Re: research
Sinclair Hart (Slobak@AOL.COM)
Wed, 10 Apr 1996 16:39:46 -0400
Somehow my letter to you got erased (my fault, I think) Anyway During the
war
(for me 1943-1946) I spent 15 months in England, France and Germany with the
Army Engineers. We built a lot of Bailey Bridges, the kind that you build on
shore a section at a time, and then push the whole thing out over the wate
until it reaches the other side. A good encyclopedia would explain more.
We crossed the English Channel on Christmas Eve 1944 and were sent to Western
France to pin down the German army defending some submarine pens. The were
supposed to break out and head East, cutting the Allies in two and join what
became known as the Bulge. Most people dont know anout this plan, so you
may get an A!
We were attached to General George Patton's Third Army Headquarters and
followed him across Germany, though without being right on the front lines.
We were with him in Regensburg May 8, 1945 when the war in Europe ended.
I was then sent to Military Government of Austria, where I discovered a
wonderful castle and met the owners . I was an investigator and once had to
arrest a count who was hiding weapons - turned out to be only heirloom
shotguns. I turned them over to my
commanding officer - but bet they found their way to his home!
The count was a sick man and his defense exhibit was most of his stomach
preserved in a bottle! Another job was to question all the citizens to
discover how long they had been Nazis. The shorter the better! In those
days, each GI was given a carton of cigarettes. I didnt smoke, so used them
to pay for stuff, as one butt was worth a heckuva lot.
That's probably enough for now - if you've read this far. Good luck in your
project.
Sinclair Hart