Tag: Moselle River

Destruction of War, Everywhere

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The remnants of one of our planes shot down near Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Closed for the duration Plus. This was once a pastry shop in Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Ruins still standing on the banks of the Moselle River near Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

The calm Moselle River as she flows through Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

A scene snapped as we crossed the Moselle near Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

The once beautiful bridge spanning the Moselle River at the entrance to Trier, Germany. Trier, like many other Nazi party cities, was slow in surrendering. Results of the delay are obvious.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

Exiting the War

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We had just crossed from Germany back into Belgium. We could now whistle to the girls, fraternize, etc.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Bo, Bob, Doc & Willie, all hash slingers, pose outside their kitchen near Schleiz, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

The Moselle River near Trier, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

A scenic view of the Rhine River near Frankfurt, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Before entering Frankfurt, one must cross this huge cement bridge. Elements of war wrecked the structure, which has been reinforced by our American Engineers.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Germany’s proud Rhine River at Frankfurt, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

Heading Home Across an Embattled Europe

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Our convoy rolling along a French highway toward Le Havre, France.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

French flags such as shown flying here were hoisted in France as the Jerry’s were pushed out.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

Screen Shot 2018-12-17 at 3.40.08 PM

Jerry’s is a term used by British and American soldiers to refer to Germans during WW1 and WW2, from Urban Dictionary.

 

The routine physical inspection. This particular physical took place at Camp Oklahoma City, France. (near Reims)

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

War is hell! Ask the residents of Le Havre–if you can find any.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

A typical German pill box. This particular one was located near the harbor at Le Havre, France.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

The truck just ahead of the vehicle I was riding in enroute to Le Havre from Germany. Chuck Miller seated and facing my camera.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

 

Enroute to Camp Oklahoma City, France (assembly area near Reims) our convoy stopped frequently for breaks. We amateur photographers had a lot of material here.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945, near French Border in Germany

 

Vineyards by the acres were a common sight. This flat section of vineyards was nothing like the mountainous ones in the Moselle River area.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945, near Bonn, Germany

 

Willie, Herman Rhinehart, & Peck. Bivouac area near Schleiz, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 1945

Awaiting Redeployment

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Our field mess hall at Camp Oklahoma City, France. Our 87th Division was the first unit to be processed here in redeployment home & then to the Pacific.

Bernard McKenzie, June 17, 1945, near Reims, France

 

“Bo” orients Doc Snipes on the Pacific War. War in Europe was over, but we were all thinking of the Japs.

Bernard McKenzie, June 17, 1945

 

A soft drinks truck paused briefly to take care of business in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

Bernard McKenzie, June 17,1945

 

Trier, Germany, on the Moselle River, was also the victim of our bombs.

Bernard McKenzie, June 17, 1945

 

Large cities of Germany were not the only ones who saw the havoc of war. This is the view of a small town outside Cologne.

Bernard McKenzie, June 17, 1945

Camp Oklahoma City, Next Best Place to Being Home

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Complete & successful destruction of a Nazi Party headquarters building near Cologne, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 19, 1945

 

A view of the picturesque Moselle River near Wasserbillig, Germany. Our regiment had taken Wasserbillig only after a terrific price in human lives last winter.

Bernard McKenzie, June 19, 1945

 

The cathedral was to have been the chief subject near Bonn, Germany, and while hurriedly passing through, the picture was snapped.

Bernard McKenzie, June 19, 1945

 

This photo, which I’d always assumed was of a sign constructed by a home-sick G.I., pointed the directions of American redeployment camps, or repo-depos. The camps were named after U.S. cities. My dad was at Oklahoma City.

Redeployment centers near Reims, France, were organized & functioning in these U.S. city named camps . Our Division was redeployed at Oklahoma City.

Bernard McKenzie, June 19, 1945

 

These redeployment camps near Reims served as a funnel to prepare millions of American G.I.’s for military operations elsewhere in the world and to send the luckier ones home. The map below shows the location of the various camps around Reims. The first photo shows the long lines for the “Gourmet Restaurant” at Camp Boston. The second photo is of my dad’s camp, Oklahoma City.

A Mystery to Solve

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All of the photographs on this site are scans of originals that my father Bernard McKenzie took on his trek across western Europe at the end of World War 2. To this point the descriptions written on the back have been meticulous, detailed in the handwriting of my dad and the vernacular of the times. They’ve also been accurate, both chronological and locations. This blog post has helped me identify the first discrepancy, a photo and description dated far out of sequence. What’s going on? I hope to figure it out as I keep following the trail of photographs back into Germany.

The lazy Moselle River near Wasserbillig, Germany.

Bernard McKenzie, June 22, 1945

While this photo does appear to be of the Moselle River, Luxembourg is on one side while Germany is on the other. The photo is also obviously extremely mis-dated, as my dad was at Camp Home Run in Le Havre, France, on June 22.