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75th Anniversary Memorial Celebration
The 75th Anniversary of the Kassel Mission was a memorable one. It has been 15 years (2004) since as many came from the US to join in the annual tribute, which is conducted every yearon 9/27 by our German colleagues. Joining the ceremonies this fall were families and friends of our heroes, Raymond Heitz, Mac McGregor, John Cadden, Leonard Trotta, Frank Bertram and Palmer Bruland. Participating in the 3 day event were 27 adults and 6 children (ages 2.5 to 17) in our group, joining another 150 locals at the dedication. It was truly wonderful as many from the US (and UK) in attendance were visiting for the first time and all in awe of the legacy left by all those that served and sacrificed on 9/27/44. Many questions answered and yet many new questions raised. You just cannot attend this and not gain more appetite for additional information. As well, it was splendid to see the 3rd and 4th generations attend and participate!
The first evening was a casual mixer to get to know one another, then we enjoyed an excellent German dinner served by our host hotel and staff of Hotel Langasthof Hess in the town of Aur, near Bad Hersfeld. The Langasthof Hess is a wonderful country inn with very comfortable rooms, superior service and owned/operated by the Hess family for over a century. They made us feel like family too! I could write pages on how they went above and beyond for our group.
Day 2 was early rising for all for an excellent German style breakfast then loading the bus for our tour day. Beautiful and peaceful countryside that is hard to imagine the catastrophic events that took place 75 years earlier. We visited several of the crash sites with narrative from Günter Lemke and Eberhard Haelbig, their knowledge and details of the day are remarkable assets and which brought so much to our day. We had the pleasure to visit the special Kassel Mission exhibit at the Gerstungen Museum, guided by the knowledgeable curator Katharine Doetterl. Rare photographs, a very well organized narrative on the day’s battle as well as numerous relics were on display. Katharina was a wonderful guide and looking to expand the exhibit.
We had several special moments at the crash site of Lt. Bolin near the village of Krauthausen, where the former Buergermeister (Mayor), who observed the air battle as a young lad, shared his story with our group. There is a beautiful village church as well, where the steeple roof weathervane was rebuilt with much of the material from the Bolin B24 fuselage. I found it profound, that the fuselage that carried the last moments of 10 US airmen men is now part of a sacred place of worship. Another fascinating element of this location was the recent recovery of one of the pilots’ wristwatch, fairly intact and hauntingly stopped at the time of impact. Finally, we were treated with the honor of unveiling a recent memorial sign put in place by the local community in Memory of the Bolin Crew and a Reminder of the effects of war. Joining me in the unveiling was the current Buergermeister as well as Mona English (daughter of Malcom MacGregor) wearing her father’s dog tags and Martin Brunotte whose father was a German fighter pilot who lost his life that day (Martin’s mother was pregnant with Martin at that time…)
From there we took our bus ride to the town of Eisenach where we visited the extraordinary Kassel Mission museum and collections of Eberhard Haelbig, our guide. The research and archeological relics that Eberhard has put together for display are outstanding. Certainly a labor of love and very professionally exhibited with relics and interpretive displays.
We had some free time in Eisenach to visit the town. Many of the group paid a visit to the home/museum of classical composer Johan Sebastian Bach, who lived there over 300 years before. From Eisenach we made our way to Ulfen to enjoy a traditional German dinner at Klopper’s Brauhaus in Ulfen. We recognized those who have brought so much to the Kassel Mission’s principals and goals and for the extraordinary help they provided in putting the event together. Many thanks again to Guenter Lemke, Eberhard and Leona Haelbig, Jerry and Susie Pitman, Eric Ratcliffe and Liesel Hassenpflug. Because of their fine efforts our 3 day event came off as hoped for and enjoyed by all!
On the day of the event, Sept 27th, the occasional light rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of all as attendees made their way in from many different locals in the US, the UK and other parts of the European continent as part of extended vacations. We bused over together and made our way to the memorial site already professionally set up by the local community teams in Friedlos/Ludwigsau. The ceremony started at 11am sharp which was attended by roughly 150 individuals despite the light rain. A five piece brass band joined a local chorus of 20 as several speeches in German and English were delivered, highlighted in my opinion by Jerry Pitman’s moving tribute to the fallen and all veterans who have survived the battlefield as Jerry has personally experienced.
The group then joined locals at Gasthof Allendorf in Neiderthalhausen where Buergermeister Hagemann greeted all guests. The community served a terrific lunch for all, allowing us an opportunity to intermingle while watching a video tribute to the Kassel Mission. Many of us took some time to make a side visit to the resting place of Walter Hassenpflug just a few miles outside of Neiderthalhausen in a wonderful forested area.
The last night, everyone was on their own to do what they wished for the evening. As it turns out, everybody stuck around the hotel thoroughly enjoying the company of each other and sharing their highlights of our time together. What a terrific group and I cannot say enough about everyone’s enthusiasm and marvel of the stories and legacy of the Kassel Mission Memorial. You are all the reason for KMHS existence and your curiosity and thirst for knowledge around this event is the heart of this association’s existence. Many thanks to all attendees and our wonderful German colleagues!
We hope to see you all and more at the 80th Reunion in 2024!!
- Jim Bertram
Chairman, KMHS