OCTOBER 1945
German soldiers heard the shots and knew that their location was compromised. Gathering whatever they could, they moved further into the woods where they lay in wait for the Americans. The woods rang out with shots, and with only a few casualties, the Americans claimed the victory. It was only a short distance to the castle that loomed ahead in the distance. It would be a safe place to spend the night and a place where the soldiers could go over the spoils of war and claim something as a reminder of the invasion. A couple of Nazi knives, some German music taken off the piano stand, and a German rifle left behind in haste were just some of the spoils of war. An old picture of the castle hung over the fireplace and words in German indicated that it was the Castle of Baron Von Fursteneau. Other spoils were confiscated that evening but anything that was taken that night paled in comparison to the victory that the Americans achieved.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
A STORY WORTH REMEMBERING
The story had been retold more than one time but each time that the soldier told the story it was just as if he were back in the same place living the night over. Others loved to hear the story. His wife had gotten tired of the stories and could easily go about her work in the house ignoring the tales as they were retold.
For years the picture had been mounted on a piece of plywood hidden upstairs in the attic. At once it had been proudly placed on the wall as a reminder of the night in France. Now the glamor of that night had faded and the picture was just a memory from long ago. The secret of the castle and the American invasion was placed back in the recesses of the attic with other outdated items. Everything stayed there until the time that our Dad passed away.
For years the picture had been mounted on a piece of plywood hidden upstairs in the attic. At once it had been proudly placed on the wall as a reminder of the night in France. Now the glamor of that night had faded and the picture was just a memory from long ago. The secret of the castle and the American invasion was placed back in the recesses of the attic with other outdated items. Everything stayed there until the time that our Dad passed away.
DETAILS ON INVASION INTO EUROPE BY ALLIES
FROM JUNE 1944 to OCTOBER 1945
JUNE 6, 1944: ---Invasion of Normandy then move towards Cherbourg/air warfare begins
***Most German tanks after June 1944 never made it into the country due to problems with fuel. The tanks were not able to move quickly across the country and the fuel shortage was a major factor
JULY 20, 1944: Assassination attempt on Hitler fails
JULY 24, 1844: Operation COBRA begins; the Gun Battalion follows behind General Patton
AUGUST 4, 1944: Anne Frank & family arrested
AUGUST 19, 1944: French resistance towards Germans
AUGUST 25 to September 3, 1944: Paris liberated; troops move into Belgium & Luxembourg
SEPTEMBER 13, 1944: Siegfried Line
SEPTEMBER 17, 1944: Operation Market Garden Air Assault in Holland
OCTOBER 24, 1944: Aachen; area of heavy fighting with strong resistance from Germans
NOVEMBER 24, 1944: Cherbourg, France
DECEMBER 16-27, 1944: Battle of the Bulge
DECEMBER 26, 1944: Bastogne; first German plane shot down in WW II; Offensive begins; weather was a major problem
A NEW YEAR BEGINS
JANUARY 1945: By end of the month the Germans had been pushed back to their original starting point.
MARCH 7, 1945: Allies take Cologne
MARCH 17, 1945: Remagen bridge collapsed [some sources call this the Leidendorff Bridge]; Rhine River crossed
MARCH 22, 1945: Oppenheim bridge is 2nd point of entry into Germany
MARCH 18, 1945 to OCTOBER 25, 1945: Stationed in Germany and directly in the middle of the heavy fighting Focus along the Rhine River was between cities of Cologne and Koblenz. Rhine River starts in Switzerland and goes through Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Bonn. It also goes to Austria, Germany, France & Luxembourg making the Rhine River extremely important to the Allies.
DETAILS ON THE MARCH TO OCTOBER FIGHTING 1945
MARCH 22, 1945: Oppenheim Bridge is 2nd point of entry into Germany
APRIL 5, 1945: War moves to Bonn, Germany
APRIL 20, 1945: Troops move into the area where German tanks and military production occurred. Major areas listed below:
***Witzenhausen, Germany; located between Kassel and Gottingen. Witzenhausen is located in state of Hesse with main river Werra
***Kassel is located between Frankfurt and Hannover and was home to German tank and airplane production. Kassel was attacked by Allies on October 22, 1943 and burned for 7 days afterwards due to most of buildings being wood. First captured by US army in April 1945
***Gottingen is 67 miles south from Hamburg; Leine River runs through the area and town was almost completely untouched by Allies
MAY 8, 1945: The official end of the war. The German Air Forces High Command issues a surrender. Some Germans failed to recognize the order and deep within the German country heavy fighting continued.
JUNE 5-10, 1945: Somewhere during this tdates the troops move to Allendorf, Germany which is located in state of Hesse Germany between Frankenberg and Battenberg
JUNE 10, 1945: Entry into Cologne; Built pontoon bridge across Rhine; received bronze star for effort
JUNE 1945: Troops move into Holland (Valkenburg) located in southern part of Holland which is bordered by Germany and Belgium
OCTOBER 25, 1945: Allies enter into Germany by crossing the Rhine River immediately after the Germans abandon the area. The gunner crew stayed in the Furstenau Castle near Michelstadt. One side of castle faces towards the river which explains the importance of gaining control of that area.
