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261892
PFC. John Francis McKee
US Army 30th US Infantry Division
from:St. Louis, Missouri, USA
From the National Personnel Record Center I just discovered which POW camp my dad, John McKee was in after he was captured on 23rd of January 1945. He did not talk about his time there much. He passed away in 2001 and suffered from gout and arthritis his whole life. We believe a lot of his ailments were a result of his time as a POW.
I remember him saying that the POWs ate mostly potato soup, same as the guards, and they were lucky to get a piece of potato. The guards were not mean. At Christmas, he received a Red Cross package containing Limburger cheese, which was a delicacy, but he could not stand the smell of it after returning home. He lost 60 lbs in 5 months and was liberated on 2nd of May 1945. Unfortunately, I have no photos to share.