General George S. Patton liberated Moosburg on April 29, 1945.
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"A Colonel in the SS was present. At his insistance, the General declined the terms and decided to make a last-ditch effort to fight. The General was informed that Patton's Third Army was part of the American Seventh Army which would attack at 8:00 am on April 29,1945. Patton warned that if any one of us was harmed by the Germans, those Germans would be executed." "At 8:14 am large clouds of dust rolled over the hill about two miles away. As far as anyone could see, there were tanks looking down the hillside. Five squadrons of fighter planes were coming over our way. The siren sounded loud and clear over the entire camp. In a few minutes, we were locked in and all shutters were closed. Floor boards were quickly ripped from the floors. Men got under tables and beds. Some laid on the floor and I am sure all men were praying to get through our ordeal and that this was not the end of our lives." "Machine gun bullets began bursting in every direction, attacking the sentry towers. The roar of tanks got louder and the German guards started shooting machine guns. The roar of tanks, planes, and guns blasted against our eardrums. We heard the crashing and ripping of steel . . . Suddently, everything stopped, except the movement of tanks close by. Out of nowhere came a Piper Cub flying low over the camp and dipping his wings. We knew that the battle was over." "When I got out of the barracks, there were men climbing out of windows and climbing to the roof. There was an American tank going through the main gate. The battle had lasted not quite 20 minutes. The guards that were still in the camp surrendered to our officers. The prisoners rejoiced in their new freedom."
" . . . Somewhat later, General Patton arrived in his command car. It was not the dull green usually seen at the front, but brightly shined and suitably decorated with sirens, spotlights, and a four-star flag. He toured a few buildings . . .
. . . and then mounted the hood of his car to speak. As usual, Patton was immaculately dressed in whipcord trousers, boots, battle jacket, two ivory handled pistols, and a helmet polished to a high sheen. Patton was a very imposing figure with a harsh face. He stood rigidly at attention; a man more than six feet tall, weighing approximately 200 pounds. The General grabbed the microphone attached to the loudspeaker on his car and addressed the crowd in a high-pitched, almost falsetto voice." "After holding up his hand for silence, General Patton looked up and saw a Nazi flag still flying. Pointing toward it, he said, 'I want that son-of-a-bitch cut down and the man who cuts it down, I want him to wipe his ass with it.' Then he said, 'Well, I guess all you sons-a-bitches are gald to see me.' Immediately a great roar went up. After the noise calmed down, Patton continued, 'I'd like to stay with you awhile, but I have a date with a woman in Munich. It is 40 kilometers away and I've got to fight every damned inch of the way. God Bless you and thank you for what you have done.' Within seconds, he stepped back into his car and drove away." Within an hour, three truckloads of women nurses and American Red Cross workers arrived. They handed out gum, cigarettes, doughnuts, and coffee. White bread was also issued and tasted like cake. A sound truck with a loudspeaker started playing records. The first American song we heard was 'Don't Fence Me In'." From Ed Dement's book, Sergeant, for you the War is Over. |
