The Race is On
You would maybe think the worst fighting for the 103rd would
be in Germany, but by mid March the Germans supplies
were running out, their air force was hurt badly and
the Wiermacht (regular army not the SS) was surrendering
by the thousands.
Frank's company's job rather than combat was to secure the
cities and towns they went through. Round up any remaining
German soldiers that were more than happy to surrender.
Later on they rounded up what was termed "Displaced
Citizens" that were regular Polish or French citizens that
were captured and became slaves of the wealthier German
households. They were put in camps for safety then later on
moved back to their homeland on our trucks.
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March 22, 1945
Germany for the first time.
March 24, 1945
Part of the Siegfried Line that was blown up near Klingenmünster
March 28, 1945
Frank remembers Marlene Dietrich a film and music star
showed up to entertainthe troops. Born in Germany she
became an American citizen and was a real patriot to go and
entertain the troops.
Marlene Dietrich pulling up her skirt to show the Cactus Patch!
Frank Block for sure wanted to get a picture of that.
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April 7, 1945
Here is where they crossed the Rhine River.
Frank crossing the Rhine river looking towards Kaiserslaughtern
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April 16, 1945
miles.
Frank tells the story that they came into a city in Germany
where there was a mental institution. All the Germans that
were running it had fled so they had to round up the inmates
and try to keep them in the institution. Fortunately they
found some folks that could run it and they could move on.
At Stadthalle in Heidelberg
Modern day picture of Stadthalle
The Old Bridge over the Nekar river near Heidelberg. This
bridge was built in old Roman fashion piling bricks in a
fashion that they stayed together without any cement.
The Germans blew it up but it was put back together after
the war brick by brick.
modern day view of the Old Bridge over the Nekar
April 19, 1945
Bombed out Building in Heidelberg, Frank said one of the many.
Men stop to take a pose with some of the local ladies in
Heidelberg
eating in an apartment they were able to bunk in for a few nights in Heidelberg.
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April 19, 1945
Moving the line 25 miles to Welzheim.
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April 21, 1945
Move to Uhingen the line moves 41 miles
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April 22, 1945
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April 23, 1945
The line moves almost 50 miles today. One of the few times they had to fight some of the Wiermacht in Germany.
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April 24, 1945
Move to Reutti about 30 miles away.
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April 25, 1945
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April 25, 1945
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April 28, 1945
Walking Into a Nightmare
Dachau
My Father didn't talk too much about when
they walked into the concentration camp that
had been vacated. They didn't even put it in
the diary. At this time they took a left and
found the infamous Landsberg prison where
Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf". They also found a
lot of concentration camps near by ....Franks
platoon walked into a camp near Dachau.
They had no idea at this time what that this
was going on.
See more pictures taken by Frank Block and more history of the 103rd in Dachau
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April 29, 1945
Stanley Durowa, "Polski", Wilfred Simas,
Dick Jennings, Homer Gorham, Ivan Fox near Rieder, Germany.This man was captured by the German army in Poland and
brought back and sold as a slave to this wealthy German
whose home is in the background. He fled when the
American soldiers came in and so Frank Block and some of
his platoon took this man that they nicknamed "Polski"
and let him help himself to what was in the house and
asked him to try on some of his master's finest clothes for a
picture. One of the fun spoils of war dad remembers.
May 1, 1945
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As the war was ending the 103rd had a new responsibility....
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