Christoph, I could not resist looking up those 4 names that Mary told us about back on May 28, 2012. I used the listing you sent in a prior message here. I only found the 4th one, a Daniel P. Gibbs. I will put that in my list of names to check on in St. Louis. Maybe there will be a clue to Mary's puzzle. The list does not show what State they are from.
I am glad you sent me back to the Doctor Zenker thread. I am not sure what his specialty is.
And as for the article that is referred to by Jan about the closing of the hospital, I wonder if you have seen it.
Jean J
Well, I heard, another group that Dad did not run into on his escape path.
More to follow,
Jean J
Thanks to that great Archivist, Kevin Bailey, at the Eisenhower Library and his very thorough analysis we know that the 86th Division is not the group that was in the area where Dad was on March 21st, 1945.
Shucks, well eventually by process of elimination we will find the group and the information.
Here is what Kevin wrote:
Here is what I have been able to find regarding the activities of the 86th Infantry Division during the time period you asked about; March 15 to March 25, 1945. We have about 1500 pages of records for the division and
its component units. By sampling the historical reports and after action reports of regiments, battalions and companies the following picture emerged.
The 86th arrived in France in early March, 1945 and most of its troops moved to Camp "Old Gold" near the towns of Doudeville and Ourville, France during the first week of the month. Sampling the records of several units showed that they spent most of March there before moving out for Germany starting on the 23rd. From March 23rd through the 27th the troops left by truck convoy or by railroad for Cologne, Germany with some parts of the division going to the town of Duren. A couple of the narratives I looked at also mentioned going to Weiden, near Cologne.
What they were doing at Camp Old Gold during most of March is provided by a narrative history of the 342nd Infantry Regiment (one of the 86th's three infantry regiments; the other two were the 341st and the 343rd)
From "A Narrative History Compiled and Edited by the Information and Education Office of the 342nd Infantry" :
" . . . After lying at dock from 1 March to 4 March, we debarked. In large troop trucks, too crowded for men to sit down, we moved a full sixty miles up into Normandy, to Camp Old Gold, located near the small town of Ourville. In the following period we de-waterproofed equipment, got new vehicles from Cherbourg, Paris and Antwerp, underwent physical conditioning, made fast marches over country lanes, hedge rows, and cobblestoned village streets, and attempted to converse with French farmers (and their daughters)."
Starting on April 1st, the mission assigned to the 86th was to relieve the 8th Infantry Division and set up a line along the Rhine River and to initiate patrols on the east bank to determine the location and strength of enemy defenses. According to various after action reports the month of April is when the division first began to have direct contact with enemy forces.
I hope this will somewhat clarify the picture of what the 86th Infantry Division was up to during March of 1945.
Once again, I am so grateful for Kevin's efforts and as always to you Christoph!!! I would never be this far along without you!!!
Jean J
Christoph,
I finally decided to write Otto's Pharmacy last night. I received a message today that he is not up for visitors. Not a good sign.
Happy Holidays to you and your family and everyone! I wonder if you go to a lot of those amazing Christmas Markets that they have in Germany. And, if they have one in Siegburg, I wonder if they do it in that center area down below the Abbey.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
Of course we have those markets. The one in Siegburg is a medieval market and got quiet famous over the yeras: http://www.mittelalterlicher-markt-siegburg.de/web/mittelalterlicher_markt/01121/index.html
Christoph
Christoph, So how many of these Christmas Markets are you lucky enough to get to go to? The one at Siegburg sounds fabulous.
I called Norton last night just to give him a progress report. I will write more later but he said something that after I share here and with your approval I will write Jan Bitterburg with that piece of data.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
Christoph, I have a few minutes before heading out to tell you what Norton said. I read him the Jan Bitterburg email that I sent you above. I had referred to that email earlier on this website when you and I first started communicating. Then I never went back to reread it - or put it on this site because you kept sending so much incredible new information that we both kept working on.
