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PFC. William Benjamin O'Neal
US Army Coy.I, 168th Infantry Regt. 34th Infantry Division
from:Greenville, North Carolina, USA
William O'Neal, Jr. was my great-uncle. He was taken prisoner in Italy while on a recon patrol with 6 other soldiers. He stated that the Germans immediately took away their American uniforms and gave them British clothing. He said he worked on a potato farm nearby and would often trade cigarettes for food with German civilians. He was there approximately 15 months, and as the American forces began closing in they started moving them on foot for many miles until they were finally put on a train. He said he had to eat dandelions for energy during the march. After getting on the train, it was shot up by Allied aircraft. He said that after arriving at the last camp, the guards became "nice". Finally after a short while, they woke up to find the guards had left during the night.
