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On Thursday, April 26, 1945, we could hear artillery in the distance
and knew the end was near. General Patton's 3rd Army was approaching
our camp. We were able to follow Patton's advance by means of our
underground radio that had been put together by our intelligence
officers in the camp. On Sunday morning, April 29, 1945, a lone American P-51 fighter plane flew over, scouting the situation. We were then ordered inside the barracks and machine gun bullets whined over the camp. By peeking through the cracks in the walls we could see Sherman tanks and Infantry troops of Patton's 3rd Army advancing through the fields toward Moosburg. German S.S. troops surrounded the camp and asked the guards to fight with them. The guards refused, as they knew the end was near. The S.S. shot most of them. A two-hour battle took place right outside the camp. The S.S. troops fought to the last man.
The hatch on one tank opened and the soldier shouted: "Have you seen my brother?"The brother was located and hugs were exchanged.
Suddenly there was a hush when someone said: "Look at the Church steeple in Moosburg!"The Nazi flag was coming down, and there was Old Glory--The Stars and Stripes--fluttering in the breeze. That was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen, and was certainly the most emotional experience I have had. Tears flowed profusely from every P.O.W.s eyes, but they were the happiest tears anyone could ever have. We were ordered to stay in camp until we could be evacuated, but very few obeyed.
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The Sherman tanks then smashed through the gates and we were FREE!
I was no longer "P.O.W. 6845," but Lt. Brockmeier, AO70683. We
all spilled out of the barracks cheering and grabbing the
In all the confusion I saw the lock from a prison gate laying on the
ground. I grabbed it for a keepsake, knowing that it would never
imprison me again.
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Elmer M. Brockmeier, and littlestar Ideas
This document was updated on 10/6/00.