moments I try to organize War papers and of course, deal with life.

 

I did order the maps I mentioned above and added a couple more to it. Not sure if the escape route can be determined from them, but eventually, I am confident I will find Dad's debriefing records. We shall be able to locate from those records about where he was picked up on the map and then we can guess the route he took past the Siegburg guards and over the bombed now lowered fence with barb wire at the top.

 

I am so fortunate that Dad told Norton and a few of the men with Norton that he was going to try and escape. Norton never met or knew Gidrie and did not know that another man went with Dad.

 

More to follow,

Jean J

[Jean Jacobson]

Hello!

 

Another very quick note. Kevin Bailey an Archivist from the Eisenhower Presidential Library, who I have mentioned before and who is so kind and helpful, wrote me that that they do have some information for both the 15th Field Artillery Bn. and the 299th Combat Engineers. But they only have a file folder or so for each unit. He will check when he can and retrieve them and see what is or is not there.

 

Bye for the moment,

Jean J

[Jean Jacobson]

Hello!

 

Christoph I did send you an email so you would not think I disappeared; not sure if you ever got it.

 

Hope everyone is well!

 

So sorry I have not been able to write anything lately. Have really missed those incredible and shocking messages that come so unexpectedly from Christoph!

 

My Mom is not doing very good. Life is complex but wanted to write a quick hello and give you at least one update. I heard from Dan Raymond and he said that he could not find a map that encompasses Remagen. I told him to proceed with the original order plus add a couple of other maps that he found for me which included 2 maps of Cologne where they had a town map scaled at 15,000 and a regular map scaled at 1:25,000. Also they had a map of Aachen.

 

I will let you know when I hear from the other department which produces the maps.

 

Bye for the moment,

Jean J

[Christoph]

Hello!

 

Yes, I got your email. This time I don't have incredible messages. I visited the cemetery again and checked all the graves on the ea with military and civil victims of the war, but Theo is not buried there, but some others who died on the 28th Dec. 1944 in Siegburg.

 

Some days ago I looked "The bridge at Remagen" on TV when I recieved an email of a TV producer who plans a documentation about the bridge and asked me whether he may show photo from my website in his movie. No problem, it was made by the US signal corps

 

Shall I contact him again, perhaps he'd like to make another film abou the POWs at Siegburg and their escape?

 

Christoph

[Jean Jacobson]

Christoph! Are you kidding me! This is another Oh Wow! You have got to be kidding me! You went to the Cemetery - you actually know where it is and walked around the grounds! How many people (and let's first think about Americans) do you think have ever done that! How many people are buried there - not just from the Siegburg Abbey/WW2 period? Do the families realize their loved ones that died at the Abbey are buried there? Do they come visit? What battles did these men fight in that caused them to be wounded? Were most of them wounded during the Battle of the Bulge period or were they from the Hurtgen Forest Battles or when?

 

I want to go look up the weather on weather underground, but afraid I will lose this message, and try to visualize the kind of day it was when you went back to this Cemetery. Maybe it was a bright day or maybe a wintery gloomy day.

 

On a future visit, and with time, I might be inclined to find a place to perch and everyday come and see who visits the Cemetery. Maybe there is an office for the Cemetery that has records and people pay a perpetual maintenance fee like here in the States. I wonder if the monument stones are all the same and if you were able to easily see the engravings on them.

 

Do you think the men were buried here after their death or removed from a temporary spot to here? And how far is this Cemetery from the Abbey - knowing the weather conditions that winter? Would you pass that Cemetery or be aware of it as you went in and out of the Abbey?

 

And did my Dad know where that Cemetery you have visited was located? He never mentioned it. But then foolishly I never asked him that question or many others that I should have. On our journey to Siegburg with Dad, one of the important things Dad wanted to do was to see the Cemetery where he had buried the men. That is how we ended our visit to Siegburg. And as I have mentioned before, let me just say to put it mildly, it was not a happy ending. The history of the Abbey and the Prison Camp and the Cemetery had all been wiped away.

 

I apologize for putting in question marks, because I realize most of these things will probably never be answerable.

 

So Theo, now where did he go or would he have gone. Maybe to his home town or oh my gosh, suppose he was not found or identifiable. Oh Gross!

