We’ve been learning about Green Valley’s Fred Braakman and his transition from the family farm in northern Iowa to Army Basic Training at Camp Haan, California and deploying to Europe as a gun mechanic with Battery D of the 546th Automatic Weapons Battalion (AWB).

After the 546th AWB crossed to France in July 1944, senior commanders broke up Fred’s battalion, assigning individual batteries and platoons to specific missions in support of General Patton’s Third Army as it pushed across France after the Normandy invasion. Fred’s unit crossed into Germany in mid-March 1945 while attached in support of the 65th Infantry Division.

Fred explained how entering Germany led to changes in their overnight accommodations while on the march and a change in his responsibilities.

“My parents both came from Holland. When I was a kid, the (Dutch) language was spoken in our home. That was what I was brought up with until I went to school and had to learn English. When we hit Germany, the officers said we don’t sleep in foxholes anymore. There’s lots of nice houses we’re going to sleep in. I don’t know how he found out, but because I (was) a gun mechanic, but not much work on the guns, the Captain said, ‘Braakman, I want this house for my CP. You go and get those people out of there.’ So that was my job to go up and convince these old ladies to get out of that house. And they would cry and they’d hang onto my arm, you know. Of course, they were rattling off German. But I just had to make it plain that we would try not to damage anything, but we’re going to have to use your house for a few days, you know.”

Fred’s combat service continued to lead to surreal experiences. He described a never-to-be-forgotten incident one day on the march through Germany.

“If anybody tells you they don’t get scared when they’re in a combat zone, don’t believe them. This is toward the end of the war and we were on the move all day. I rapped on the cab of the truck and leaned over and told the driver, ‘Man, I’ve got to go. Pull over and wait a minute.’ There was a couple old, ramshackle buildings just before you get into a little village and I thought, ‘I’ll just go behind them buildings and get this job done.’ So, I grabbed my rifle and I walked up through these weeds. I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to look. Here’s a whole squad of Germans coming up out of those weeds. Of course, I didn’t have long to think. It’s a flash, ‘My number’s up.’ Not a word was said — it was as quiet as a tomb. I’m trying to turn and as I turned I flipped the safe off. Before I could fire, the first couple guys that I could see opened their hands and “Kamerade!” They gave up, thank God! So, whether that was a split-second decision on their part to give up, or what, I don’t know. But, I’m just glad they did,” Fred concluded, laughing.

Fred’s unit collected the Germans’ rifles; loaded the prisoners of war onto their truck; and took off again. Hours later Fred realized he had never relieved himself.

We previously learned that the unit’s 40mm guns that Fred was responsible for keeping operational were very reliable. Being a gun mechanic without much work with the guns left him available for other duties like convincing old German women to leave their homes or, sometimes, more dangerous duties.

“Whenever something like that would come up, why the old First Sergeant would look around for Braakman,” Fred recalled, laughing.

“One time — I think it was the Danube, but I can’t swear to it — we pulled up on one side of the river. It was a village there and we were in that village and there was a bridge across the river. The fighting was pretty heavy on the other side of the river. So, we did everything to set up the guns to protect the bridge. A jeep drove up and it was an engineer. He said, ‘Headquarters wants us to put charges on the bridge in case we get pushed back and we want to deny them use of the bridge. So, I’ve got to have a guy to help me.'”

“So the First Sergeant said, ‘Braakman.’ I protested a little bit, ‘But I don’t know the first thing about explosives.’ The engineer said, ‘I’ll teach you everything you have to know.’ So, out on the bridge we go. He shows me what the wants me to do. I don’t think they are firing at us, but the firing is heavy on the other side of the river and every once and a while a bullet goes “zip, zip” and once in a while it hit the iron part of the bridge and ricocheted off. But neither of us got a scratch. We got the charges placed and we got off of there. We didn’t have to blow the bridge. The next day we could use it to go across.”

Fred’s unit, Battery D of the 546th AWB, had been assigned to support the 65th Infantry Division back in the fighting to penetrate Germany’s border defenses in March of 1945. Battery D was still supporting the 65th Division as it was fighting its way through southern Germany. The men hoped that the war in Europe was coming to a conclusion, but the fighting was not yet over.