205652 Pte. Leonard Fred "Chub" Tendick US Army Infantry Dental Corps from:Milwaukee, WI, USA My dad, Leonard Tendick, was captured during the Battle of the Bulge, he was listed M.I.A. January 6th, 1945 from France and was held at Stalag 5A. He was liberated, April 19th, 1945 from a large prison camp at Fallingbostel in Western Germany. Additional Information: | My siblings and I have since discovered more info:
Pfc Leonard F. Tendick (and the 42d "Rainbow" Army Infantry Division, to which he was assigned) landed in Marseilles, France in November, 1944 and became part of Task Force Linden opposing Himmler's Army in the last German offensive operation in France before the end of the war (operation Nordwind). TF Linden was engaged at the town of Hatten near the Vosges Mountains (just west of the Rhine River near the contested city of Strassbourg) where they encountered aggressive combat in extreme weather conditions. Once captured (on January 5-6, 1945) he was sent to the POW camp at Ludwigsburg, Germany (Stalag 5A) (a city north of Stuttgart). We currently believe that he was evacuated from Stalag 5A by the Germans on April 1, 1945 as part of their effort to prevent the Soviet Army from liberating and reabsorbing the POWs. A Milwaukee, WI newspaper article (from April 20th) reported that he (and two other soldiers) had been liberated from Stalag XI in Fallingbostel, Germany by the British Second Army April 16th, 1945, 350 miles north of the camp where he was originally interred. Family history reported that he had been transported (either on foot, by train or both) to northern Germany and this would be in line with the report of liberation from Fallingbostel instead of Ludwigsburg. The British delivered him to a hospital in London where he received medical care for a head injury and trench foot. He remained disabled until his death in 1991. He received a military funeral and is buried with his brothers-in-arms in Woods National Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(There may be inaccuracies in the above account because we are neither military or historical experts and interpreting the records can be difficult for us. If you notice anything that needs correcting, please let me know. We want to know what is true where ever possible. Thank you.Leslie Tendick
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