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Corporal
Oliver Omanson Company
D, 179th Regiment, 45th Division United
States Army Canova, South Dakota |
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Born to a farm family in South Dakota,
as a young man Oliver Omanson planned to farm. After returning from World
War II, however, he underwent a “conversion” and became a Baptist
minister. He says it was God and his faith that helped him to survive the
“Nazi Hell.” Ironically, although being carried by
Fate and world events to the other side of the planet, while a POW slave
laborer he was put to work on an estate near Besswitz, in the then-German
province of East Prussia. The baron of the estate had studied at South
Dakota’s agricultural university before the war and aided the POWs as best
as he and his family could, although it was strictly forbidden. Decades
later, after the fall of the Berlin Wall Oliver Omanson and his son visited
the former manor house, today in Poland. There, he learned that only a short
time before his visit, the son of the former baron had visited, too—but
died of a heart attack upon entering his childhood home, by then occupied by
Polish peasants quartered in the subdivided manor after the war. The story related to the two American
visitors was that as the Soviet Army advanced on a collapsing Third Reich
six decades earlier, pillaging by Red Army soldiers was infamous: the
Germans assumed that they would cart away everything of value, once the
Germans had fled. When the baron’s son walked into his childhood home in
1990, he immediately spied the ornate chandelier that had hung in the house
in his youth. Reportedly, upon exclaiming “Oh, the chandelier is still
there” he dropped dead. DIARY
1944 February
28 We
worked in the bush. (Sawed down trees for firewood) Campbell was taken to
the hospital. Snowed this evening. Received the O.K. paper. (This is a
propaganda sheet given to us a number of times.)
February
29 Threshed
today. (The harvested grain is stored in huge barns.) In the winter a
threshing machine will be brought in and we’ll thresh. March
1
Threshed
today.
March 2 Threshed today. The old guard (Walter) brought back some cake for us that was baked by his wife.March
3
Loaded
barley on the train this morning and threshed this afternoon. Today a woman
inspector came. (A student from college, learning the trade.) Don’t know
how it will go.
March
4
Threshed
today. This noon we were moved from the hen house to the barn.
March 5 Sunday, a day of rest.March 6 Hauled manure this morning and threshed this afternoon. Roebuck and Karin were taken to Hammermuehle to see the Doctor.March
7
This morning we threshed and this afternoon I worked with the straw
chopper. (This machine chopped straw into two inch pieces to be spread over
the sugar beets that are fed to the milk cows.) This evening we were paid.
(There’s no possibility to spend the money. Eventually they took it back
from us.) Received the O.K. Paper today. March
8
Chopped straw all day. Heard Berlin received another big bombing. March
9
Worked in the woods today. March
11 Worked
in the woods this morning. It started to rain so we threshed this afternoon.
Berlin was bombed Monday and Wednesday. March
12 Sunday,
a day of rest. Snowed again today. March
14 We
threshed this morning and worked in the swamp this afternoon. Came in with
wet feet.
March
15 Worked
in the bush all day. Karin received a package from home. Heard bombing again
today.
March
16 Worked
in the woods today. We work another hour longer now.
March
17
We worked in the woods. Some of the boys received their first letters
today. They were dated January 4. Received a couple of O.K. papers today. March
18
Worked in the woods. Rained all day. March
19 Today
we went to Techllip where the Chaplain and Harry were to hold services.
Pistoh Kommando was there also.
March
20
Worked in the woods. Snowed today. March
21 Spring
commenced and it snowed today. I worked in the woods.
March
22 Worked in the bush. Today twenty
more Yanks came. Some of them belonged to the Rangers. They were caught at
Rome in January. March
23
Worked in the woods. Quite a number of planes flying around. March
24
Worked in the woods until the blizzard got so bad they brought us in. March
25
Today I received my first letters since last July. I received five.
They were from Art Wikholm, Victor Brown, Elsie Anderson and Evelyn Frey.
They were dated the middle of January. March
26
Sunday, a day of rest. Went to the Doctor to have my leg bandaged.
(It is infected from cold, etc.) March
27
Worked in the woods. Eighty Yanks escaped from Stalag 17. Heard
bombing again today. March
28
Worked in the woods. It snowed. Guards are still posted for the Yanks
that escaped. March
29 Worked
in the woods. I received my first package of clothes from home today. I sure
needed them. Fifteen packages in all came today. It sure is hard on the
German’s morale.