Well when I reread about the artillery fire and the period that Jan B.. thought it was going on - that did not make sense with all of our now known knowledge. Jan referred to March 9th until April 9th that Siegburg lay under constant fire by artillery. I never heard Dad mention artillery fire in that March 9th to March 15th period. And why would he run out of the Abbey if the Americans were so close. And why risk being killed by the Americans. And why would it take 6 days to meet up with any Americans. And why why why...
Well Norton confirmed that he Norton knows what artillery fire is - and there was None! He was adamant - that they were never under artillery fire! They were bombed and under fighter planes but no artillery fire.
I was thinking I could send Jan B. an email and tell Jan B. that. Also then I could see if Jan could ever locate that document from Mrs. Korte-Boger on the closing of the field hospital.
I have a few minutes before heading to Mom's and I will draft something up for Jan. My guess is your logic and mine will concur that it is proper for me to write. I was thinking that because this is your hometown you might have a different thought on how I approach this.
Jean J
Christoph, I changed my approach, and just sent Jan a fairly brief email. I specifically asked Jan about that document that I never got. I do not even know if Jan's email address is valid.
Boy am I running late.
Bye for now,
Jean J
Jean, have you read Ray Repasky's memoirs on the main site https://ww2combatengineers.comRayRepasky.htm ? He has answered some of my questions by e-mail before I got a member of the forum 
.
He was with the 922nd Field Art Btn near Siegburg, but not until the first week of April 45. The area south of Siegburg at the Sieg river (Menden, Hennef, Buisdorf, Meindorf...) has been taken at the 21st/22nd of March, this should be the earliest date of constant artilery fire on Siegburg
Christoph
Christoph, Thank You for sending me to Ray Repasky's fantastic memoir site. Some time ago I found it by Googling but at that time, regrettably, I never actually examined it. This time I saw how much information was there and regretted not having delved into it sooner. it will take me a long time to digest everything he has there. Thank God there are men like him!! Not only because of his war efforts but because he is preserving the information forever. He does not know us and yet he helps us and others and will for centuries to come.
I wonder if Ray knows Harold. I need to call Harold and will ask him that and about the map.
One day I am sure I will locate the exact date when Norton and the others left Siegburg to go to Waldbrol. Norton knows there was no artillery fire while he was there. And the other night in our telephone conversation he said that as he was leaving he saw German tanks leaving / pulling out.
I have so many open threads and I want to work on all of them!
Thank You and Good Night!
Jean J
What a surprise - just a few minutes ago heard from Jan Bitterburg. That was so incredibly kind of Jan! She sent an attachment and I must wait for my husband to help me send it to you. Christoph, you have probably already seen it but it is titled :Erlebt und erlitten. Die letzten Kriegsmonate 1944-45 in Siegburg.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
Sorry it took so long. Here is what Jan sent. And I see I said she in last email. Jan sent a follow up email. There Jan said "I hope you are not disappointed with the content of the text I just sent you when you get it translated." Jan may have said that because the Dec. 28th bombing was stated to be Oct.18, 1944 in this attachment.
Hi Guys!
Glad the holidays are over. Happy New Year!
I plan to work on trying to track down some of the families on that long list of names that you sent me Christoph.
I owe everyone phone calls and maybe in a week or so I can finally get started.
Bye for now,
Jean J
Called Norton a couple of evenings ago. He, like me, is so eager for me to learn more on Siegburg and Waldbrol.
Maybe it is Berlin where records are kept. There have to be records on the wounded Germans that were at Siegburg. One day I will write Nina, the lady that first made me aware of Sister E. K. Nina has moved back to Berlin, or that is what I last heard when I contacted her. Maybe Nina can ferret out where records could be located. Simultaneous to that I have lots of things to start again pursuing from here.
Bye for the moment,
Jean J
Heard from the Archives in St. Louis today. They have pulled some of the records i requested. Now will try to figure out when I can go to take a look at them. Also need to refresh my mind as to which records I requested Christoph. I do not think it was part of those near 450 or 500 names you sent me.
Gad, I need more hours in the day.
Jean J
