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The Liberation of the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp at Nordhausen, Germany

On April 11, 1945, the 60th Infantry Regiment reached the Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp just outside the city of Nordhausen, Germany.  Mittelbau-Dora was a slave labor camp tasked with digging tunnels and building V-1 flying bombs and v-2 rockets.

When my grandfather, George Egger, entered the camp, he was overcome with the stench of death. The men in his unit had heard rumors of these camps but had never seen one.

He said: “It was horrifying.  Many of the men were skin and bones, none had shoes, and many were badly beaten.  Bodies were piled up in an open field, and some were burned by the SS in an attempt to hide their deeds.”

They were surrounded by Jews, homosexuals and Italian and British POWs. One British soldier, who was nothing but a skeleton, walked up to him and asked for a cigarette.  He gave it to him, amazed that he craved a cigarette more than food.

The city of Nordhausen was only a mile away from the camp.  There was no doubt among the Americans that the civilians knew of the camp and did nothing.

Colonel Van Heutten, the commander of the 60th infantry, ordered his troops to march into the city of Nordhausen and round up all men and women over the age of 15.  At gunpoint, the civilians were forced to dig massive trenches and stack the bodies of the camp’s victims inside.  US Army bulldozers were then brought in to cover the mass graves.

Citizens of Nordhausen placing bodies in a mass grave.  Public domain photo from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

During a sweep of one of the buildings, my grandfather and his platoon came across a laboratory with several steel tanks inside.  The lab smelled of formaldehyde.  After donning gas masks, his platoon went in and opened one of the tanks.

Inside was a man, woman, boy and girl, likely a family, preserved nude in formaldehyde.  That image haunted him for the rest of his life.  The extent of Nazi brutality knew no bounds.

Source:  https://9thinfantrydivision.net/

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The US Army Driving School

On March 8, 1945, George Egger marched over the recently captured Bridge at Remagen, Germany to help support the new bridgehead.  After the bridgehead was secured, the regiment dug in to defend the railroad bridge and newly constructed pontoon bridges.

Photo from flickr user Philippe Freyhof.  URL at end of post.

During this time, a Sergeant rounded up six guys, including my grandfather, for a special mission.  They needed to retrieve five brand new jeeps so some scouts could do some reconnaissance. My grandfather, growing up in the Depression, had never driven a car, so this would be a learning experience.

They loaded up in a truck and crossed back over one of the pontoon bridges. They proceeded to a supply depot 10 miles behind the front lines.

After retrieving five new jeeps, they left the depot and headed for the bridgehead.  They crossed the pontoon bridge again and headed for the front, where the scouts would meet them. After driving about 8 miles, they came at a fork in the road, where there was a gas station.  

“We had no map, so the sergeant asked the German civilian in the station where the front was,” he said, “The civilian pointed left, so we turned right to avoid it.

On the road, four badly damaged American tanks rolled past.  The tank commanders were shouting and waving at the five jeeps, so they waved back.  After coming over a hill, the column of unarmored jeeps encountered two German tiger tanks, the most advanced tanks in the world at the time.

The Tigers opened fire, destroying a jeep behind my grandfather. The soldier survived with minor burns. A second round landed in front of my grandfather, and he drove his jeep into it, causing him to fly out.

He grabbed his rifle, jumped in another jeep and headed the other way down the hill.  In their blind rage, they wanted to kill the civilian in the gas station.  When they arrived, the civilian was gone.

Source:  https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II

Flickr photo URL:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126729696@N07/31039323508/in/photolist-PhQDu9-62f111-asymyg-24iP8Vq-8xizh1-99ccq1-21Uw3gx-GYkJ68-JSjcMr-dMP6Hy-FqKBXM-8T8NY9-Z2d5wG-6H9VPM-P1vFJ-JSPkpQ-23gLmV4-2fMuL5d-dAynYa-4JGoKy-5YdsNv-5YhGzw-2baFreG-6BhsTe-4QZyym-o7yq5X-2nWHNB-2nWwmB-e7g7ag-2o1Xm9-av4Tf-e7g1tD-o3dBJS-faStS3-fdHFmn-bBJziR-av4V2-274JH4J-av4WA-218ZA4C-rEb7P-4PYVgk-fdY1cA-bkxg6N-rEb6h-7aSMp9-CPADCH-bkxg3b-adB6Vq-5pnrp4

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Losing a friend -- twice

When my grandfather, George Egger, reported to Fort Dix on July 15, 1944, he saw that his friend, Jack, had also been conscripted.  They greeted each other and got in line to sign in.

They decided that they would both ask for the navy, so they could go through training and serve together.  They got to the front, and Jack went first.  He told the sergeant “navy,” and the sergeant repeated “navy,” stamped his paper and sent him to the navy recruiter.

Up next was my grandfather.  He walked up and said “navy.”  The sergeant looked up at him, down at his paper, and shouted “army!”  

The sergeant stamped his paper and sent him to the army recruiter.  While in combat in 1944, he learned that a Japanese submarine torpedoed Jack’s destroyer, and he died when it sank.

While in basic training, my grandfather met a man he called “Blackie.” He and Blackie were buddies in basic training, and they became the best of friends.

Photo by flickr user Theo_C82. URL at end of post.

One day in October 1944, their platoon came under fire by a unit of German soldiers.  He and Blackie were side by side as they returned fire.  During the fight, he heard a couple of bullets fly past the left side of his head.