March 30 Worked in the woods. Snowed today. Heard bombing.March
31
Worked in the woods. Blackie went after more clothes and Red Cross
boxes. Four deer came within a hundred yards of us. April
l
Worked in the woods. The Germans are taking the Old Gold cigarettes
again. (There were 5 packages in each Red Cross parcel) April
2
Several more packages arrived. April
3
Worked in the garden. More people are moving to Besswitz. (Due to the
bombing of cities civilians move out) Heard bombing again today. April
5
Worked with the Gardener. Guess I will continue to work in the
garden. If so, it’s a good lick. April
6
Covered
tile and worked at some odd jobs. The packages continue to arrive.
April
7
Good Friday. A day off. April
8
Pulled weeds out of the radishes. Received letter from Wilfred and
Esther. April
9
Easter in Germany. A day I will never forget. The Baron’s wife
brought each man an egg and a cake. After dinner we saw what we have been
wanting to see ever since we have been here... A sky black with American
flying fortresses. The Germans were out in full force to see them. The old
guard turned grey. “Ack, ack” from the nearby airfield opened up on
them, but it was useless. April
10
Another holiday. More and more kids come hanging around for something
to eat. Even though they are supposed to be our enemies, I can’t help but
feed some of these starving kids from our Red Cross supplies. April
11
Built hot houses for garden purposes. Stolp was bombed at noon today.
It could be heard from here. They are moving dozens of children from Berlin
to Besswitz. April
12
Planted garden. The boys from the bush brought home two small foxes. April
14
Pulled weeds in the hot box. Things are growing more serious. Folks
are becoming more worried. April
15
Another
guard came today. Stettin bombed again.
April
16
Sunday, a day of rest. I received two more letters today. One from
Mable and one from Ted. More and more kids are hanging around begging for
something to eat. Civilian morale seems to be getting lower and lower. We
are being treated more like human beings every day. I can’t help but
wonder what folks back home think of me for getting captured, but it was a
choice of living or dying and I decided I would like to stick around awhile.
April
17
Raked the lawn. Roebuck has been helping since Jim has been sick. I
have it made since I got this garden job. Very easy work. All these kids
from Berlin cause much confusion. It’s a bawling mess. The little fox is
as tame as a kitten. Runs all over the barrack. April
18
Worked in the park and on the graves. April
19
Worked in the Park. Had a little trouble with one German boy who
tried to date the lady inspector. April
20
Planted
garden. One of the boys brought up a washing machine. Today is Hitler’s
57th birthday, so every family in the village had out a large swastika flag.
The church, also, had four flags on it.
April 21 Cleaned off the strawberry patch. It rained a shower. Two storks moved in. A number of German planes seem to be keeping pretty close watch lately.April
22
Worked around the Church. It rained. Received a new type of Red Cross
package. They don’t take cigarettes anymore. The propaganda is off and the
food is better. The Russians invaded Norway. The Russian prisoners are
getting better treatment all the time. So are we. April
23
Sunday, another day of rest. A French prisoner came up from Pistoh.
He says the Russians are well into Hungary and Romania. He says the Germans
will last about two months. The Russians are rating higher and higher. The
German morale is getting lower and lower. Their pride is slipping very fast.
They beg for all the food they can get. April
24
Finished a few odd jobs around the garden. Had a big rain today.
Heard the Americans bombed Danzig. April
25
Rained again today. We planted cabbage. A German officer came out
today after some horses for the army. They are beginning to hurt. All they
eat is brown bread and potatoes and their clothes are beginning to be all
worn out. April 26 Pulled weeds. Heard the Russians are still making big gains. Lots of German planes flying around today. The fox is getting to be a nuisance. Biggerstaff is over the malaria.April
27
My birthday. It rained and we did a few odd jobs in the garden. April
28
Weather has been pretty cold lately. Did odd jobs in the park. The
gardener job sure is alright. Easy work and plenty to eat. Apri1
29
Today I saw the largest formation of German bombers go over I have
ever seen. Twelve. Apri1
30
Sunday. Worked this forenoon. Sunshine and cold. May
1
Today is a German holiday so no work. Winter is over now and all the
boys that came out in the beginning are still here except one that went back
for an operation. Two had malaria but pulled though. Winter work was rough.
