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On April 8, 1945 .... the evacuation of Stalag 17B began

Discussion in 'Talk, Talk (off topic)' started by Chaw, Apr 9, 2018.

Chaw Well-Known Member

And my Dad was part of that evacuation. Stalag 17B was near Krems, Austria. The Russians were coming from the east, so the Krauts began a forced march to the west, to find the American front line. Cuz the Krauts wanted no part of the Russkies.

The march lasted for 18 days, 280 miles. The " Kriegies " ( short for Kriegsgefangener , German word for prisoner ) slept mostly in fields along the side of the road and had very little food for the entire march.

There's a diary of the march, by M/Sgt Frank Gadwa , here

http://www.stalag17b.com/forced_march.html

Here's the entries for Day 1

Sunday - April 8, 1945
Today, according to Jerry (all Germans are called Jerries) we will be leaving Stalag XVII B. Reason for this evacuation is (according to Jerry) because the Russian army is advancing into Austria, being now about 60 miles from Krems. We have been told to pack up only what we can carry. We were also told not to attempt to escape as any who did would be shot. The same fate would be met by anyone keeping a ledger of our march west. We have never been told what our particular destination might be. Will keep a note on the time we leave and how far we go.

Evening - April 8 - 8:00 PM
We marched about 16 KM or from 11:00 AM until 7:00 PM. We've had no food since the piece of bread at breakfast. George Latta from Oklahoma and I are combine partners. We'll share everything on this march as we have for the past nearly two years. We are each carrying about a 50-60 lb. pack. Tonight Jerry had us make camp on a hillside high up in the mountains. Had a piece of bread and coffee for supper. We're sleeping under the stars. It's colder than hell. I have one GI blanket and one Jerry blanket (thin cotton). George has the same.
Click to expand...

And I have a book " A Tail Gunners Tale " by Gerald McDowell, with his diary of the march

Chaw, Apr 9, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 9, 2018

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cd4th Shoot first, shoot again

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cd4th, Apr 10, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 10, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 11, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 12, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 13, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 14, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 15, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 16, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 17, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 18, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 20, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 21, 2018

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Chaw Well-Known Member

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Chaw, Apr 21, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 22, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 23, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 24, 2018

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Chaw, Apr 25, 2018

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Chaw, May 2, 2018

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