The Abbeville Boys

Chapter 18: Joseph is Sinking

      The concentration camp was a hell hole. Joseph could smell the bodies burning. The smell lingered after they were through. The camp was becoming uninhabitable. They had killed and burned all the women with children and were now taking women to the showers and old men who couldn’t help the Reich. There were mass killings every day.

      One morning Joseph was walking from his barracks to the construction area. He noticed a line of people walking in the opposite direction. There was a cute five year old girl walking along clutching her plastic doll. She looked up and stared at him. Joseph stared back looking into her eyes. It was as if they were moving in slow motion as they passed. After they passed, Joseph stopped and turned around to look at her. He knew where they were headed. They would never be seen again. He tried to cry but couldn't. All day he wondered how God could let this barbarism go on.  

      The Germans suspended flying operations against England because of heavy losses. They were going to regroup and plan another strategy.  The Abbeville boys still felt good. They had done their part and hadn’t lost any planes while shooting down numerous enemy fighters. With thirty seven kills, Kurt was now considered an ace. He was promoted to Captain.

      In June of 1941 operation Barbarossa was launched. The invasion of the Soviet Union by the Nazis. Most of Germany’s military resources were poured into the attack on the eastern front. Many Luftwaffe squadrons were sent east but the Abbeville boys stayed where they were. The pilots were satisfied and had grown accustomed to the town.

      At Dachau it was approaching mid-1942. Prisoners from the outside came in saying the Americans have entered the war. The news provided some relief to the inmates. The situation was still bad. They needed something to happen quickly. Joseph had somewhat adapted to the camp, but it was still a terrible existence.

      The line into the showers was long. The Jews who knew what was happening wouldn’t go in and were shot. No matter what, they ended up in the ovens. The SS kept other inmates away from the showers so they couldn’t hear the agony of all the people dying. The gas would start and the people in the showers slowly succumbed to the gas. They would scream for a few minutes, but it was too late. They lay there, in death. The camp workers pulled everyone out and took them to the ovens. They died namelessly into eternity.

      The next group were taken into the showers after they washed up the building. The process started over and went on for hours and hours. Then day after day. It was tedious because the inmates knew what was going on even though they couldn’t hear the screams.

      The prisoners were getting desperate, and the Germans knew it. The guards started becoming stricter about anything they saw. A new commandant came into the camp. He met with other SS guards and informed them of his rules. When the meeting was done, he walked up to a Jew and shot him in head. He turned, “Take him to the ovens.”

      He turned to the inmates and yelled, “Anyone not conforming to the letter of the law will get a bullet in the head. Also, ten other Jews will be killed. Maybe more if I decide.”

      The inmates stood there looking at the Commandant. He then walked over and shot another Jew. He turned around and walked off telling the guards, again, "Take him to the ovens."

      Joseph was shocked. The camp was terrible but now it was hell. The guards walked around routinely shooting inmates. The Jews went out and did their jobs keeping heads down. It didn’t help. Guards walked up and shot them in the head. They began to think they’re just going to kill everyone.

      After a week the killing significantly slowed. Apparently, word got to the high command, and they told the commandant to stop. They needed the prisoners to work. The work intensified. Joseph was still in construction and had escaped death. He worked all day on building huts for the new prisoners pouring in. The crew he was with were needed and he was relatively safe. It was still hell watching all the other prisoners die.

      The Nazis had a blood lust and walked around the camp just killing whoever they thought needed it. The ovens were now working full time. The food rations became scarcer. Even the old man who brought Joseph food twice a week could now only bring it once a week. Joseph was in the middle of it and couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. 

      The older prisoners who could work became thin and had malnutrition. They worked as long as they could then collapsed and died on the job. The old men who died were just skeletons. They were taken to the ovens and burned.    

      Joseph was becoming a shell of his former self. When he entered the camp, he weighed one hundred eighty pounds. He was now down to one hundred pounds. He was skin and bones. It was as if the Germans were waiting for him to die. He went on, every day.

      As the Americans entered the war German intelligence sent memos to the Jagdgeschwader squadrons. The Americans had a new fighter believed to be formidable to the 109. It was a P-47. It was a big plane with a big engine. The allies called it the coke bottle. It had a large radial engine. The radial engine was thought to be inferior to the inline engine of the Spitfire and the 109. The engine of the 47 was so big and powerful it overcame the negative aerodynamics. The P-47 was fast with long range and firepower. The boys didn’t think much of it. Some of the Luftwaffe pilots had already read material on the plane and figured it was another challenge they could take care of. There were pictures passed around so the pilots would know what they looked like. Most of the pilots in JG 26 had close to four years fighter pilot experience by now and the Americans were just being trained. The weather got bad, so the boys ate, drank, and waited for the next assignment.

      Two days later the weather cleared, and the word came down, four planes were heading for Calais. JG 26 got ready and took off. It was unusual because the Spitfires didn’t venture towards Calais much because of the Abbeville Boys.

      The planes took off and headed for the coast. As they approached Kurt’s Schwarm formed up and headed for altitude. As they flew into the sun Eberhart noticed the four planes coming off the channel. He saw they were P-47’s. He said over the radio, “P-47’s below us. Split up.”

      The 109’s dove out of the sun and surprised the Americans. The 47’s broke up into two pairs. Eberhart fell in behind them with Kurt following. Eberhart and Kurt were shocked at the speed. The 47’s started turning into a tight circle. This also shocked the 109’s. A plane with that much speed being able to turn tight was dangerous. Eberhart finally maneuvered for a shot but was losing ground. The inexperienced American took hits and slowed down. Eberhart caught up and blasted him again. The P-47 spewed smoke and blew up. Just before it blew up the pilot bailed out. Eberhart had to dodge the debris and turned off to the left. The lead P-47 wasn’t sure what to do and decided to head for home. About then Kurt dropped down behind him. He was still trying to process this new plane. He was sweating as he concentrated. Kurt was in perfect firing position as the American was gaining speed. It was too late. Bullets riddled the P-47 fuselage. There was a fire in the engine and the pilot bailed out. The pilot landed on the beach, but the plane went into the channel. 

      JG 26 returned to Abbeville having shot down all four P-47’s. No Abbeville Boys were lost. When the group landed there was no cheering. All the pilots were experienced and knew what was coming. The P-47 was definitely more of a challenge than the Spitfire. The days ahead would be difficult.