JUNE 6, 1944: ---Invasion of Normandy then move towards Cherbourg/air warfare begins
***Most German tanks after June 1944 never made it into the country due to problems with fuel. The tanks were not able to move quickly across the country and the fuel shortage was a major factor
JULY 20, 1944: Assassination attempt on Hitler fails
JULY 24, 1844: Operation COBRA begins; the Gun Battalion follows behind General Patton
AUGUST 4, 1944: Anne Frank & family arrested
AUGUST 19, 1944: French resistance towards Germans
AUGUST 25 to September 3, 1944: Paris liberated; troops move into Belgium & Luxembourg
SEPTEMBER 13, 1944: Siegfried Line
SEPTEMBER 17, 1944: Operation Market Garden Air Assault in Holland
OCTOBER 24, 1944: Aachen; area of heavy fighting with strong resistance from Germans
NOVEMBER 24, 1944: Cherbourg, France
DECEMBER 16-27, 1944: Battle of the Bulge
DECEMBER 26, 1944: Bastogne; first German plane shot down in WW II; Offensive begins; weather was a major problem
A NEW YEAR BEGINS
JANUARY 1945: By end of the month the Germans had been pushed back to their original starting point.
MARCH 7, 1945: Allies take Cologne
MARCH 17, 1945: Remagen bridge collapsed [some sources call this the Leidendorff Bridge]; Rhine River crossed
MARCH 22, 1945: Oppenheim bridge is 2nd point of entry into Germany
MARCH 18, 1945 to OCTOBER 25, 1945: Stationed in Germany and directly in the middle of the heavy fighting Focus along the Rhine River was between cities of Cologne and Koblenz. Rhine River starts in Switzerland and goes through Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Bonn. It also goes to Austria, Germany, France & Luxembourg making the Rhine River extremely important to the Allies.
DETAILS ON THE MARCH TO OCTOBER FIGHTING 1945
MARCH 22, 1945: Oppenheim Bridge is 2nd point of entry into Germany
APRIL 5, 1945: War moves to Bonn, Germany
APRIL 20, 1945: Troops move into the area where German tanks and military production occurred. Major areas listed below:
***Witzenhausen, Germany; located between Kassel and Gottingen. Witzenhausen is located in state of Hesse with main river Werra
***Kassel is located between Frankfurt and Hannover and was home to German tank and airplane production. Kassel was attacked by Allies on October 22, 1943 and burned for 7 days afterwards due to most of buildings being wood. First captured by US army in April 1945
***Gottingen is 67 miles south from Hamburg; Leine River runs through the area and town was almost completely untouched by Allies
MAY 8, 1945: The official end of the war. The German Air Forces High Command issues a surrender. Some Germans failed to recognize the order and deep within the German country heavy fighting continued.
JUNE 5-10, 1945: Somewhere during this tdates the troops move to Allendorf, Germany which is located in state of Hesse Germany between Frankenberg and Battenberg
JUNE 10, 1945: Entry into Cologne; Built pontoon bridge across Rhine; received bronze star for effort
JUNE 1945: Troops move into Holland (Valkenburg) located in southern part of Holland which is bordered by Germany and Belgium
OCTOBER 25, 1945: Allies enter into Germany by crossing the Rhine River immediately after the Germans abandon the area. The gunner crew stayed in the Furstenau Castle near Michelstadt. One side of castle faces towards the river which explains the importance of gaining control of that area.
Soldier Information
Charles E. Leonard
Hometown: Lorain, Ohio
Tour of Duty: August 9, 1943 to March 4, 1946
Rank: Anti Aircraft Gunman while in Europe
Battery B, 142nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
Also worked as a supply NCO
Discharged: March 4, 1946 at Fort George G, Meade, Maryland
The information on this blog comes from war records and audio cassettes of war stories from a personal interview in 1986.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leonard, Charles. Personal interview, 1986.
Old Castle Shop
http://www.oldcastleshop.com/discussion.htm
Steinberg, Glenn A. European Royalty During World War II: Genealogical Table
http://gstein.intrasun.tcnj.edu/royalty/ahnenreihe/FreidrichFerdinand.html
Superstock Photo Image #1566-384566
http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1566-384566cast
Welcome to the Heraldry of the World
http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/f/furstena.htm
Yahoo Answers
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080429105725AAtaRVv
Yale University Library & Sociology Department, "Social Life of Cities, 1997.
http://www,sfu.edu/sociology/sociallifeofcities/german/german264.html
Hometown: Lorain, Ohio
Tour of Duty: August 9, 1943 to March 4, 1946
Rank: Anti Aircraft Gunman while in Europe
Battery B, 142nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
Also worked as a supply NCO
Discharged: March 4, 1946 at Fort George G, Meade, Maryland
The information on this blog comes from war records and audio cassettes of war stories from a personal interview in 1986.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leonard, Charles. Personal interview, 1986.
Old Castle Shop
http://www.oldcastleshop.com/discussion.htm
Steinberg, Glenn A. European Royalty During World War II: Genealogical Table
http://gstein.intrasun.tcnj.edu/royalty/ahnenreihe/FreidrichFerdinand.html
Superstock Photo Image #1566-384566
http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1566-384566cast
Welcome to the Heraldry of the World
http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/f/furstena.htm
Yahoo Answers
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080429105725AAtaRVv
Yale University Library & Sociology Department, "Social Life of Cities, 1997.
http://www,sfu.edu/sociology/sociallifeofcities/german/german264.html
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