Cpl
Norman Kostoff
December 2003

In Memory of George Denver Holmes, Pfc.

Battery "A" 302nd Field Artillery Battalion, 76th Army Division

Two different telephone interviews in December 2003:

Personal History of Norman Kostoff:

Memories of the Travel over to Europe in 1945:

Arrival in Europe in 1945:

  • Norman remembers arriving at Le Havre, France at 2:00 AM.
  • To his surprise, they marched and trucks picked them up to take them to a replacement depot.
  • He remembers sleeping briefly and being woken up and divided into different outfits. This is when he was assigned to the "A" Battery, 302nd FA Bn.
  • One officer interviewed Norman. In being asked if he knew anything about cannons, he replied, "no". The man said, "you’ll learn". He had been trained with anti aircraft with the 90-mm guns, which are like German 88 guns. He said these are the kinds of guns you shoot airplanes.

105-mm Howitzer Gun:

  • Norman learned to shoot the 105-mm Howitzer gun.
  • There were different powder bags that he put in shells and the amount of powder determined the distance that the gun shot its target. He talked of using five-pound bags of powder. He also talked about shooting smoke bombs.
  • All the guys would help set up the guns when instructed to do so.


Norman Kostoff in center next to a 105-mm Howitzer cannon


105-mm Howitzer cannon looking from the back of the cannon


Murphy and Norman Kostoff with the 105-mm Howitzer cannon

Brief History of Service in Europe:

  • Norman explained how they moved fast through the Rhineland and Central Europe.
  • He received two stars for these places of service.

 
Outside Frankfurt, Germany

  • When asked what pillboxes were like he shared that they were cement mounds, which were about eight to ten feet thick. These were lined up along the Rhine River holding German cannons, troops and so forth.
  • Norman recalls when German aircraft would fly over them; they would dive off the trucks and scatter as to not be hit.
  • He turned nineteen while in Germany and said that at times he was scared to death.


Mittwhuler, Germany March 1945
Hungerford, Currieri, and Norman Kostoff

 


Mittawarth, Germany April 27, 1945
"Our Section"
Left to Right: Sgt. Boettcher, Murphy, Dickerson, Tony, Norman Kostoff, Filex Riojas,
Joe (sitting). Chow time ("K" rations)

 


Riojas and Fowler at Orsndorf, Germany May 2, 1945

Gera, Germany and German Prisoners:
  • The place Norman remembers the most is Gera, Germany.

 


Gera, Germany

 

  • German prisoners were captured and held in a factory outside of Gera, Germany. The 302nd FA Bn was responsible for guarding and screening the prisoners.

 


German Soldiers held in a POW camp in Gera, Germany


Gera, Germany

 


Norman Kostoff on far left

Norman Kostoff standing far left

 

  • He remembers about 2200 German prisoners while he was there.
  • Some were German farmers and were let go.
  • Some German prisoners were picked out who had "SS" on their arm and to have further questioning.
  • A different outfit was assigned to take a half-track vehicle into Gera, Germany. The vehicle had half tracks and half wheels (with a 37-mm cannon on the back of the vehicle). This other outfit would march the German prisoners with the half-track and go into Gera, Germany to clean up the destroyed buildings and such. They would clean during the day and then come back to the factory that they were held in at the end of the day.
  • Norman observed that the German prisoners enjoyed leaving the factory and getting out to help clean. He felt the German prisoners liked doing it.
  • The factory held the German prisoners in the back and the US 302nd FA Bn was in the front part. There were bunk beds that the US soldiers slept on while the German prisoners slept on the floor with blankets.


Left to Right: Riojas, Bravas, Franvie, Tony, Murphy, Joe
June 1945 Gera, Germany
Our quarters in the front part of the factory (bunk beds)

  • Occasionally, the Red Cross came through and provided the soldiers the opportunity to shower. They had one minute to soap up and three minutes to rinse off. The soldiers where given clean, used US Army uniforms.
  • German visitors lined up along a hillside once a week to visit their loved ones in the prison.
  • The factory had guardhouses on each corner to secure the prisoners with a 50-caliber machine gun.


Guard Shack Gera, Germay


Left to Right: Filex Riojas, Murphy, Joe, Tony, Barvos Gera, Germay

 

     

  • The German visitors would not kiss the German prisoner, but rather shake hands.
  • Norman would wake the German cook named Schultz at 5:00 each morning and the German cook had a crew that were awakened each morning as well to cook breakfast for everyone.
  • The German prisoners would give haircuts and would fix the beds and pick up for the American soldiers. Norman observed that they didn’t mind doing these things.
  • There was a parkway between the front of the factory and the rest of the factory. The US office was in the front part.
  • The out lying area had big mounds of hay that German soldiers hid and fired on US soldiers (sniper shooting). At one point the US soldiers were given permission to shoot into the big rolls of hay.

 

 

 

 

Leisure Time in Gera, Germany:

  • Some of the US soldiers went swimming in a lake a few miles away from the factory on days they were not guarding the German prisoners. A first Lieutenant and a warrant officer (or second Lieutenant) would transport US soldiers in Hummers with about six to seven US soldiers for the day.
  • These soldiers would go swimming in the lake in German shorts (to confuse possible German soldiers).
  • Sometimes the US soldiers would play ball.
  • US soldiers would obtain different types of liquor to share with the troops. Norman stated to me that he did not drink; however, one time he asked to have a drink of water from a water fountain that was filled with wine. He drank it not knowing it was wine and it made him sick.
  • The US soldiers had access to Vodka, whiskey, wine, dark beer named "Bach", etc. Sometimes the liquor was poisoned and the US soldiers had to be careful.

 

The Following Buddies Photographed in Gera, Germany 1945:

 

Beauty Around Gera, Germany:

  • Towns around Gera, Germany were a couple miles apart.
  • Some towns used 250 volt and some used 110-volt electricity. On occasion not knowing the proper voltage, the equipment would fry.
  • German citizens used copper kettles to heat up their water and wash their clothes.
  • The scenery was beautiful.
  • Norman recalls strip farming in the area and seeing rows of corn, wheat and large potato mounds.

  

Gera, Germany June 1945
Refugee Camp in background

Going Home:

  • Norman was assigned to be with the 30th Division at Gera, Germany and came home with them in March of 1946.
  • They loaded the Queen Mary headed for the states in March 1946 while anticipating service in the Pacific Islands.
  • The Queen Mary was a big ship. He would lie on the deck and the hum of the engine put him to sleep. The waves were barely felt.
  • The staterooms were luxurious but the soldiers did have to double up.
  • The swimming pool was turned into a cafeteria for the soldiers
  • There was also a Piccadilly Circus on the four corners of the ship representing the Piccadilly Circus in London, England.
  • It took five days to get home.

 

(Recorded by Connie Robanske December 2003 in memory of George Denver Holmes)

Return to the Home Page