We came in night after night soaked and our feet were always wet and half
frozen. We only had one pair of socks for most of the winter and for awhile
some were just wrapped in rags around their feet. Sometimes these Germans
seem inhuman. They drive on with the work no matter what the weather is
like. May
2
A rainy day. I was sick so I stayed in. Stolp was bombed today. May
3
Hauled dirt in the garden. It rained. May 4 Rained. I just loafed. Another family scrap in the evening.May
5
Worked in the park. It rained again today. Old Dame went to take his
physical for the army today. He is 56 years old and so stoved up he can
hardly walk. They sure are needing men. Heard bombing in the west again
today. May
6
Worked
in the strawberries. Rained some again today. Was sick so laid off half a
day. Heard bombing in the distance again today. Karin received a package
dated February 7
May
7
Sunday. No work today. Three more packages came in again today. One
was dated March 10. Another Red Cross ship must have come in. The weeks roll
on and the work goes on as usual. Some of the boys are getting plenty blue
and homesick, including myself. I don’t see how Germany holds on. As near
as I can find out, the whole country is bombed flat. I traded the Baron’s
kid some candy for a world atlas. May
8
Rained again today. I was sick so Nix Arbeit. The fox came to an
unhappy ending today. May
9
I was sick again today so no work. The sun shone a little bit today.
See by the O.K. paper the Japs are beginning to vacate Tokyo. May
10
Planted
beans. The Germans have been railroading considerable equipment lately. May
11
Received another package from home today. Got another shipment of Red
Cross boxes today. We, also, received more clothes. The old Germans are
getting more and more unruly right along. I look for the inspector to get
released any day. The people around here beg all the time. May
12
Pulled weeds in the strawberry patch. May 13 Air raid at Hammermuehle today. Potato planting has started. They are planting 250 acres.May
14
Sunday. A little rest. Heard today that the Americans have Rome.
Germans are trying to get the French prisoners to fight with the Germans.
They sure pull some low down tricks. May
15
Planted flowers. Rained again today and is colder. May
16
Transplanted flowers etc. Plenty of German planes in the sky today. May
17
Showered again today. Planted in the garden. The Germans are getting
more friendly every day. This little village reports 32 men killed on the
front. Berlin bombed again yesterday. 3000 killed. May
19
Heard Rome has been taken by the Americans. May 21 Sunday today. The Stalag band put on a concert for the POWs. The Germans are getting more generous all the time. Germans and all seem to expect the end some time this year. All the cities are bombed to pieces. We receive packages from home regularly now. We have more clothes than we need. The Germans have lost all pride and beg on for all they can get. One woman will do sewing for prunes, raisins etc. The men pick up the cigarette butts they find on the ground.May
22
Cold again today. Tomorrow Quinn goes to the hospital. He has yellow
jaundice. Heard the Russians are making a big push. May
23
Just gold-bricked most of the day. Packages keep coming. We get more
liberty and better treatment every day. May
24
Cold and rainy today. The Confidence man from the Stalag was here
today. He says the Yanks are coming and the Russians are close. He cautioned
us to stay in the Lager if anything happens. I would like to write some of
the stories of suffering and killing the prisoners tell us, but no one would
believe them anyway. Some of these Germans have been killing maniacs in
their day, but it’s about over now. May
25
Rainy and cold again. Today we didn’t do much work. The Frenchmen
are worried about their homes in France on account of all the bombing. May
26
Cold. Fritz took Don to the hospital for an operation. I received two
letters today. One from home and one from Audrey Callice. The one from home
was dated February 20. May
27
Sunshine today. Plenty of German planes out today. Seems to be quite
a lot of troops moving by. Lots of horses and hay moving up, also. May
28
Sunday. On account of the holiday the Baron’s wife brought us each
a cake and an egg. May
29
Another holiday. Pretty warm again today. A good day for bombing. May
30
Hot again today. The days sure are long here. It starts out light
about half past four and doesn’t get dark until about half past ten.
