[Franek]

When I awoke and came to. I found myself laying on the floor of a German field hospital. I was covered with blood. Above me stood a German officer.Very sternly he asked me questions.Then he showed me the diary that I took from that dying German at Elsenborne.He asked me why I had it. I told him that I promised the German that I would see that his mother got it.(I lied)Apon hearing that,his mood changed. His demeanor changed. We talked for awhile,then he disappeared. In a little while he came back with a tag printed in German and pinned to my lapel
He to me to show it to my captors. I never did figure out what it said. The American shelling got worse ,so we were evacuated to a aid station in Marburg. Here they operated on me. Considering as to what they had to work with. They did a fair job. I woke up on a floor with other German wounded. It was then that I realized how bad I was shot up. My left arm was shattered.my thigh was torn apart the bullet was removed from my shoulder.my head was bandaged. I lost a lot of blood and was very weakA German officer came in and stood above every man and talked to them Those who could stood at attention. When he came to me, I tried to stand up but was too weak. He understood and moved on. The soldier next to me lost hsa left arm. There were maggots crawling all over it.(YUCK) bI lost count of the days,but I could feel my strength coming back.
One day a little old lady came in holding a basket,.She stopped at every soldier and gave them something. When she came to the soldier next to me without an arm. She shook her fist at me. I thought to myself OH OH. But then she kneeled beside me and puted her hand on my head ,and I think she said a prayer. She then rose and gave me a piece of punpernickle smeared with liverwurst and moved on. That was the first food that I had in daysI never forgot that. Even today I eat liverwurst and pumpernickle.
Apparently the Americans were coming closer. We were loaded on horse drawn wagons and evacuated again.It saeemed that I heard the word KASSEL mentioned. But it did not matter. My column was attacked by Allied fighter planes.We were bombed and strafed.Everybody scattered. Including me. I made it into the woods.After the planes left there were a lot of dead and burning vehicles. The Geraman mounted up again and proceeded on.No body looked for me.I looked down at the road and my wagon was still there but the horse was dead.
Now here I was alone not knowing what to do. I stayed in the woods until dark.I assumed that if they were going one way then I would go the other way. I walked that whole night eating sugar beets from the field.In the morning from the woods I noticed the Germans evacuating a town. When it looked safe I walked in. I heard motor noise.I looked from around a house and saw a American halftrack heading my way. I jumped out waving my arms. Jesus Christ. They opened up with a 50 caliber machine gun at me. I jumped behind a building. Then they pulled up beside me and laughed.They didnt know what I was. My clothes were torn and soaked in blood. I was taken to a aid station but was wounded too bad. They put me on a C47 to be taken to england.Upon take off the wheel hit a hole and the plane crashed. The plane did not catch on fire so I was safe. They tried again. This time it worked.
I arrived in England where they oprerated a number of times. But I needed further attention,so I was shipped back to the states. The war was over for me. I spent the next 16 months in various Army hospitals. I was discharged with a 85% disability rating.