Tears welled in Robert Mallick ’s eyes as he described
seeing the row of seventeen soldier’s bodies – seventeen I/275
Blazers who had given their lives on February 17, 1945 – to liberate
his village of Lixing near Forbach, France from the Germans. These
tears and many other special events were proof that the French folks
of Lorraine had not forgotten – even after the passing of 56 years.
Robert was a youth of 16 when the 70th Infantry Division
was struggling to push the German soldiers toward the Saar River and
their city of Saarbrucken.
The published itinerary for Floyd Freeman’s Pilgrimage
Tour 2001 – six days in the Netherlands, two days each on the Moder
and Rhine Rivers and five days in Saarbrucken – would not generate
exceptional enthusiasm from previous tour members. However that
basic information did not reveal the intense research and planning
done by Association President Jack Nothnagle and wife Gail.
The canal boat ride and Ann Frank’s house in Amsterdam,
windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, the limestone caves in Valkenburg
were all enjoyable followed by wine tasting and a scenic cruise on
the Mosel River. However the nearly 40 tour members were overwhelmed
emotionally by the heartfelt reception they received from the
residents of several of the Lorraine villages liberated by the
Blazers in early ’45.
Coordinated by Alain Heurtaux of Forbach, monument visits
were made to Behren, Spicheren Heights, Phillipsburg, Wingen, Oeting,
Kerbach, Alsting, Grossbliedersdorff, Lixing and Forbach. Receptions
and banquets honoring the "old soldiers" were provided by the
village officials at most of the above and by the Malleck family of
Lixing.
In an overwhelming display of hospitality, the Malleck
family – after a brief ceremony at the Lixing monument – hosted a
wine reception followed by dinner in the church fellowship hall. The
women of Lixing had baked some twenty delicious desserts that filled
a table. The family’s special apple wine added to the festivities.
It was after dinner that Robert Malleck shared his memories as a 16
year old youth. Handshakes, hugs and tears proceeded the boarding of
the bus for the hotel in Saarbrucken.
A number of Floyd’s German friends joined the group for
dinner along the way. Guests one evening in Saarbrucken included
three 6th SS Nord Division veterans, one who had traveled
12 hours by train from Northern Germany to join us. Jochen Seeliger,
editor of the 6th Nord Division publication, shared his
WWII experience starting at age 17 when he volunteered for the
Waffen SS training because of their demanding standards. He also
described his disillusionment as the war ended and he learned the
true nature of their Nazi leaders.
Our group was welcomed in Grossbliedersdorff by school
children waving American and French flags. Museum displays and
restored American military vehicles brought back vivid memories of
those difficult days in early ’45. Village mayors gave toasts to the
veterans and expressed appreciation for their sacrifices. The group
paid tribute to fallen comrades at three military cemeteries.
Beverly Pinion and husband, Herman, were able to conduct a brief
service at the cross in Saint Avold that marks the grave of her 18
year old brother, AJ Hollingsworth. Beverly was only one when AJ was
killed on January 4, ’45 in Phillipsburg. An Internet search nearly
two years ago revealed the Trailblazer site and provided Beverly
with details of AJ’s death.
Other highlights of the tour included the following:
The participation of the "French Reenactment" group
dressed in 70th Division uniforms with WWII weapons...
Riding in restored WWII vehicles provided by
Adolphe Kieffer, his son, Claude, and others...
Meeting Vincent Busch, who in February ’45, at age
ten, was pulled from the rubble three days after his home was
destroyed by artillery. In a comma from serious head injuries he was
rushed to an American field hospital where he miraculously recovered
and later was located by his family...
Seeing Ann Tipton, widow of Tip Tipton, G/276,
along with their daughter and son-in-law, enjoy their first trip to
the Blazer battlefields...
Having Henry Clarke’s friend, Charlie Cox, share
his informative research paper which summarized the Western Front
war in Europe with special focus on the Battle of the Bulge and the
Nordwind campaign...
Being interviewed by Pam Briola, a member of the 70th
Regional Support Command, who accompanied us with the assignment to
record the experiences of the "old soldiers" as they visited the
battlefields from ’45...
The souvenir "poem" given to Phyllis Bowlin by one
of the Grossbliederstroff children which read:
"All the children of the Earth
want to shake hands,
To live and work together as brothers for a better
tomorrow.
No more hatred, no more frontiers, No more graves
along our roads.
We wish in our exaltation
To forge a great destiny."
As the tour members boarded the US Airways plane in
Amsterdam for the return flight to Philadelphia there was unanimous
agreement that Floyd Freeman and the Nothnagles had provided an
outstanding seventeen days with memories that would last a lifetime.