France is getting bombed pretty hard. Civilian casualties are high. The
Germans sure play this up trying to turn the French against us. I still
don’t do much wok. The garden business is alright. Packages continue to
come in. May
31
Hoed again today. Sounded like some city nearby took another bombing
today. June
1
Worked in the strawberries. June 2 Transplanted celery today. It rained most of the afternoon.June
4
The rain let up and the sun shone a little this evening. This Germany
is certainly a damp, rainy, cold country. Here it is June and I am still
wearing long-handle underwear. Time marches on but it is beginning to look
like the second front might open any day, due to all the bombing the Allies
are handing the Germans. June
5
Hear today Rome fell Saturday. Today I received a letter from home
and one from Evelyn. Also, received the card I sent home last October. Crops
sure look good here, even if it is Germany. June
6
Some of the boys went to Rhumelsberg today after more Red Cross
parcels. They, also, brought along a phonograph and a sweater for each man.
Also soap, belts etc. And, a big box of garden seed. Now we all have to bum
a little land from the Baron to plant it on. This is sure strange weather
here in Germany. It rains nearly all the time. It has even got the old
German men worried. It hasn’t been like this before. June
7
Rained again today. Things are sure making a big change around here.
Most of the Germans are as solemn as if they were at a funeral. They know
the end is near. They admit Rome has fallen, that bombing is getting
heavier. The gardener expects the end in August. Also, heard Tokyo has been
bombed for two months. June
8
Today I heard what sounded like a big artillery or bombing barrage
near Stettin. It lasted nearly all day. June
9
Rained again most of the day. It is a pretty well authorized fact now
that the Allies hit France. June
10
Rained again today. Since the invasion of France, the Germans all
look pretty sick. Hans says one of his brothers was captured by the
Americans. June
11
Rained again today. According to the grapevine, the Yanks have gotten
a pretty good toe-hold in France. The civilians around here have pretty well
given up. It seems as though the way this Hitler Motherhood works, the girls
get fifty marks for the first child and seventy-five for the second. For
every child they get a dot in their insignia and after having five healthy
specimens the get a medal. Eliacis went away this winter and received her
second stripe. June
12
Rainy again today. All this wet weather is helping the weeds and
holding up work. According to the grapevine, the war should end in about a
month. The old Germans around here look pretty sick. I often wonder just
what the Russians will do when it ends. It is pretty apt to get a little
rough for awhile. Today Karin and I had a hot argument with the Baron’s
daughter and her girl friend. Insults sure flew for awhile. They claim we
are not good, yet they follow us around like a couple of pet dogs, same as a
lot of others do. The old German men stand at attention and salute the
Baron’s daughter, but we treat her same as anyone else. This sure burns
the Germans up. June
13
Ploughed in the garden today. The Yanks are coming fast. June 14 Sawed wood for the gardener. Rained again today. Americans are nearly to Paris.June
15
Rained again today. I received seven letters today. Things are sure
changing around here. The Germans are doomed and know it. What the end will
be is more than I can guess. Some of them say that Germany is going to fight
as long as there is a German left and the way they are hanging on makes me
wonder if they won’t do just that. They are being pounded every day by our
bombers and they are completely surrounded. They have hardly anything to eat
and their clothes are about all worn out. Most of the women and lots of men
just wear wooden shoes and no socks. Many go barefoot. June
16
Hoed in the garden today. Pee Wee claims he saw four B-38s today. One
dove down and fired a burst. They have a stricter watch on us now. Guess the
Yanks are getting a bit too close. June
17
Hoed onions. They have a guard on us all night now. Orders are to
shoot anyone that makes any peculiar move. June
18
Sunday. Went swimming today. June 20 Hoed in the garden again today. We caught a young deer today. Hammermuehle had another air raid alarm again today.June
21
Pulled weeds. The Corporal came today and got a little rough. Kraft,
Clark, Crowder and Brewer go back to Stalag. June
22
Rained all afternoon. They just got their hay cut and raked up and
now a big rain. They handled it nine times. They do it with hand rakes. I
hope it rains until it all rots from the bottom up. Today we heard another
air raid alarm. Heard bombing and flak all around. These Germans are sure
beginning to squeal. Everything is bombed to pieces. June
23
Rained again today. Fritz brought back five more men. Also, brought a
banjo along. June
