100308 Pte. Herbert J Kammeraad US Army from:Holland, Mi. USA Dad did not talk to much about it.The few times I could get him to talk
this is what I remeber. They were captured and moved to a guarded barn
the US was shelling the Germans he heard 1 shell go long then 1 go short
the 3rd shell hit the barn, he was on an outside wall it blew him out side
the barn. He said he could not see because of the clay forced up under his
eye lids. Not many men survived the blast. He was moved to pow camp stalag 7a from what I can obtain. He said they were forced to repair train tracks
that the allies bombed. He told about being chain bombed "he said they chain bombs together so the bombs would lay out in a line to desroy more track " Dad said the Germans would run for shelters and leave them their.
He talked about pick axeing the gages in a train engine when the germans were gone.Dad said they made them carry a bucket of grease and a stick to grease train cupplers.He talked about adding a hand full of dirt then covering it with grease.He said towards the end they starved,they fed them
hedge leaf soup and bread made from saw dust.I remember him saying they would trade uniforms with us officers so they could go on work detail. Sometimes the locals would slip the bread and food and this would allow the officers a chance to get more to eat.I think i was 25 years old before
my dad ever talked about it at all and I was born in 1955. I know it affected him deeply. He was looking for a book called Feet Of Clay, I think
it was writen by someone he was captured with.
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