I am in the process of scanning all my IDs and have decided to post some of the more interesting ones. I bought this Soldbuch at a show in Aetna, Delaware, back in the early 1980s. Regretably, I did not buy a second one that the dealer had - I later learned they were brought back by the same American soldier. When I first saw this book, I was absolutely sure that the soldier had been killed in action. After writing to Germany, I learned that Siegfried Saß was still alive having remarkably survived a serious bullet wound at La-Haye-Du-Puits, France, on 13 July 1944. Saß, who had been wounded three times before, was a member of the Grenadier Regiment 941 of the 353rd Infantry Division and was armed with an MP 40 when he decided to surrender to a force of twenty American soldiers who were approaching him in a semi-circle (I am quite sure these soldiers belonged to the 79th Infantry Division). As Saß raised his hands, an American soldier fired his rifle at him from 15 meters away. The bullet first struck his Infantry Assault Badge, traveled through his Soldbuch and wound up lodging in his right arm, breaking it. He was then taken to the rear by two American soldiers and along the way, another U.S. soldier wanted to finish him off; however, his two escorts would not allow it. Saß was quickly operated on and his arm was put in a cast. He was then taken to Omaha Beach, brought to England and then to the United States. After making contact with Saß in 1987, he sent me a photo of his family. It's interesting to think that had the bullet killed him, no one would appear in the picture with the exception of his wife.
Barry
Barry
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