Lowell M. Posegate landed at Normandy, France on D-Day+2, June 7,1942. The German forces had been driven back about ten miles. Lowell and his company fought without opportunity for rest and relaxation until July 23,1942.
Somebody tricked us into taking a break. We sat in a circle[150 men]and the Germans were only 1/2 mile from us. Some of the men were running back to ordinance [it was quiet there]. A big mouth officer said anyone caught running back would be shot. My foxhole buddy asked, "what about some of the officers who ran back?" The commander[a lieutenant or a captain] said "I don't know about that, and I don't want to hear anymore about it."
Showers and new clothes were brought up to us. The Germans could have blown us away as we say in that circle. A truck with hot meals was sent up to us. The steak was so old and tough you couldn't cut it with a chain saw. Also a little salad. Before that, we were eating out of our pockets (K rations). Just beyond laid a dead cow, legs sticking up and bloated. What an appetizing sight.
July 23,about the time Hitler's life was threatened. I hadn't changed clothes or washed my hands from June 7 to July 23. The main idea was to keep blood in the veins. New clothes, shoes, and shower was the first since June 4, in England.
We started fighting again. "Spread out!", the officer yelled, and so tipped off the enemy. Machine gun fire began to pour in on us. I got behind a hedge row with an apple tree protecting my head. We moved ahead a bit farther to an "L" shaped building. A German tank came around the hedge tow and blasted one end of the building. Some of our guys came out of the building, their faces blackened from the smoke and fire. One of my buddies was hit and paralyzed by mortar fire and my sergeant was killed. We told my buddy we would send the medics for him, but the medics had also taken a beating.
My foxhole buddy and I dug in for the night. The next morning, we could see the Germans moving toward us. I looked to my right and saw white flags appearing from our positions. When we surrendered, the Germans took our belts and shoe laces, to keep us from running. One of the soldiers took my watch.
The British air force flew night sorties and attaked the trucks transporting us through France into Germany. The Germans stopped the trucks and took cover away from the road, leaving us to our fate. One of the men was about to jump from the truck when I said to him, "Bass [Robert Bass of South Carolina], you better sit down, you're going to get it one way or another. He sat down and the British pilot stopped straffing when he came to our truck. Our truck was in darkness just at the end of the area illuminated by British flares.
One night, our captors had packed us into a tin shed aout 150'x 60' During the night, an Englishman sang,"When they Begin the Beguine".
They moved us out during the night and we stopped in an apple orchard. The French lady who owned the orchard asked us not to eat the apples. She must have felt bad about this, as she later came back with crackers and milk for us.
We were in Paris, 40 of us, locked in a boxcar. We were given 3/4 of a loaf of German bread and 1/2 pint horse meat, and water when available from a tin can. When air raid signals went off, the guards would slam the door of the boxcar closed. This would continue for about four days. Before we moved out of the railroad boxcar. Bathroom priveleges happened whenever.
At the next stop the Germans decided to give us showers while it was raining and delouse us at the same time. We took showers in the rain, no towels or anything to dry off with. I caught water off the roof so I could have something to drink.
Another three day ride. Forty of us in a locked boxcar. We could hear planes outside. With just a small hole for air, we were running out of oxygen. I was breathing as deep as I could breathe. My buddy was lying on the floor next to me. He had his testament out and I was fanning him. He was a heavy smoker. We kept pounding on the boxcar door until they finally opened it. Just in time!
Our next ride was the last ride until we got to the concentration camp. I had picked uo a sinus infection from taking a shower in the rain. To get sinus relief, I had to tip my ear between my knees, and for three days just sipped water. When I got off the boxcar, I was so weak, I could hardly walk. They took us to a camp, I have no idea the name of it. The first encounter at the camp was with Russians. They had arms and legs missing, and were down to skin and bones. One Russian had a straight razor and I hadn't shaved since July 20th. He shaved me dry, no shaving cream. The Russians were sleeping in bare buildings. I gave the Russian that shaved me some cigarettes from my Red Cross parcel. The Russians didn't get those. There were Italians, Americans and English in the camp. They had a little hospital set up and gave me medicine for sinus. We stayed in that camp until October. Then they took us out to the little town of Frietal, where factories had been bombed. We helped clean that up and we stayed in an old school house. We were just a short way from Dresden. We worked out of there until Valentine's Day and then Dresden was bombed. It blew out lights and windows. We were just a few miles from Dresden. We went in and picked up the dead. Then one night we got word that the Russians were moving in. I was sometime around April.
Just before dark we loaded a wagon and put ropes on the wagon so we could pull it up the mountain. We walked all night and took turns on the ropes. We stayed up on this mountain in the first part of May. My sinus infection came back. I had a sore throat and chills. I contacted my English friends and they gave me some medicine. We were living on a liquid diet as the Red Cross parcels were gone. We stayed there a few days until I got over my chills and fever. The Russians were now coming. We started down the mountain toward evening. Women were pushing baby carriages to get out of the way of the Russians. We would soon be freed.
The above is an interview with my Dad. My Mom took the notes. I can also remember Dad telling me that when the Russians were coming to liberate the camp, the Englishman friend of his sang "Begin the Beguine" at the top of his voice until he was hoarse.
Dad lived to be 84. He had his gall bladder removed in the mid 1990's and the surgeon ask him if he was a carpenter or worked around sawdust a lot. Dad said no, but told of the Germans bread that was filled with sawdust. No wonder he had chronic gastrointestinal pain his whole life!
He earned the Bronze Star with valor, Euorpean, African and Middle East medals.
