Home Again

Robert soon settled into civilian life, resumed his studies at Edison Technical School, and was active at Central Lutheran Church in Seattle.  After graduating from Edison, he served a four-year apprenticeship with the Great Northern Railway, where he was a Journeyman Machinist for 31 years, until his early death at age 51 from natural causes.  He specialized in restoring steam engines, and at the time of his death, was getting ready to restore an engine in Olympia, Washington.

In 1948, he married Eleanore Enget from North Dakota, and had two children, a daughter (me) and a son. My parents had a happy 25 years together until his death.  At this writing, his wife and children are still alive, and cherish the happy times we had with him.

This blog was my way of connecting with my father 43 years after his death.  Since he died when I was only 23 years old, I really never had a chance to get to know him when I was an adult (at the time of his death, I was an Army wife with a husband stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington.  We had just returned from a 13-month tour of duty in Korea during the Vietnam war.). After months of research and writing this blog, I feel I know my father better, and more clearly understand the forces that shaped his life.

Susan Arnold, March 2016

Snohomish, Washington

susanarnold2014@gmail.com

Honeymoon in San Francisco

Wedding Day (in front of their Home in North Seattle)

Arriving in Sacramento, California--October 29, 1945--Camp Beale

October 29, 1945--Arrive in Sacramento, California, at Camp Beale.  Got discharged from the Army. Took the bus and got home at last on November 2, 1945 at 8 p.m., about two years and 8 months after leaving.

Author's Note:
By September 1945, when World War II ended, Camp Beale's Personnel Replacement Depot had sent over 225,000 men overseas. Others entered the service there, as Beale was also an induction center. Eighty thousand others were processed through Beale's Reception Station before it moved to Fort Ord, California in December 1946. Camp Beale was also a Separation Center, which discharged 387,174 men and women before it closed in April 1947.     --Wikipedia 

Camp Beale, California

Boarding the SS Argentina Bound for New York Harbor

October 17, 1945.  Got on the SS Argentina at 9 p.m.
October 18--Left the dock at LeHavre at 6:30 a.m.
October 25--Came into New York Harbor at 1:30 p.m. Transported to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.
October 26--Spent the day at Camp Kilmer.
October 27--Moved to air zone.
October 28--At 12 noon, we took the bus to Newark Field, New Jersey.  Got on a C47 plane at 2:30 p.m.

USS Argentina

Starting For Home--Germany and Camp Lucky Strike, France

Diary Entry by Robert Arnold:
"July 5th, 1945--Left the 995th Field Artillery and moved to the 9th Division in the town of Pfaffenhoffen (this was the site of the largest prisoner of war camp in Germany). Soon after, we moved to Garching, and then I was put on guard duty in the town of Hart."

Date Unknown:  See diary entry below.  There were no letters home in August and September, 1945.

Diary Entry by Robert Arnold:  
(No date).  STARTED FOR HOME.  We moved to Mittenwald (which was the location of the largest Displaced Persons Camp in Germany).  From there, we went into the 746th Field Artillery Battalion. Got on the 40 & 8 (a 40 man or 40 horse railroad boxcar), and rode 72 hours.  Went to Camp Atlanta near Reims, France (these camps were similar to the "Cigarette Camps", which housed soldiers waiting to return home to the United States).
Moved by train to Le Havre, France, to Camp Lucky Strike.  There are 65,000 soldiers here waiting to go home to the US. From here, we will get on a ship.

On the way to Camp Lucky Strike

Visiting Hitler's Home in Berschtesgaden

"Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany:  June 20, 1945. Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I spent most of it driving.  I saw a lot of scenery.  I got some cherries off a cherry tree, and drove from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Last night, I went to a movie and watched some newsreels.
Today, I have had a very pleasant day.  I got up at 5:45 a.m. and ate breakfast.  Then eight of us got into a three-quarter ton truck headed for Hitler's summer resort "Berghof", which is about 200 miles from here.  It took us three hours to get there.  Most of the way from Munich, we went on the Autobahn highway, so we made good time.  We were high up in the Austrian Alps, and they were covered with snow.  The scenery was beautiful, with so many green trees, waterfalls, and blue lakes.  All of the houses have large rocks on the roofs to hold them on.  Then we went through a stone gateway, and we were in Berschtesgaden (name of the town where Hitler's home, Berghof, was located).
All of the buildings are made of stone.  The whole resort is built on top of the mountains, hundreds of feet up.  We parked the truck and started walking.  The whole place had been bombed badly by the British and looted by the Allies.  Most of the buildings were leveled to the ground.
Next we went into Goebbel's house.  It's on a peak and the view is wonderful. Then we went through Hitler's house.  It was huge, and had a very large recreation room and fireplace.  There was a stage where shows were held.  The one window in the room was about 25 feet by 40 feet. Then we went through other houses--a sun house and a bath house made of all glass.  Everything was painted green and had artificial trees all over so the building wouldn't show from the air.  But since tons of bombs were dropped on the place, nothing much was left.
Next we left the house and drove about four miles up.  We went through four tunnels and some were so long we had to turn on the lights. The roadway and tunnels were also painted green with camouflage nets hanging over the tunnels.  When we got up as far as we could, we got out and walked about a mile.
An elevator went up through the rock mountain and into the house on the lookout point.  When we got to the top, there was a large rock lookout house. It had large rooms, a dining room with a table about 25 feet long.  The lounge had big, soft rugs on the floor and a large fireplace.  Every large window had a view of snow-covered mountains.
We started back and stopped along a river and made something to eat.  We got back to Starnberg around 5:30 p.m.  With all my love, Robert."

The Alps from Bertschesgaden

Berghof, Bertschesgaden

Hitler's House

SS House

   

May 9, 1945--The War Ended at 12:01 a.m.

May 1--Snowing real hard.  Worked on the Jeep.
May 3--Got 70 more men in our Battalion today.
May 4--There are 45 of us now who do not have to pull guard duty.  I am now a steady driver.  All I do now is keep my jeep in good shape and drive.
May 5--Drove rations up to our boys guarding an old castle that is 1100 years old.  It's a beautiful building, full of antiques.
May 6-8--Drove to Allen.
May 9--WAR OFFICIALLY ENDED!
May 10--Moved to Waldkirchin.  Drove through Munich, and it is in ruins.  Drove on some of Hitler's four-lane superhighways.  Along the highways, there were many German airplanes.  They had used the highways as a runway to take off from.
May 11--Moved to Graffraff, then to Starnberg.

Letter Home from Robert to His Family:  "May 8, 1945--Dear Folks:  This is a beautiful, warm evening, and we are all so very happy and thankful that this war with Germany has come to an end.  Last night, I had to take the German SS soldiers somewhere, and I got back after suppertime.  When I drove in, I heard the news about the war being over!  It was so wonderful to not have to do 'blackout' any longer, and we all celebrated and stayed up real late.  With all my love, your son Robert."

Berschtesgaden

Eagle's Nest

The 8-Inch Howitzers Are Silent

The 995th Field Artillery Battalion put in 472 days in combat.   Of these days, 250 days were in Italy, and 222 were in France, Alsace and Germany.    Happy Day!

The guns are silent.