24
Rained and hailed today. This is the fifth day of summer
and I have wool underwear on. I wore an overcoat part of the day and a
jacket nearly every day. This cold weather is sure ruining the garden. June
25
Sunday, but they are about over in Germany until after the war. And
for the prisoners as well. Today we started on a house building project for
the bombed out refuges. They are building five here. They are built of
stones and will have straw roofs. They have four rooms and two families in a
house. They walk guard from here to Hammermuehle and have guards on in the
village all night. June
26
The hay is finally loaded and it makes the fifteenth time it has been
handled. I had my first strawberries today. June
27
Today the Russians went to a picture show. These Germans are
beginning to show their colors now. June
28
Rained again today. I
received one letter. According to all
the noise we heard around here today, several more cities must have
disappeared. June
30
Hoed weeds. Hear the Yanks are 15 kilometers from Paris. July 1 Today one more of our guards left for the front. Before leaving he pressed his trousers with a flat iron we stole from the Germans. He has been a pretty good guard. He shook hands and wished us all back to America soon. Tomorrow night he will probably be fighting, perhaps fighting my brother... who knows!July
2
Today, which is Sunday, we had to dig foundations for another house
this forenoon. Work six days and a half a week, wouldn’t be so bad if we
had anything to eat, but all the Germans give us for breakfast is ground
barley, the very same thing we feed our hogs at home, and some brown barley
bread that our dog wouldn’t even eat. The other two meals are just
potatoes. They give us a little meat once a week. I can’t see how these
Germans keep alive on it. If it wasn’t for the food we get from the Red
Cross, I would be a walking corpse. July
3 Hoed
weeds again today. July
4
I’ll never forget this fourth. It was just another day of work for
me. I wonder what the next year will bring forth? July
5
Worked in the cabbage
patch. The new guard that came in Fritz’s
place brought another man from Stalag. We have thirty-eight men now. The
Germans talk a lot about their secret radio-controlled plane. July
6
Pulled weeds today. The Germans are going to wreck England in one
month with their new rocket plane. July
8
Hoed weeds today. I
got another fill of strawberries again today. July
9
Today ten of us went to Rhummelsburg after Red Cross parcels. I got a
pair of new shoes. Things are sure looking dead. Confidence man says the end
is near. He says September. July
10
A big rain storm this evening. These Germans are sure beginning to
cry on our shoulders now. The Russians are in East Prussia. July
11
Hoed
strawberries today. Today a family from Danzig moved in.
July 12 Picked peas. It rained some more today. I received four letters.July 13 Ate cherries today. Worked a little.July 14 Don came back from the hospital today. He brought news that things are about ready to crack.July
16
Sunday and it’s raining again today. They only had ten Yanks work
today. According to what news we get, the Germans are nearly surrounded. The
Russians and Americans are breaking through all over, but still the war goes
on. I know they don’t have anything back here and so for that reason I
can’t see what they are keeping the war going with. I wonder how long it
is going to go on. Every day we have nothing to look forward to but work. If
we had enough to eat it wouldn’t be so bad, but potatoes and sour brown
bread day after day gets pretty old. July
17
Picked cherries this forenoon. Rained at noon. It wouldn’t surprise
me much if a revolution would break out here any day. Everyone is getting
panicky. They don’t get enough to eat and their clothes are wearing out.
They either go barefoot or wear wooden shoes. July
18
Cultivated in the garden today. Found out today they are starting to
evacuate East Prussia. The net is slowly closing in. These Germans are sure
getting more friendly all the time. I sure wonder just how it is going to
end up. Received another package today. July
19
Hoed weeds this morning. Stayed in this afternoon. Ashley and Speedy
slugged it out this evening. July
20
Cool today. A snake bit a Russian twice. A girl is helping in the
garden now. July
21
Picked peas today. The army has been out here gathering up scrap iron
today. They hauled off a pile of 4-inch water pipes. July
23
Heard today that Hitler was wounded in that attempted kill. It was a
time bomb and he hasn’t talked for several days. These people all want to
quit fighting, but don’t dare to. The only thing that keeps them going is
fear. It looks like the only thing that will stop it is a revolt or some
action to overthrow Hitler’s gang. Back here they are starving and don’t
have anything to work with and hardly any clothes. July
24
Rained this morning. Today Otto and the inspector had a long spat.
