- July 6, 1945
Spent 77 Days Behind German Lines; Corporal comes Home
Little Chute -Corporal Jonnie Biersteker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Biersteker, Little Chute, recently arrived home for a 60-day leave, after serving on a B-24 bomber which was forced down behind the German lines after a raid on the Jet fields near Munich. He spent 77 days behind the enemy lines before being returned to the American base.
A ball turret operator on the bomber, the Little Chute airman said that the failure of two motors forced the craft to fly low looking for a landing. They ran smack into a German airfield and 20-millimeter shell completed the job of landing in a hurry. All but three of the crew escaped to the hills. After 36 hours of hiding, the Americans made contact with Ugo-Slav and Italian patriots, who gave them clothes and food which enabled them to pass the Germans unmolested. It was a Udene, Italy, that the group of seven split up as the German S. S. troops knew that there were Americans in the vicinity through spies. At Trieste a German patrol encountered them but the Americans again escaped. They were contacted several different times by the German S. S. troops, but had plenty of help from the patriots, both men and women, who had no use for the Germans.
After again encountering a group of 25 of the enemy on patrol the American guides were lost and Biersteker and his companions again had to take to the hills for three days, going without food and water. Finally, venturing out of hiding, the party met an elderly man who turned out to be a partisan, and contact was made with the American Intelligence operating near there. But before long another German group rounded up a number of men of military age and any found were shot on the spot. A large group of patriots captured the Germans and forced them to dig their own graves before they were shot down, the Little Chute airman recalled. Fierce Hatred He was handed a gun and asked to help liquidate the enemy. He appeard reluctant and one of the women in the party called him softie, and finished the job herself. The women had more fierce hatred than the men for the enemy and proved it many a time, he said. Later on the American group was taken to a highway where they were met by a Dec 22 2012 Family of Peter C Biersteker - continued Page 4 truck, which proved to be on of Marhall Tito's. From there they were taken to airfield and flown back to American lines. Credit for the rescue of the Americans was given to the Ugo-Slav and Italian Patriots who fought the enemy with everything they possessed. On the day the Americans landed, the partisan sut communication lines to stop reports of the American whereabout from being forwarded. The boys first escape was made by lying down in a water-filled ditch which the German marchers passed by. From then on was forced hikes of 15 hours per day to keep ahead of the S. S. troops who were constantly following them.
Corporal Biersteker has been in the service two years and overseas six months. He has four battle stars, the air medal, and a unit citation, received by the 14th airforde, of which he was a member. He will report back to his base aug. 23 for reassignment.
Corporal Biersteker is the youngest of five members of the family in service, including Major Nic, who is expected home within a few weeks from Europe; Sergeant Neil, stationed at Georgia with the air corps; Staff Sergeant Maurice, stationed at Lockbourne air base as an engineer; and First Lieutenant Joe, a navigator on a B-29, who still has six missions to complete out of a total of 35, before receiving his leave. He is stationed in the Burma theatre of war.
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1924 - 2006 (82 years)
Education - High School