When he looked to his left, Blackie was dead, with a several bullet holes in his chest.  It was one of his worst experiences in the war.

Sources:  https://9thinfantrydivision.net/

Flickr photo URL:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22360767@N05/16072477139/in/photolist-qugDuP-7rrtQY-bs2nCo-7dKYBY-6gfPtz-bDC4F9-p5eZdw-8VL6Pk-dSgVVz-764Uxg-e4N3gV-eihuRk-25TtDXZ-ews4EE-ea4Rvo-dbWcKp-5TsUaj-muwURX-av6SmT-2dY9DsP-ekB17t-S8GuXe-24oSe12-o7B78L-qyrjT6-X15ktH-p3D4t7-oB5MgB-nPgEdy-DVBK1H-Mned2S-eXq9qX-4QbpnG-28w1rXc-8Ei2xq-aM8CH4-KyHz1E-4jyBvZ-7CXzT8-fi4ASS-P6wKKr-4jCFZC-hr1DH-2et3Zfb-eauN2k-5w8X4h-4juxcn-hU9DLv-2dKNiL5-5dNpwY

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From Corning, NY to Liege, Belgium

In June 1944, George Egger was working as a glass blower for the Corning Glass Works in Corning, NY.  The factory was in full war-production mode, making everything from binocular optics to medicine bottles to windshields for jeeps.  He felt proud to be helping the war effort, but wary of fighting.

He was 17 years old and only a few days from turning 18.  The Allies were carrying out a massive invasion of France, and the fighting in the Pacific was still going strong.  Many of his friends had been drafted, and he feared he was next.

On July 10, 1944, just 10 days after turning 18, he received a letter from the war department.  The letter informed him that he was to be conscripted into the US Armed Forces.

“I will always remember this sentence from that letter,” he said, “‘Report to Fort Dix on 15 July for military training.”

After a drastically shortened version of basic training, he was given a seven-day leave and said goodbye to his family.  He then reported to New York City to board a troop transport to Belgium.

George Egger, age 18, before leaving for war.  Photo from Carol McCurdy

He said: “I got on that ship, stowed my gear and headed to the stern. As I watched the City of New York disappear over the horizon, I thought I would never see America again.”

The total time between receiving the letter and arriving in Liege, Belgium was 61 days.  From civilian glass blower to American soldier in only 8 weeks.

Sources:  https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II 

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Stories from the grave

Photo from John McCurdy.

Hello.  My name is John McCurdy, and I am a junior at the University of Florida studying public relations.  This blog will be about some of the things my grandfather, George Egger, experienced while fighting for his country in World War II.

I selected this topic because I love history, particularly World War II. I remember growing up and listening to my grandfather’s stories.

George Egger, age 89.  Photo from Jean Egger.

My grandfather was a Technician Fifth Grade (TEC 5) in the US Army during the Second World War.  A soldier with a TEC 5 rank, also known as a tech corporal, was equivalent in rank to a regular corporal but was rewarded with a higher pay grade due to some special skill.  My grandfather was awarded this rank because he was his platoon’s bazooka man.

He turned 18 in June 1944, was drafted 10 days later and entered the war in September 1944, only two months after the D-Day landings.  He served the entirety of the war in the 9th Infantry Division’s 60th Infantry Regiment.

My grandfather passed away in 2017, at the age of 91.  Luckily, my family and I had the foresight to record his stories to share with future generations.  

Only a small portion of the stories he told take place in combat.  Whatever the reason, he seldom ever spoke of his combat experience.

A few of the stories and photos in this blog may be disturbing, as they take place in war. Please take caution when reading.

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Enjoy the Summer at the Beautiful Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Florida is home to 175 state parks, each one different in its own way. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, located just south of Gainesville, is no exception. The park features many species of wildlife, including deer, birds, alligators, bison and wild horses. This, coupled with the natural beauty of the park’s forest and prairie lands make Paynes Prairie an ideal destination for a summer trip.

The south end of Paynes Prairie, facing west toward US Highway 441. According to park rangers, trees like the one in the foreground are dying as a result of flooding in the basin. 

On the contrary, the American Lotus, with its bright yellow flower, is thriving in the high waters.  The loti in the park bloom between May and July, and create a beautiful sea of yellow flowers for summer visitors.

Park rangers say that the basin floods for about two years every 10 to 15 years, replenishing the prairie’s soil with nutrients.  Additionally, the floods stop the spread of trees into the prairie. Without regular flooding, the prairie would be consumed by the surrounding forest.

A wild horse wades though the flooded prairie while looking for food.  Wild horses and bison roam the prairie, occasionally encountering visitors.  It is important for visitors to maintain their distance, as the horses and bison can be spooked easily.

Summer visitors can escape the blazing sun with a hike through the park’s vast forests.  The Bolen Bluff Trail, pictured above, immerses visitors in a lush forest and provides many opportunities for bird spotting.  Also, horses and bison are known to wander into the woods to escape the summer sun.

Another popular activity among summer park visitors is geocaching.  This small cache was hidden in a hollow post at the Bolen Bluff Trailhead.

Geocaching is an outdoor activity where people search for hidden objects using GPS coordinates and hints.  Caches vary in type from small ones containing logs of names to large ones containing objects.  Nearly three dozen caches are scattered throughout the park.

Mike Wilson, 17, of Ocala, FL, examines the cache found in the post.  Inside was a small scroll logging the names of people who found the cache and the date they found it.