My great uncle

[cav58d]

Incredible...This is the only word I can think of to describe the journey my family has been going through for the past 3 weeks...

My great uncle Carl, 22 years old, was killed on March 24th, 1945 during "Operation Varsity". He was a member of the 17th AB, 513th parachute inf, and was killed on his first combat jump over the Rhine. He enlisted into the US Army in January of 1942, and spent the next three years of his life before deployment as a parachute instructor, earning the title of masterjumper...

61 years later his memory was brought back to life for my family, but a Dutchman named John Smeetz...My family was randomly contacted by this anonymous German, who was inquiring info about the life of the soldiers grave he has been taking care of...This soldier is Carl F Roehrich, my great uncle...

Please read this article published in the Connecticut Post, about my family, and in particular my great uncle's incredible life...

This means so much to myself and my family, and I thought I would share it with you...

***I am also looking for more then average wikipedia, or google search information on "Operation Varsity" and the 513th parachute inf....(pictures, texts ect...)

finally, my family is interested in finding out if anyone from the 513th is still alive, and how to contact him...

Thanks so much guys, I hope you enjoy...

http://www.connpost.com/
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4235698

[cav58d]

http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4235698

Here is a direct link to the article

[mussie]

Some people would say "The war was 60 years ago" but I think most people who think like that dont understand that there are many others still hear with us who lost loved one in it.

To You, Your uncle and to Smeets.... Cav

Your uncle sounds like he was a very Honerable Man.

[AKKarma]

Originally posted by cav58d

***I am also looking for more then average wikipedia, or google search information on "Operation Varsity" and the 513th parachute inf....(pictures, texts ect...)

I snipped this from the FAQ on http://www.abmc.gov - Good luck with your research.

Where can I find information about a particular military unit?

An extensive unit history library is maintained by the U.S. Military Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA 17013. Some unit histories can be obtained through the inter-library loan system. However, many of the unit histories are not available for interlibrary loan due to their rarity or condition. You may also wish to investigate out-of-print or used military book dealers. The Institute’s website is http://www.carlisle.army.mil.

The Department of the Army, Center of Military History also has information regarding Army units. The Center of Military History website is http://www.army.mil/cmh. Although the website contains much information, it is not interactive, so inquiries from the public must be made in writing. The address is Department of the Army, Center of Military History, DAMH-HSO, 103 Third Ave., Ft. McNair, Washington, DC 20319-5058.


Where can I find official Army unit morning reports and other records?

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132, is the official custodian of the records that have been retired by the U.S. Army. General information about records can be found on that agency’s website at http://archives.gov. Records are at two different physical locations depending on the time period in question.
Prior to 1939: Military Reference Branch, National Archives, 8 th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20408.
From 1939 onward, including units that served in Southeast Asia: National Archives, Textual Reference Branch, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740.



AKKarma

[Masherbrum]

cav, from our talks in Rookland.   <> sir, my you be able to stand proud and understand our quest to emulate.  

Also, <> to Carl F Roehrich.

[toon]

what a stand-up guy. he got a cushy stateside job, relatively safe and thru it out the window. your great-uncle and the dutch. never knew there was an org like that.

[AKKarma]

Cav, I don't know how much cashola is in your research budget, but you might want to try and get a hold of a copy of "The Making of a Paratrooper: Airborne Training and Combat in World War II" by Kurt Gabel.  The book is out of print and therefore rather expensive.

Gabel fought with the 513th PIR and the book review from Amazon (pasted below) speaks for itself.   Also, a more complete bibliography of publications regarding the 513th can be found here:

http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/bibliographies/unithistories/infantry/regiment/513.doc

AKKarma


It's really a shame this book is out of print, as it is just as good as the more famous Ambrose books. The reason "The Making of a Paratrooper" reads so well is that Kurt Gabel was a paratrooper and participant in everything he describes...something Ambrose can't claim. His is a light, easy style of prose that reads easily, yet conveys the emotions, both high and low, of war. Friends blown to pieces or shot in the head right next to you. Moments of hilarity and joy...or the abject misery of fighting in hellish conditions. It's all here, from the beginnings in the tough jump school--it's amazing how hard these men trained--to the bloody European battlefields. All I can say is, this book pulls you in and keeps you there in a way that few tomes do. It is well worth the purchase. I might also add that Dr. William Mitchell, a paratrooper in the same Airborne outfit as Kurt Gabel and who wrote the final chapter of "The Making of a Paratrooper," was my political science professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He still proudly wears his paratrooper beret.