February 4, 2022
Hello ,
They're remembered as the Wereth Eleven, but they're hardly remembered at all, their story covered up and forgotten.
Werth was a village in Belgium overrun by the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
The 11 were black soldiers in 333rd Field Artillery Battalion tortured and executed by Hitler's Schutzstaffel; men known as the SS.
Of course, there's a book telling of these events. This is the first time ever, I'm telling you about a book, but not wholly recommending it.
I am recommending a podcast and a National Geographic documentary. Pick your method and learn the story of this handful of black soldiers in WWII, their valor in battle, their tragic end and how US gov omitted them from the War Crimes report.
A gun section of the 333rd Feild Artillery Battalion in Normandy, courtesy National Archives
The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion was an African American unit in the segregated US Army during World War II. The battalion landed at Normandy in early July 1944 and battled across France throughout the summer.
Later, in December 1944, Hitler made a last desperate attempt to break through the allied line, taking the US and British by surprise. What would become known as the Battle of the Bulge unfolded in the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg.
The first day of the battle, the 333rd became surrounded by the German 1st SS Panzer Division and scattered. Marching through bitter cold and thick forest for a good part of the day, eleven soldiers took refuge in the village or Wereth. Nazi sympathizers tipped off the Germans, and they were captured and
executed, Sunday, December 17, 1944.
Hear the story on the Coming Home Well podcast here... It's just out today and you'll find it at the top of the list. If you're tuning in
later, you may have to search it in the list.
It's called The Lost Eleven of WWII, or listen on apple
podcast here...
These are the names of the men massacred:
Private Curtis Adams
Corporal Mager Bradley
Private George Davis
Staff Sergeant Thomas Forte
Tech Corporal Robert Green
Private James Leatherwood
Private Nathaniel Moss
Tech Sergeant William Pritchett
Tech Sergeant James Aubrey
Private Due Turner
Private George Molten
Below: Tech Sergeant William Willie Pritchett, U.S. Wereth Memorial V.o.E.
Below: Tech Corporal Robert Green
Despite their bravery and sacrifice, these eleven soldiers were omitted from the final Congressional War Crimes report of 1949. For seventy years, their files—marked secret—gathered dust in the National Archive. An investigation into the Wereth events was begun, but it was quickly closed for reasons that remain unanswered.
Unfortunately, it's received less than stellar reviews. At Historynet.com, Marcus Cox wrote:
"I enjoyed several aspects of the book. The authors devote a great deal of attention to the military campaigns of Adolf Hitler and his generals from 1936 until the end of the war in Europe. Unfortunately, the book focuses more on that than it does its main subjects."
On Goodreads, Laura from Mount Vernon, IA wrote:
"It’s a sad truth that after World War II stories of the valor and bravery of white American soldiers were preserved far better than those of American soldiers of color....
When we finally do get to know a handful of the 11 fighters from the 333rd Battalion, their stories come in broad, sweeping strokes, their voices so similar it’s impossible to distinguish one man from the next.
Rather than taking the time and care to give each man a full personal narrative, the authors instead give each man just one distinguishing marker: Corporal Bradley treasures the bars of Woodbury soap his wife sends; Private Adams met his young son for the first time while he was at training camp. Since the authors make little to no attempts to develop the men beyond these small trinket details, they still feel forgotten, faceless at the end of the 300-page work."
Obviously, any book remembering the lost members of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion is better than no book, Leatherneck, of Birmingham, AL, wrote on Amazon:
This is an inspiring--and long overdue-- tribute to eleven Americans who never lived to enjoy the freedoms for which they died.
You also have the choice of the National Geographic documentary Caught by the SS - The Wereth Eleven. It's directed by Robert Child, an Emmy nominated writer and
director, who is also interviewed on the podcast referenced above.
Sources
https://www.historynet.com/book-s-the-lost-eleven.htm
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30213125-the-lost-eleven
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Forgotten-Massacre
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RHEE2X24PMB58/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1101987391
You're all invited to my virtual book launch via zoom!
If you're in the Spokane, WA area, I hope you'll come to my real, live, in-person event at Auntie's Bookstore. Mark your calendar!
March 22 at 7pm
Auntie's Bookstore
402 West Main Avenue, Spokane
Still in the planning stages, so stay tuned!
Aunties requires proof of vaccination for all instore events.
March 24th at 7pm (Pacific)
In partnership with Wishing Tree Books, this zoom event will include myself and two acclaimed authors of nonfiction. Planning is underway. I'm pretty sure there will be prizes.
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