Linge Maginot

My last day in France was spent visiting Simserhof, an underground bunker that was part of the famed and ill-fated Maginot Line and the Bitche Citadel (you didn’t know they had their own fort in France?). The Maginot Line, as we all know, was a line of “impenetrable” underground fortifications built along the France’s eastern border. While a great defense against an invading Napoleonic Army, they were useless after the German end run through the “impenetrable” Ardennes Forest and supply lines were cut off. The fort cannot go to the battle; the battle must come to the fort. It was a failure of the French Army to see the future of warfare and a failure to learn the lessons of the Franco-Prussian war, where French forts failed to carry the day. If the French had built tanks instead of the Maginot Line, June 1940 might have gone differently.

Yesterday morning, I left my hotel at 7:15am (1:15am EDT) for the Frankfurt Airport to begin my journey home. I would arrive back home at 11:00 pm EDT. My next trip is set for June 9th to June 16th, when I take my friend Bill “Homer” Crossett west to Mount Rushmore. While filling out my U.S. Customs entry card, I noticed the exit stamp from Germany. Life is funny that way.

Les Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin

On our way from Lyon to Dijon, we visited Du Chateau Du Clos De Vougeot The home of Les Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. This group is devoted to wine and food and ten or so times a year, they hold a lavish dinner at the Chateau. The meals are exquisite, the wine exceptional (Bourgogne). The men wear tuxedoes and a tasting cup hung around the neck by a red ribbon adorned with a yellow stripe down the center. The women dress to the nines. These are grand affairs lasting 6 or more hours. There are chapters all around the world, including the U.S. Oh, and Steve Weiss is a member.

In Lyon, the Saone, flows south into the Rhone

Europe is full of ancient buildings including many basilicas and cathedrals. Lyon is no exception. On Ascension Thursday I visited the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere, which sits upon heights to the west of the Saone River and the city, and the Cathedral St. Jean (the Baptist), which sits at river level just below it. The former was built in the 19th Century, the later in the 13th. In between the two are the 4th Century Gallo-Roman theaters. In the area just north of St. Jean’s, there are a number of 13th and 14th Century buildings tucked behind later facades in the city between the streets. In the time when these homes were built, the more wealthy you were, the taller your home. But the owner occupied the lowest levels, leaving it to the servants to climb the stairs.

Strasbourg is also an ancient city were people have lived for more than 2000 years. The towers and a portion of the wall of the 13th Century walls stand at the edge of the area of the city known as Petit France. There is the 15th Century Cathedral Notre-Dame, which contains the Astronomical clock. Each day at 12:30 p.m., you can view the procession of the Apostles on the upper tier of the clock or light a candle for a good friend. There are also other, less touristy churches dating earlier and later. It is a beautiful city, were you can sit on the porch of a restaurant on the Ill and enjoy good company, a great view and unbelievable fois gras.

Night and Fog

Night and fog deportees were people sent to the camps based on some “offense” as opposed to those who were deemed to be “undesirables”. They were called this because they just disappeared, as if into the night or the fog, never to be seen again.

The text that appears below is copied from plaques on the walls outside the rooms where the events described occurred. The pictures are of the rooms. This will not be a pleasant post to read. It was not pleasant to compose. But these things really happened to real people. They happened here and at other camps. It started in 1933 and continued until the last camp was liberated at the war’s end in 1945.

Crematorium chamber--Until October 1943, bodies were burnt in a mobile cremation furnace installed close to the gas chamber outside the camp. Later on, the Waffen SS incinerated the bodies of their victims here; the corpse was brought in from the mortuary (located in the basement) by using an elevator. The body was placed on the metal slide at the entrance of the furnace and pushed into it, where it burned like a torch. The heat released was used for producing hot water in a boiler affixed to the ceiling behind the furnace; hooks were used for swift, furtive hangings; a rope was attached to them, the noose passed around the neck of the inmate standing on a stool which a Waffen SS toppled suddenly. Death was not always immediate. In the corridor on the left, are located the offices of the SS doctors, their secretaries, the chambers for the guinea-pigs, the autopsy room, the execution room and the room for the funeral urns.

Execution Room—The deported were killed by a gunshot to the neck. The floor was slanted towards a drain that collected the blood, thus allowing the floor to be cleaned rapidly after an execution. On the night of Sept. 1 to Sept 2, 1944, no less than 107 members of the network “Alliance”, including 15 women, were massacred here together with 33 members of the Alsace-Vosges mobile group.

Funeral Room Urn—The funeral urns were designed to hold the ashes of executed prisoners. Their families had to pay 60-100 Reichmarks to recover the urn, without ever being sure that the urn contained the ashes of their relative. On the table stands an urn that contains ashes from hair cut from the deported. During the German occupation, such hair was sent to Germany to be used in a felt hat factory

Operation, Experimentation and post-mortem room—Professor Hirt from the Anatomical Institute of Strasbourg and his assistant Professor Wiener carried out here “research” to validate their racist theories. In this room they performed experiments entailing shots, injections, I.V., scarring and operations. Dr. Hagen, an epidemiologist, used deportees as human guinea pigs to practice immunization experiments, especially with the deadly typhus germ. Dr. Bickenback, who worked on the treatment of damages caused by poison gas, used them to monitor their evolution and results. Such experiments caused the mutilation and death of many deportees. On the dissection table, the “doctors” then performed a careful post-mortem. After cremation, the ashes were dropped into the cesspit.

The Guinea Pig Room—the deportees who subjected to these criminal experiments lived in the room adjacent to the operation room and were at the constant mercy of their Waffen SS torturers. A few examples of the experiments performed: sterilization, application of liquid yperite (mustard gas), scarring of the arms with virulent typhus germs, experiments with phosphorus gas. Such experiments were usually performed on Jews and Gypsies sent from [other camps], but also on NN (night and fog) deported from the camp. Guinea pigs submitted to such “experiments” usually died after agonizing suffering.

