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Ohio Valley ARES/RACES Net
Every Thursday at 8:30 P.M.
Repeater 146.610, alternate repeater is 146.715 both repeaters have tones of 103.5. |
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PIO & Webmaster WN8F OK to e-mai me l from here:
Ken Massie
N8TVO:
James Rowe
N8LRO:
Arthur J. Pierson
KB8CJB:
Charles Callicoat
N8LCA:
Bill Parsons
KC8WDR:
Harry Rice
KC8VYE:
Chad Thompson
KD8FPX:
Joseph Thompson
KD8FPW:
Mary Thompson
WA4SWF:
Fred Jones
KI4AGR:
Don Canterberry
WW8O:
Gary Stephenson
WM8O:
Wanda Stephenson
W8GMS:
Georgia Sheers
KC8WDS:
Catherine Rice
WN8H:
Mike Nimmo
KC8VSF:
Leroy Phelps
W8DUQ:
Gregory Hendry
KB9ORD:
Ralph Tuley
WB8YKS:
Mike Love
KB8TGI:
Annabelle Jenkins
KB8GWL:
Larry Jewell
N8YN:
Jerry Huffman
KD8LAT:
Boyd Little
KD8LEQ:
Pat Little
KD8ELD:
Bernard Nance
KB8RZP:
Gregory Priddy
KE4US:
Bud Preece
WA8GTQ:
Richard Jones
KD8NYN:
David Bruce
KD8OMC:
Angie Little
KD8LCM:
Ron Musser
N4TNA:
Chris StraitonLINKS TO GREAT SITES
ONE OF OUR LAWRENCE CO OH HEROS -- POW WW2
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Lawrence Rudmann of Ironton
was a paratrooper and member of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War Two. After joining the Army, he learned that paratroopers received $50.00 more pay on the month, so he switched to the paratroopers. He thought the $50.00 more in his paycheck each month would be extra money for a married man with a young wife and baby girl.
Lawrence received basic training at Fort Benning, GA, and then later was sent to Ireland for more training, and later to England. All of this training was in preparation to the D-Day invasion. On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops hit 50-miles of French coastline to meet the Nazis. There were 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supporting the invasion as more than 100,000 soldiers began the march through France.
It was 2 A.M. that Tuesday morning when Rudmann jumped out of a C-47 twin-engine cargo plane, crammed in the hold with 30 other soldiers. For the next hour 12,000 men pulled their parachutes and jumped and jumped and jumped. Lawrence said he was somewhat scared; I landed in a tree and had to wiggle myself down. I had my bayonet with me and cut my lines off me. Down on the ground he met up with his buddy, George Hickey from New York, and joined the march through France. Their first stop was the tiny village of Sainte-mere-Eglise in northwestern France located on a main route the Nazis would take to battle back the Allies as they took over the Normandy beaches. For the next four days the Allied troops and Germans exchanged fire. In the middle of the night Rudmann was captured, his buddy was mortally wounded and Rudmann was taken prisoner. There were nine in his group captured and the Nazis marched them half way across Europe. When they got to Paris, the prisoners were packed into box cars for part of the way, but mostly they walked. From June to September, they marched, always at night to hide from the strafing by American aircraft. The first POW camp Rudmann saw was Stalag 7A at Mossberg, Germany.
There was barbed wire, dogs and hardly any food. We slept on the ground and I thought I would never get home. Days were a jumble of sick-to-your stomach fear and mind-numbing boredom. You stood around and walked around and looked at the fence, he said. And always Rudmann’s thoughts were on his wife, Margie, and their 2 year-old daughter, Rita.
In December the POW’s were taken by rail to a village near Munich and a farm slave labor camp. They worked sun up to sun down, finding rest in a cold dark stable at night. Sometimes the snows were two feet deep. My shoes were worn out and they gave me a pair of wooden shoes to wear. Some days you didn’t have anything to eat. Some days they gave you potatoes. Rudmann stayed there through winter until spring when finally that day he thought would never come did arrive. The defeat of the Nazis had come. It was liberation, freedom and home.
Now as the oldest living POW survivor of Lawrence County, Rudmann wants the sacrifices of the military never to be forgotten. We certainly ought to remember and be thankful the troops did what they did, he said. I am certainly thankful I got back.
The above information is being submitted to the Ironton - Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade for consideration to have Lawrence named as HONORARY GRAND MARSHALL in the 2012 Memorial Day Parade. He certainly deserves this honor.
In my interview with Lawrence I found him to be humble, and modest about his WW2 experiences. He told me that a few years ago he was able to return to Germany and one of his visit was to the farm labor camp site. Showing me a photo of the site, he said it doesn't look anything like it did back when he was there.
Ken Massie, WN8F
SOARA - ARES WEBSITE AT
http://www.orgsites.com/oh/soaraares
BELOW IS WHERE THE 82ND PARATROOPERS LANDED AND THEN ENCOUNTERED THE NAZIS.
On June 5-6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82nd's three parachute infantry regiments and reinforced glider infantry regiment boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders and, began the largest airborne assault in history. They were among the first soldiers to fight in Normandy, France. The division dropped behind Utah Beach, Normandy, France between Ste Mere-Eglise and Carentan on June 6th, 1944. This is where Lawrence rudmann was captured.
They were reinforced by the 325th GIR the next day. The division remained under strong German pressure along the Merderit River. Eventually, the 325th GIR crossed the river to secure a bridgehead at La Fiere on June 9th. It was during this action that Pfc Charles N. DeGlopper single-handedly defended his platoon's position and subsequently was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.
LAWRENCE RUDMANN POW OF WW2
