I don't know where John did his basic training. Since he was discharged from the army from Fort Dix, N. J. it is possible that he was inducted at Fort Dix.

Denis Blanck wrote in Decmeber 2005:

"John told me that he did basic training at Ft. Dix. He also went to advanced training in Pensacola, FL because he was scheduled to be sent to North Africa when he was deployed overseas. He also told me that he wound up going to Italy via ship across the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was very crowded, men being transported could not go "up top" for fresh air, and many became sea sick. He did not become sea sick and ate lots of eggs that the sick troopers could not stomach."

John was captured near Wissembourg, France (Loraine) in November 1944. The POW papers indicate that he was processed at Limburg au de Lahn, Germany and the diary that he kept on his escape indicates that he went through Dresden on his way to the POW camp in Czechoslovakia. The diary also indicates that the POW camp was not far from the German border and that when he escaped he passed through or near Gera, Freiburg, Dresden, Linbach (Leinbach?), Chemnitz, and Schomwold (?) on the way back to the allied troops.

He left Germany from the airfields at Erfurts and went to Rheims, France. From Rheims he went to La Havre which is the last place he mentioned in his diary.

On his return to the States he spent over two months in the Hotel Dennis in Atlantic City on "rehabilitation and recovery". He was discharged from Fort Dix, N.J.

The pictures of Germany below are far removed from what John saw when he passed through the war torn area in 1944/45.

I was in Caserta with Damian and Toby in the spring of 1974. When I returned to the States, John told me that he had been in Caserta during the war. We had a discussion on the amazing fountains at the Palazzo Reale in Caserta, some of which are pictured below.

I don't remember if John told me what he was doing in Caserta.

I have not yet been able to find andy photos of Wissenbourgh and Limburg au de Lahn, I have not yet determined where the POW camp was located.

John made the following entry concerning Dresden and Freiburg.

May 10

On the way to Dresden I had a nasty spill while coming through the mountains. I didn't feel it at first but when we stopped at a bakery near Dresden I actually fainted. The German people were very nice to us and took good care of me giving me medicine and blankets so I could sleep. The baker baked a very large butter cake for us (we supplied butter and sugar). It was dilicious. It certainly reminded me of home. At about four o'clock we left to proceed on to Freiburg. We rode through Dresden. I had been to Dresden before it was bombed and to see it wrecked was something hard to believe. The city was bombed for 1 hr. by four thousand bombers and you can believe me there isn't one house that hasn't been hit. The bombing was so perfect that there are very, very few shell holes in the streets every bomb was a direct hit.

John made the following entries concerning Erfurt

May 12

Arrived at Erfurts at 6 o'clock in the evening and found out that the planes would not leave until tomorrow. Had a real G.I. dinner last night Pork, potatoes, string beans, lima beans, cocoa, bread, butter and stewed apples. As much as we could eat. I believe if one of the Germans ever saw that meal they would drop dead. Sleep in the Luftswaffe barracks and had a good night's sleep.

May 13

Just finished a wonderful breakfast 4 Eggs, cream of wheat, prunes, 3 slices of white bread + coffee. I haven't had that much in a month in Germany. Left for the airport a 8 o'clock boarded the C47 at 8:30 headed for Rheims France.