The “bunker” cell quarters—to each was attached a “bunker”, a jail within the jailhouse. This building comprises 20 cells and 8 solitary confinement cells. In these cells, were crowed up to 18 prisoners who were subjected to the harshest of punishments on the must futile pretext. 1st Degree, the least harsh: 3 days wood bunk; bread and water. 2nd Degree: punishment lasting up to 42 days, wood bunk, bread and water. 3rd Degree: until execution. During the 3 days before being executed, the prisoner could not sit and could not lie down. Bread and water. The 8 solitary confinement cells were actually designed with heating, but the SS never heated the building. The deported confined in solitary could neither stand nor sit but were forced to remain curled up which lead to their almost unrelenting death.

Beating Rack—The deportees were tied with their chest against slats and their feet caught in a board. They received 10-50 strokes delivered with a “goumi” (cosh) on their back and were obliged themselves to count the blows. Many of them died or fainted before the end of the torture, and the few survivors retained severe after-effects for the rest of their lives, such as multiple fractures and skull traumatisms.

Audie Murphy

On this spot on January 26, 1945, a 21 year old Lt. named Audie Murphy, after ordering his men to withdraw, remained behind with his radio and continued to spot for an artillery barrage against advancing German infantry and tanks. As the Germans continued to close in, Murphy remained, calling in new coordinates for the artillery gunners. At one point, the artillery man at the other end told Murphy that he was calling for artillery on his own position. “Where are the Germans?” the soldier asked. Murphy responded, “ hold on a second and I’ll hand one the phone and you can ask him yourself”.

Realizing his position was about to be over run and without regard for his own safety, Murphy climb onto a US tank destroyer that had been disabled and was on fire. He manned the machine gun and fired at the enemy, who were all around him. Murphy remained on the TD firing on the Germans, despite the fact that it could blow up at any second. Murphy’s actions caused the German attack to falter and allowed his Regiment to resume their advance. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

As a Captain in the Army, one of my traveling companions, Joe Eagers, acted as an adviser in the movie, “To Hell and Back” which was about Murphy’s War service and starred Audie Murphy as himself. Joe brought a picture of himself with Murphy discussing a scene on location. Joe and the men in his company acted in the movie as extra’s but Joe claims he didn’t make into the final cut.

Yesterday, we also came across this Citroen, the same model the drove Steve Weiss to safety August 25, 1944.

L'HONOR POR LE MORTS

When we left our hotel this morning, I really didn’t realize what the day had in store. It was overcast, sprinkling here and there and cold. Or first stop was to be in Saint Vit, a little town just east of the Moselle River, to visit a Memorial to five GI’s who were killed there on the 8th and 9th of September, 1944. A local WWII buff and historian, Michel Marlin, was to meet us in the parking lot near the town hall and take us to the monument.

When we arrived, we were enthusiastically greeted by a group of 15-20 French veterans, some from WWII, wearing their medals, the mayor, a reporter from the area newspaper and the town Honor Guard. We were escorted to the monument as guests of honor for a wreath laying ceremony complete with flags and music. Steve Weiss was asked to present the flowers. Taps was played, followed by the Star Spangled Banner and then the Marseille. We all were then asked to pose for formal pictures. Heart felt gratitude and thanks from people to the citizens of the country whose Army liberated them from an oppressive invader.

Michel, who was wearing a ball cap with the 3rd Division patch on it and the slogan “Rock of the Marne” (a nick name earned in the First World War for it’s tenacious fighting at the Marne), was especially excited to meet me, the son of a 3rd Div. Vet. After the ceremony, he took us to Esplanade de la 3eme Division d’Infanterie Americaine in Besancon. We met some friends of his and they showed us around, explained the fighting there and gave us croissants. We viewed the memorial to the men of the 3rd Div. Who lost their lives during fighting there on 7 September 1944. The crack down the middle of the monument is intentional; it represents the Marne River.

Our next stop was the Epinal American Cemetery in Dinoze, France, were 5,255 Americans are buried. There is a Court of Honor with the names of 424 Americans listed as MIA, their remains either un-recovered, or unidentified. 69 of them are buried here. Also, in 14 instances, 2 brothers are buried side by side. Like all American Military Cemeteries, it is pristine, peaceful and solemn.

We were met at the cemetery by Jean-Marie Siret, another local WWII historian, and another French Vet, who escorted us 2,000 feet up into the mountains of the Vosges near Biffontaine, to a monument commemorating the bravery of the of the 36th Div. And the 100 Inf. Bat and the 442 Regimental Combat Team, who had been cut of and surrounded by the Germans. Running out of ammo and food, they decided to break out with a downhill “bonsai” charge. The maneuver worked, saving the man from capture or death.

Jean-Marie then took us to the 45th Div. Monument in Fremifontaine, accompanied by the Vet from the cemetery and another we met on the mountain. We met a couple more at the 45th monument, paid our respects and then headed to the 3rd Div. Monument at the “Haut Jacques” mountain pass near Brouvelieures. There, we were met by more Vets and a re-in-actor, who drove up in a Willy’s Jeep. He had on jump boots and the wrong pants, but the jeep was immaculate. He hopped out of the jeep and gave me a salute which I returned (hey, I’m as GI as he is). He got out his flags and along with one of the Vets, provided a Color Guard. Flowers were again presented to Steve Weiss, who placed them at the monument, followed by Taps, The Star Spangled Banner and the Marseille.
An amazing day.

I wonder how much it would cost to mail this jeep home?