Things are sure coming to a head fast. July
25
Picked peas all day. I believe the German government is starting to
crumble. The attempted killing of Hitler is the beginning. The Germans are
trying to enforce this Heil Hitler more than ever lately. The prisoners just
make a joke out of it. July
26
Three of the boys went to Rhumelesburg today and brought back some
more clothes, food parcels, sport equipment etc. Troop trains are moving
toward Russia. We get German newspapers pretty regularly now. I picked
strawberries today. July
27
Picked peas again today. I received two letters from Evelyn. One
dated April 3. Flies sure are bad here. It would be a miracle if some of us
don’t get sick before the summer is over. There sure is nothing easy about
being a POW over here. I reckon
most any man would give a lot to leave here and go back to the front. July
28
It rained nearly all day. July 29 A big rain again today. Worked in the park.July 30 It rained again today. Had to take a team and haul a couple loads of bricks for the house project today. These people sure are starving over here now. They beg from us all the time. They try to beg clothes, also. They stole four more Red Cross parcels from us. Hans left today probably for the front. The new guard came, too. They started harvesting rye yesterday.July
31
It
rained again most of the day. All this rain is sure knocking these crops to
pieces. Things sure are getting in a sorry shape around here. These Germans
beg, bum and steal everything they can get. How this is going to all end up
is more than I would dare guess. There was a big explosion close
by today and some of the boys heard a plane strafing. According to latest
reports all Germans under forty five are going to the front or to the
factories. Everybody is evacuating North Prussia.
August
1
It rained again today. Franz went to Rhumelsburg so we didn’t do
much. August
2
My job in the garden runs
out today so I went back on the farm. I hoed turnips. I received three
letters today. August
4
Hoed turnips this morning and loaded straw this afternoon. An
American 38 dropped a bomb on Hammermuehle the first of the week. At present
we are having very chilly weather. August
5
Hoed turnips this afternoon and shocked rye this afternoon. August
7
Shocked rye today. There is plenty stirring around Besswitz today.
They rounded up nineteen girls, women and men to send to the front to dig
foxholes and gun impalements for the Germans as the Russians drive them
back. They sure are hurting. I can’t see how they can hang on. August
8
Shocked with the old women
today. Bombing close again. Slim
stopped a German and a Russian from killing each other with pitchforks.
Everybody is getting panicky. If they are ever going to revolt, now is the
time with all these girls and boys going to the front. August
9 Sacked
rye in the barn today. Heard Turkey declared war on Germany. These Germans,
especially the inspector, are running around in circles trying to get the
work done and it started to rain again this evening.
August
10 Shocked
until it started to rain. The gang leaves from here for the front tomorrow.
Hear the Russians are patrolling the Baltic. August
11 Shocked
rye and hoed turnips. Heard bombing today. Hans left for the front. August
12 Sacked
grain in the barn. It is pouring down rain tonight. As many as can be spared
are going to East Prussia to help dig in. Defeat is near. August
13 Had
to shock this afternoon. It’s cold today. August
14 Raining
and cold today. I split wood and hauled straw today.
It was cold all day. They caught Clark today. The guards never even knew he
had left. August
17 Hauled
bundles. Clark is back working. Heard a big explosion. August 17 Spike pitched yesterday and today. When they caught Clark they just brought him back and put him to work. All they have done so far is take our pants and shoes away at night. We are rationed to a pound of potatoes a day. Potato crop is a failure this year. Small grain is poor, also; don’t see what the people will eat this winter!August
18 Threshed
a little today. August 20 Sunday but we shocked grain this forenoon. The Germans checked our clothes this morning.August
21 Stacked
grain in the barn. August 22 Sprayed trees. Heard southern France was invaded. Lots of artillery in the distance today. We were paid tonight.August
23 Sprayed
again. Heard more planes and bombing again today. August
24 Worked
in the timber today. I received two letters today. August
25 Threshed.
Moved hay back in the barn etc. August 27 No work this Sunday. A couple of German officials were around taking pictures. Hear Paris fell. |