 

I am reading a book Medic! by R. Smith and in there he mentions the kinds of wounds you deal with in war and it is not like wounds/medical issues that are normally encountered. Dad mentioned in his Vmails/letters, (I must go back and review the exact wording) but he says how sick it made him in the beginning. R. Smith said the same thing.

 

So back to Theo, do you suppose, when I can get back to Germany - Maybe in Dec, we could visit his son? Maybe his son has more information to share on the whole era of Siegburg Abbey in WW2 - not because he remembers it but because he researched it.

 

Oh man, so much to think about and want to do.

 

And just quickly, I am glad you saw the Movie the Bridge at Remagen. What a Great True Story!

 

I am glad that TV producer found you! He got really lucky! And guess what? I did too!!! You are amazing!!!

 

You are so funny! I think I will be trying to get the information on my Dad's story for years to come because I want it to be accurate.

 

Bye for the moment,

Jean J

[Christoph]

Jean,

I'm not so funny, it's the same cemetery where Dryden was buried and of whitch I have posted some fotos before (on memorial day). I have made a photo of a map of the cemetery. You see field "D" where Dryden was buried, and the big green field at the bottom "Ehrenfriedhof" with the graves of soldiers of both world wars and some civil victims. There are wreaths or lights on some of the graves, someone still visits them, but I don't think many Americans as there are no american soldiers anymore, they were brought to Margraten or home to the states. I think the local victims of WWII were buried here directly, but the soldiers from WWI?

 

Sister Edeltrud Koch has written, that Theo Mauel and his wife got submerged at the bomb raid and that Theo could be recovered only dead, so he was found and identified.

 

Christoph

[Jean Jacobson]

Christoph, Hello!

 

Did you see we have some kind of star to the left of this forum. Are we in trouble?

 

Now I am going to get interrupted because a girlfriend who is staying nearby is coming over so we (the famous we) can charge her car battery. No, she is not coming by car, she is walking and Steve will have to go take our car a couple of blocks away to garage to help her. I had War stuff all spread out but now have tucked it away so do not look messy.

 

Now by funny I meant that you were going to call back the documentary producer. But you have made me gasp many many times with your incredible responses!!!

 

I went back to the May 31, 2012, entry to see the Cemetery picture again. I need to print that and the picture above. Is this the Cemetery that Dad was looking for?

 

Does this mean that Theo's wife died too in the bombing raid? Gad, how hideous! The word submerged must be that they were both buried under rubble?

 

Man, I have so many things going on and leads to pursue and things to share. I get so frustrated because of such limited time and then access to what I want to look at. And then of course, if it is in German, I can not even read it. I recently looked up the book you referred me to Oben Auf Dem Berg. It is still only available in German on Kindle.

 

I heard from Kevin Bailey, the wonderful Archivist from the Eisenhower Presidential Library, and received this information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I have checked the U.S. Army Unit Records Collection for the two units you mentioned. We do not have much on the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion, (Box 642) about 30 to 40 pages of miscellaneous records is all consisting of an Operations Log for May 1st to VE-Day on May 8th, daily log for the month of April and a two-page one for March. All it has to say about the period that your father and his buddy reappeared is, and this is a direct quote,

 

 

 

"9 March - 26 March, 1945: During this period the battalion constructed and operated ponton ferries on the Rhine River." [Note: "ponton" is an old Army spelling of pontoon and was still frequently used in WWII]

 

 

 

There is also a 5 page report from the battalion's Chief Medical Officer and while he notes that in March that his personnel dealt with several wounded men and deaths from enemy attacks on the Rhine ferry service he makes no mention of anything else. One might assume had your father and the other man arrived in the battalion's area they might have been checked over by the medical personnel.

 

 

 

 

 

As for the 15th Field Artillery Battalion, (Box 372) we have even less in the way of records, only 15 pages and only for July, August and October of 1944.

 

 

 

The National Archives at College Park, MD may have more if you want to further check into these two units. Sometimes they have more complete records for some World War II units."

 

With your love of water, the Rhine, bridges, engineers, pontoon vs ponton, and so much more, I thought you and Marion would especially appreciate that response. What an incredible help Kevin has been for me!

 

Bye for the moment,

Jean J

[Walt's Daughter]

Okay, we are back, so you can post again. Sorry for the long interruption in service.

[Jean Jacobson]

Marion, You are amazing! You never have to say I am sorry to me. I am just so grateful for the time you have allowed us on your website.

THANK YOU!!!

 

Jean J