another one gone............

[Eric Queen]

I received another very sad letter in the mail today. My friend of many years, Mr.Roland Bock ( 2./FJR3 ) passed away on 23.2.02.
They are going very fast now. Soon they will all be gone. For all of us who were fortunate enough to meet, talk with and correspond with these guys, I hope we can really appreciate how lucky we were.

[Eric Queen]

Annemarie sent me a few more of Mr.Bocks papers as well...

[Eric Queen]

[JYN]

Well Eric,

I am used to that for a couple of years now and as you I lost a lot of friends.
I am sending a post war signed photo dated 1990 from my Archive which will be hard to have it signed those days.



I had the the chance to be in contact with Gericke, Schirmer, von der Heydte & Hermann.

Jean-Yves

[Willi Z.]

Yes, it is very sad that WWII veterans are dying at an emormous rate. Many of the German veterans who used to visit my parents (both German born....Prussia and Silesia..father was Luftwaffe Ju88 pilot) routinely as I was growing up are now gone. I have been lucky to know 4 FJ veterans who lived within a hour of me: a vet of FJR9who fought in Normandy, a vet of FJR10 who fought in Italy, a vet of Fallschirm Pio. Btl. 4 who fought in Italy and a vet of FJR7 who fought in Italy (Rome '43), Russia and Brest. Though I have corresponded with many others, these local veterans have been great friends over the years.

Sadly , Harry Girth of FJR9 who was well known as being one of the five POWS still at large in the US in the '50s after he escaped from a POW camp in NJ, passed away about a year ago. Here is a portrait photo of Harry taken in 1943 and paid for by his French girlfriend.:-).



Another local veteran who I see weekly and has an exceptionally sharp memory for details is Albert M., who also serves as my FJ re-enactment unit advisor. Here is a shot of Albert in May of '44 in Italy, just a month before he was captured outside of Rome. Note the cutdown splinter smock.



And finally, here is a shot of Albert taken with some of my guys last November at a battle.



Glück ab,

Willi

[Frank Mills]

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[Willi Z.]

Hey Frank,

I am in the front rank, about the middle, with the sleeve rank and the MP40 (live and legal). God bless the USA! :-)

Willi